Bank staff donate 'pick-me-up' packages to cancer patients

Santander staff filled the packages with presents such as sweet treats, hand cream, coffee, tea, notebooks and socks to support patients undergoing cancer treatment at Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust.

They were made on behalf of Santander’s charity partner Macmillan Cancer Support, and donated to the Rotherham Hospital and Community Charity in memory of the team’s friend Steven Owen, who passed away in January aged 35 from ligament melanoma and another colleague, who died in March after having bowel cancer.

Santander financial advisor Christina Maloney said: “We wanted to show some support for the NHS, which cared for our friends and care for all of us, too.

“It’s been a fun and rewarding team building exercise for us because supporting cancer patients is something we feel passionately about.

“We all know someone who has had cancer or sadly lost a loved one.

“We felt we were doing something amazing together in their memory.”

They will now be distributed to Rotherham patients by the trust’s Cancer Services Team.

Rachael Dawes, head of fundraising at the Rotherham Hospital and Community Charity, added: “We are so grateful to the incredibly thoughtful team at Santander for donating care packages for the cancer patients here in Rotherham.

“They really will make a difference to people when they need a pick-me-up during such a stressful and emotional time.

“We’re so touched by the Santander team’s heartfelt donation.”