Lord Mayor rallies community to raise more than £70,000 for NHS hospitals in Leeds

Leeds Hospitals Charity is the charity for Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and thanks to donations is able to provide an additional £5m in funding each year to support projects across our hospitals in Leeds.

On the May 21, 2021, Councillor Asghar Khan was officially announced as the city’s 127th Lord Mayor of Leeds.

During his time as Lord Mayor, Councillor Asghar Khan has chosen to support Leeds Hospitals Charity.

Over the past six months, the Lord Mayor has shown his commitment to fundraising by putting on a whole host of his own events, including a ‘Curry and Quiz’ night, Winter Ball and Jail Break challenge.

Thanks to his profile, the Lord Mayor has also helped raise awareness of Leeds Hospitals Charity and the huge difference donations make, shown through the incredible response to his ‘Step For Your NHS’ fundraising campaign.

The campaign saw many individuals, community groups and businesses from across the region getting their steps in to help raise funds for the Lord Mayor’s charity appeal.

An impressive £70,000 has been raised so far thanks to the Lord Mayor’s fundraising efforts.

Esther Wakeman, Chief Executive of Leeds Hospitals Charity is grateful to have the support of such an influential figure.

She said: "I feel very privileged that the Lord Mayor chose to support Leeds Hospitals Charity during his year in office.

"The Lord Mayor has gone above and beyond to support us over the last six months and has embraced every opportunity to help raise fund and awareness of our Charity in many diverse communities across our region.

“We’re really excited to see what this partnership will hold in 2022 and look forward to what the Lord Mayor has planned for the coming months!”

The Lord Mayor has also attended many of the Charity’s fundraising events, including their first Children’s Toddle in October and their ‘Down the Chimney’ abseil in December.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Asghar Khan, said: “It is a real honour to be able raise funds for such a wonderful Charity that provide crucial support for hospitals across our city.

"I would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has contributed to the £70,000 we have raised already.

"Having relished the challenge of raising funds so far, I can’t wait for the challenge of meeting the £100,000 target by the end of my term.”

In 2022, the Lord Mayor has even more fundraising plans, including a Bollywood Afternoon Tea and Golf-a-thon, in the hope of raising £100,000 to support the NHS heroes caring for patients across the city.

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