British Gypsum employees raise £19k for hospital after colleague loses his arm

Over one hundred cyclists from British Gypsum have raised more than £19,300 for the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre at Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre, after their colleague was treated there following a serious accident.

Earlier this year, Charlie Waterfield had an accident at work and his injuries were so severe that Major Trauma surgeons in Nottingham made the difficult decision to amputate his left arm.

Charlie has gone on to make a fantastic recovery and joined his colleagues in cycling over 100 miles, from their plant in Barrow Upon Soar to Skegness, in their 11^th annual charity bike ride. The group’s chosen charity this year was Nottingham Hospitals Charity, with the money raised going to the Major Trauma Centre to thank them for their care of Charlie.

The bike ride took place on 23 June and 107 British Gypsum employees took part, including Charlie, who cycled with colleague Phil Johnson on a specially adapted tandem. The group have now presented a cheque for £19,390 to members of staff from the Major Trauma Centre, to show their gratitude for all they have done for Charlie.

Phil Johnson, Production Worker at British Gypsum, helps to organise the annual bike ride and is a close colleague of Charlie’s. He said: “We are so thankful to the staff at the Major Trauma Centre for helping Charlie after his accident. It was a frightening experience for all of us, but it’s so good to know we’re in safe hands if we ever need help in an emergency.

“We’re so pleased to see Charlie recovering well and we’re really glad he could join us on the bike ride.”

Marianne Burchell, Corporate Partnerships Officer at Nottingham Hospitals Charity, said: “We are so grateful to the team at British Gypsum for this absolutely fantastic fundraising effort. They have worked together to raise a huge amount of money, which will make a real difference to future patients like Charlie being treated at the Major Trauma Centre.”

Sandeep Walsh, Rehabilitation Case Manager at the Major Trauma Centre, said: “It is so wonderful to see our patients doing so well following major trauma. Charlie has done incredibly well and his recovery is testament to his positive attitude and hard work. The team at British Gypsum have worked incredibly hard to raise a huge amount of money. We are honoured that they have chosen to support our Major Trauma Unit. A donation like this enables us to enhance the care we can give, which keeps us at the forefront of leading medical care.”