Fisher House, a ‘home away from home’ for military patients and their families, has received a fantastic donation from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC).
Fisher House was built on-site of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, which is home to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, in June 2013. Its mission is to provide free, comfortable accommodation for the families of wounded and ill troops and veterans. It has 18 en-suite bedrooms and guests can stay for as long as they need to; Fisher House’s longest resident was there for 18 months whilst her husband was in hospital.
In January Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, RNRMC, which exists to support sailors, marines and their families, kindly gifted a staggering £20,000 to the home, providing the equivalent of 800 nights of free accommodation for families of military patients in their time of need.
Since opening, Fisher House has provided over 13,000 nights of free accommodation, saving guests and estimated £1,000,000 in travel costs.
Justine Davy, Head of Fundraising at QEHB Charity which runs Fisher House, said: “The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity has offered brilliant support of Fisher House, which means so much to both QEHB Charity and the House’s occupants.
“Of the more than 2,000 military patients that have stayed with their families at Fisher House, a significant proportion have been Royal Marines.
“Generous donations like this one enable us to keep on providing that safe haven for families going through an incredibly stressful ordeal, away from the clinical environment but still within walking distance of the hospital, where their loved ones are receiving treatment.”
Mandy Lindley, Director of Relationships and Funding, from the RNRMC said: “We recognise how vital a role families play in the recovery and rehabilitation of Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel. Fisher House at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham stands as a shining example as a welcome home away from home.”
To find out more about Fisher House or to make a donation, please visit www.fisherhouseuk.org or call 0121 371 4852.
If you’d like more information about how QEHB Charity supports patients, please go to www.qehb.org or call Becca Harris 0121 371 4852.
Notes to the editor:
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity is the official charity of Queen Elizabeth hospitals. (www.qehb.org)
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity funds equipment, research and training beyond the scope of the NHS and aims to make a difference to the lives of patients, visitors and staff at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB).
- The Charity also supports the military patients treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and has opened Fisher House, a ‘home from home’ for military patients and their families. The charity is very grateful for the generous grants from Fisher House Foundation and Help for Heroes. SAFFA and Help for Heroes also generously provide support towards the £250,000 annual running costs of Fisher House. In total Fisher House cost in the region of £4.2m (fisherhouseuk.org)
