Over a few short months life as we know it has changed unrecognisably. Separation from family and friends is hard, lockdown is the new normal, and many of us are spending more time on our own than before. Despite these testing and scary times, people around the world have been united in a desire to protect one another from coronavirus, and comradery and friendship have beome even more important than before.

Like many things right now, our fundraising activities have had to change - our challenge events which we rely on can no longer take place, and many of our projects have been put on hold whilst the focus is on caring for Covid-19 patients.

However far away it might feel right now, once this pandemic is over we will be relying on the continued support of people like you to enable us to continue investing in research, equipment and patient care, and there are still opportunities to raise money for our projects which will be providing support to people well after this is over. Below are a few ideas of ways in which you can support our work whilst staying safe:

• Walk a mile a day in June
• Run 100 miles in July
• Walk a marathon in August
• Host a virtual tea party
• Donate your commute
• Take on a baking challenge with the kids
• Host a virtual quiz night and charge people to join in

We'll be developing the opportunities for you to support us over the coming weeks, and if you have any ideas of your own we'd love to hear from you, just email hannah.persaud@nhs.net.

Thank you for your support and stay safe!