Boost for the local area

An anonymous benefactor has now donated £750,000 to a Fife charity.

Fife Health Charity distributes cash to NHS services in the local area.

The donors previously donated £500,000 and have now given a further £250,000.

Tricia Marwick, the charity’s chair and former MSP, said: “This is a quite extraordinary act of kindness and we are genuinely blown away by the generosity shown yet again.

“The earlier donation of £500,000 has funded a wide range of initiatives and has been invaluable in helping us provide some of the home comforts that have made patients’ stay in hospital more bearable whilst visiting restrictions have been in place.”

Projects funded include the purchase of more than 100 tablets to ensure patients can video call loved ones amidst visiting restrictions; the construction of an outdoor gym for staff and patients at Lynebank Hospital in Dunfermline; and the purchase of portable translation devices for patients who aren’t fluent in English.

Additionally, £100,000 will fund half of cost of founding a permanent wellbeing hub for healthcare staff at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

Some £10,000 was given to Maggie’s Centre Kirkcaldy and £5,000 to Blood Bikes Scotland, in recognition of the invaluable support they provided to NHS Fife during the early stages of the pandemic.

Marwick continued: “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I wanted to offer our most sincere thank you for the donation.

“We will ensure that the gift is used wisely to provide the maximum benefit for both patients and staff here in Fife.”

Announcements are expected in the new few weeks once plans have been developed regarding how the £250,000 donation will be used.