The People’s Health Alliance is delighted to announce that sufficient donations have been received by its Power of the Pound emergency appeal to allow funding of its health hubs to commence.
Sandwich Health Hub received a donation of £500 on Monday 26 September, handed over by PHA co-founder Amanda Dungate. The money will enable health hub members to purchase emergency equipment and two first aid homeopathy kits with remaining funds being used for first aid training. One of the first aid homeopathy kits will be donated to the hub’s sister branch in Canterbury.
Sandwich hub spokesperson Susan Barton said members were delighted to be the first hub selected to receive financial support. The hub is already open to the public and operates from The Sage Room in Sandwich
Susan said hub members would like to thank all those who had so far donated to the Power of the Pound appeal. She also encouraged as many as possible to donate one pound per month so that other hubs could benefit as soon as possible.
“The Power of the Pound appeal is so important because it is imperative that we get community hubs in place, particularly before the winter sets in”, said Susan.
“We can all achieve so much if we all contribute for us and for our children’s futures. By clubbing together, we will make the pound go further.”
Community hub members have secured the use of The Sage Room as a main focal point of the hub, an established community space that offers a range of complementary treatments including reflexology, homeopathy, counselling for both children and adults, Shamanic healing, reiki, workshops, talking therapies, laughter yoga, Shamanic drum circle, drum meditations and various spiritual and wellness workshops.
As a result of the POP appeal, the hub will now be in a position to focus on first aid and emergency care within its community.
“We know that the NHS is struggling. In fact the mother of one of our homeopaths had a wait time of 16 hours for an ambulance two weeks ago”, said Susan, who added that she was successfully treated using homeopathic first aid until the ambulance arrived.
“We believe that advanced first aid support will complement the current NHS services and offer reassurance for the patient that something is being done and that they are being listened to”, she added.
“We also hope to support other local hubs in the area and hope to share our knowledge and expertise. Long term, we are hoping to branch out to the community and support existing initiatives such as the local food banks. We have applied for a community allotment and are hoping that, by working together, we will be able to support each other and address upcoming food shortages”.
“We are happy to be able to say that we are offering a safe space for all – everyone is included – for physical, emotional and mental time and support. It is an environment that is inclusive for everyone”.
PHA co-founder Amanda Dungate said: “We at PHA are delighted that we are now in a position to help our hubs financially. It is so important that we get the message out about our Power of the Pound appeal because the more quickly we receive donations, the sooner we can help to fund our health hubs”.
“Although we have started to fund our hubs, the appeal still has a long way to go. Plus, whilst the main goal of the appeal is to raise funds for emergency equipment and training, if funds allow we would really like to support those hubs that are almost ready to open their doors but just need an extra bit of support to enable them to do so. It is vital that we help as many hubs as possible before winter arrives”.