A £65,000 award from The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers will support charity St Giles’ work in the Royal London Hospital’s Major Trauma Centre with victims of serious violence.
The award, made possible by outgoing Master of the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers Diana Berry, will enable St Giles to employ an additional Caseworker to boost the work of the small team who support hundreds of young patients in the hospital each year. It helps young people access positive opportunities so they do not return to the situations which initially put them in hospital once they are discharged.
Rob Owen OBE, Chief Executive of St Giles, said:
“We are honoured and extremely grateful to Diana Berry and the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers raised an incredible £65,000 to support our vital work at the Royal London Hospital. The fantastic amount exceeded our targets to hire a new Caseworker potentially saving many young lives.”
As outgoing Master, Diana Berry made St Giles and the work at the Royal London Hospital her charity of choice. On December 18, a small group of donors, including the Clerk and Immediate Past Master Diana Berry, visited our Team Leader Roisin Keville and benefactor Martin Griffiths, Lead Trauma Surgeon.
The Gunmakers learned more about the vital work. It involves engaging directly with young people, sometimes as young as 11, providing long-term care and advice for victims of violent crime.
Roisin Keville said:
“Recovery can take weeks. Often, young people are exhausted from stress and just need to sleep. We spend a lot of time with them, helping them to build confidence, acquire skills and make better life choices..”
Diana Berry shared her thanks with all of the members of the Gunmakers Company and friends for their generous support.
You can see more of the amazing work Roisin and Martin are doing in this BBC report.