Leeds hospital staff fill eight-metre staircase with donations for foodbank

More than 300 staff at the hospital in Jackson Avenue, Roundhay, spent their valuable spare time, in between shifts looking after the city’s patients, to collect donations.

They gathered together more than 500kgs - enough to fill the 200-year-old staircase at the hospital - from friends, families and neighbours.

Samantha Bell, endoscopy staff nurse at Spire Leeds then delivered the food to the Leeds Foodbank Warehouse on Burley Road.

Tony Sutcliffe, warehouse co-ordinator at Leeds North and West Foodbank, said: “This is a fantastic achievement by the staff at Spire Leeds. We always welcome donations and use them to provide help to people in crisis.

“With thousands of people across the city struggling for work after the devastating impact of coronavirus, there has been a surge in the number of people relying on foodbanks to feed themselves and their families, therefore it is crucial for the foodbanks all around Leeds to maintain and build stocks.”

Sammie Brambles, patient experience manager at Spire Leeds Hospital, said: “We are so pleased that we are able to help people in our local community.

“I never imagined for a minute that we would receive so many donations from our staff.”

Recently the Leeds foodbank set up an emergency fundraising campaign to try to raise £25,000 as its current storage facility is simply not big enough. Donations have since flooded in and a new much larger warehouse has been identified.

Visit leedsnorthandwest.foodbank.org.uk to donate.