Many people choose to donate in memory of someone they love. For them, it’s a positive way to pay tribute to someone special, while helping make our local NHS better for patients, families and staff. Some of the ways you can give in memory include: making a donation in the name of someone special; holding a collection at the funeral or memorial ceremony; setting-up a lasting tribute fund; or doing your own fundraising or taking part-in an event or challenge.
You can make a one-off donation or more regular gift by clicking here. The online form will provide you with an opportunity to tell us the name of the special person who you are dedicating the gift to, so we can link your donation with any others and share the total given with the next of kin.
If you would prefer to send a cheque, please make it payable to Kingston Hospital Charity and post it to Freepost KHCHARITY, while remembering to tell us the name of your loved one and whether you wish your gift to benefit a particular ward or service at Kingston Hospital.
Many families choose to ask for donations to Kingston Hospital Charity in lieu of flowers at a funeral or a memorial as a lasting tribute to their loved one’s memory. Most funeral directors will collect gifts for you and send them on to us. Sometimes, families request donations to be sent directly to Kingston Hospital Charity. If this is the case, please include the name of the person you are donating in memory of, so we can acknowledge donations and inform the next of kin of the total amount collected.
The Memory Tree is a piece of sculptural art, located in a secluded wooded area on the Kingston Hospital site. This beautiful sculpture celebrates the lives of those we remember through personal dedications on a weatherproof polycarbonate plaque that is displayed on the wooden sleepers behind the tree. It is a place where you will always be welcome to remember your loved ones throughout the year on birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions.
Please contact us on 020 8973 5040 or email khft.charity@nhs.net if you are interested in arranging a personal dedication to a loved one. Suggested donations levels depend on whether the memorial plaque is to be displayed for one year, three years or permanently.
Setting up a Tribute page is a unique way to remember a loved one. Friends and family, near or far, can come together to share memories, to support each other and to celebrate a loved one’s life in their own special way. They can also make donations if they wish, leaving a lasting legacy in a loved one’s name. There may be a connection to a particular ward or service that you would wish to benefit. The page is free to create and it’s your space to put photos, stories and videos and favourite songs and even light a virtual candle – like an online memory box. For more information on Tribute pages, please click here
Our sincere thanks to Nadia Shah and her family who together generously donated £3,500 in memory of her mother, Rahila Shah, for the purchase of a vein finder for use on the care of the elderly wards. Vein finders allow clinicians to visualise veins beneath the skin’s surface, reducing the need for multiple attempts to locate a suitable vein and is particularly useful for patients with difficult-to-locate veins, such as those who are elderly. Nadia noticed that staff on the care of the elderly wards were constantly having to borrow the vein finder used by the phlebotomy department.
Nadia said:
“Guided by her generous spirit and desire to alleviate unnecessary suffering, we’ve contributed a vein finder, a tool that can simplify the sometime arduous and painful process of drawing blood for patients. Rahila was more than just a devoted wife and mother; she was an active grandmother of nine. Diagnosed with endometrial cancer last summer, after a swift battle, she passed away at the Royal Marsden, Chelsea, following a transfer from Kingston Hospital. Her memory lives on, not only in the hearts of those who loved her, but also in this gift that we hope will help many patients.”
