Hospital raises over £2,000 for homelessness charity Petrus

The team united their community to make an incredible difference for Petrus

Petrus, a homelessness charity with over 50 years of experience supporting vulnerable individuals in Rochdale, Oldham, and Burnley, is celebrating a generous donation of £2,728.12 from Highfield Hospital staff.

Part of Circle Health Group, the UK’s largest private hospital network, Highfield Hospital selected Petrus as their charity of the year in April and embarked on a year-long fundraising journey to support the organisation’s vital work.

Through everything from raffles to book sales, sports days to sweepstakes, and collections of essentials for the Hub, the team united their community to make an incredible difference for Petrus. 

Their efforts were then generously matched by Circle Health Group, significantly boosting the total.

Jo Edwards from Highfield Hospital said: “As a hospital we believe passionately in the importance of supporting charities like Petrus that work tirelessly across our community. We've been honoured to play our part in the fight against homelessness in Rochdale and the wider area and are delighted to have raised over £2,000. It's been a pleasure for us to get to know the organisation, its work and the service users it supports."

Petrus wellbeing and engagement manager, Silvana Devine said: "We want to say a big thank you to Highfield Hospital for this incredible donation! 

“Throughout the year, the team have shown so much dedication and creativity through their approach to fundraising, involving patients where possible and building greater awareness of everything we do at Petrus. 

“It’s been a joy to work with them and we hope their activities will inspire other organisations to see how they can support people experiencing homelessness.”

Petrus is calling on other local organisations to follow the hospital’s lead, seeking strategic partners that can help them expand and enhance their service delivery. One such ambition of the charity is finding a corporate partner which can help them reopen their hub for homeless people on Saturdays, providing an extra day of support for vulnerable people.

Silvana continued: “Unfortunately, demand for our services continue to rise and although we appreciate this is a difficult time for businesses, your support has never been more vitally needed. 

“We’re looking for businesses that can help us work strategically to deliver our services and empower local people to take back control of their lives and find futures that may have felt lost.”