Young people on the children’s ward (Dolphin Ward) and in the children’s emergency department (ED) at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) got an early Easter surprise yesterday (27 March) when local train operator, Greater Anglia, delivered more than 600 Easter eggs and activity kits.
Greater Anglia, who have run this initiative since 2020, encourage their passengers to donate Easter eggs or other treats for the children’s ward at PAHT; and posters have been on display at Bishop’s Stortford, Harlow Mill, Harlow Town, Stansted Mountfitchet and Sawbridgeworth train stations since February.
The annual event is organised by Greater Anglia’s relief ticket office clerk at Sawbridgeworth and Stansted Mountfitchet, Michael King, who visited the hospital today to deliver the treats. He said: “Our customers and staff are always happy to support our Easter egg campaign and they haven’t let us down this year with more than 600 eggs donated for children.
“It’s always worth the effort. You can’t beat seeing the smiles on the children’s faces when we deliver to Dolphin Ward and children’s ED.”
Helen Weaving, Dolphin Ward manager, said: “A heartfelt thank you to Michael and his team, and to the customers at Greater Anglia, for the generous Easter treats they have supplied for the young people in our care.
“There was a lot of excitement when they made the delivery and I can’t thank them enough. We will be keeping the supplies safe so that we can hand them out to young people in our care over the coming weeks to give them an extra Easter treat.”
Ogechi Emeadi, director of people, organisational development and communications at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, said: “On behalf of The Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Charity, a very big thank you to Michael and the Greater Anglia team yet again for running this initiative and delivering these Easter eggs and activity packs.
“Our staff and the young people in our care are extremely grateful for their efforts, which will bring smiles to many faces over the coming weeks.”