Residents, relatives and staff from Spellman Care homes – Craven Nursing Home, Ghyll Royd Care Home, Springbank Care Home and Steeton Court Nursing Home – spread festive cheer to Airedale Hospital this week. The homes collected a mountain of Christmas presents over the past three months, which were delivered to the hospital on Tuesday.

The generous donations, collected throughout October, November, and December, will be distributed to patients of all ages across the hospital, ensuring a brighter Christmas for those who can’t be at home.

The heartwarming delivery was met with delight from Airedale Hospital staff. Residents from Steeton Court Nursing Home were treated to a special festive welcome, enjoying refreshments in the Airedale Hospital Restaurant while a local school choir filled the air with Christmas carols.

The Airedale Hospital & Community Charity Community Fundraiser Laura Hepworth said… “We’d like to say a huge thank you to Spellman Care for their lovely generous donation to our gift appeal this year. We’re really pleased to announce that every patient staying on a ward at Airedale General Hospital and Castleberg will be receiving a gift to open on Christmas Day.

We hope the team and residents enjoyed visiting us! It seemed perfectly timed as students from Glusburn Primary School arrived at the same time to sing Christmas carols in the restaurant. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy, health New Year.”

Philippa Young, Spellman Care’s Operations Manager added, “We are incredibly proud of our residents, their relatives and our staff for their heartwarming gesture. The sense of kindness and compassion within our homes was evident in the quantities of donations we collected. We hope these gifts bring joy and comfort to the patients at Airedale Hospital this Christmas.”

The Spellman Care Christmas Present Appeal is a yearly initiative which has collected for local charities in the run up to Christmas since 2021, with an appeal for Homeless Not Helpless, The Salvation Army, and this year, the Airedale Hospital & Community Charity.