Sheffield Adventure Film Festival teams up with Sheffield Hospitals Charity
27th Jan 2014
Don’t just be part of the audience…be part of the adventure
Sheffield Adventure Film Festival is today announcing a new partnership with Sheffield Hospitals Charity to help raise funds for a satellite blood fridge to support the Northern General Hospital’s Major Trauma Centre.
A suggested £1 donation from every ticket sold will go towards raising the £5,000 needed to provide a blood fridge in the resuscitation room of the Emergency Department so that urgent transfusions can be immediately given to patients losing blood.
There will also be a special ‘Risk and Reward’ fundraiser film and speaker session on Saturday night with half of the ticket price going to the charity.
Blood loss in patients can happen extremely quickly and litres of blood can be lost in a matter of minutes for those with traumatic injuries or requiring urgent surgical treatment. The installation of a blood fridge in the heart of the Emergency Department will save vital minutes being lost transferring supplies from elsewhere within the hospital.
Outdoor pursuit enthusiasts attending the festival could personally benefit from the new facility as the Emergency Department often treats patients that have experienced an injury as a result of taking part in adventure sports in our region. As a result, we're asking festival goers to consider supporting the charity to help make the blood fridge a reality.
Festival Director Matt Heason said: “With a third of Sheffield’s boundary within the Peak District, the city is a magnet for adventure sports athletes. The S7 postcode reputedly has the highest density of rock climbers in the world and the Peak District National Park boasts some of the best rock climbing, mountain biking and running trails in the country. But the reality is that accidents happen so we’re proud to team up with the Sheffield Hospitals Charity and hope our audience will embrace our campaign to buy a new blood fridge”
“One of the major themes of this year’s festival is ‘Risk and Reward’. So many of this year’s film submissions focus on the calculated risks that athletes take to pursue their passions. Serious injury and even death is a real and present danger. We want to celebrate their achievements and share their inspirational stories and at the same time acknowledge and support those NHS doctors and nurses who work so hard to give emergency care and longer-term rehab support to the outdoors community in and around the city.”
“ShAFF is a community festival committed to giving a platform to independent filmmakers, encouraging local talent and inspiring ordinary members of the public to live life to the full. We hope people will also pledge towards our ‘Support ShAFF’ campaign by giving a little to help make the festival even bigger and better as we head towards our 10th year.”
Sheffield Hospitals Charity Director, David Reynolds said: “ShAFF is a hugely successful event so I’m delighted that the festival is supporting Sheffield Hospitals Charity this year and the delivery of emergency care. I’d like to urge everyone attending the event to please support our fundraising efforts and to help provide a satellite blood fridge for the Emergency Department. Having immediate access to this facility is vitally important for injured patients, who are losing blood. No time will be lost collecting blood from elsewhere within the hospital which means you can be sure that every penny donated will have a direct impact on the care of patients at a time when they need it the most.”
Stuart Reid, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Clinical Lead for Major Trauma at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Catastrophic blood loss is a common cause of death and disability following serious injury, and we strive to stop this bleeding as quickly as possible. As one of 22 Major Trauma Centres in the Country, we receive patients from a large geographical area including South Yorkshire and the Peak District in North Derbyshire - perfect adventure sport territory. In the time before we are able to stop the bleeding, it is often necessary to give the patient an emergency blood transfusion. To offer the very highest level of care to our patients we need this blood at our fingertips, so we are thrilled that the Sheffield Hospitals Charity and ShAFF are fundraising towards a blood fridge for our resuscitation room. I would urge festival-goers to give generously, as one day you might be the one needing the emergency transfusion.”
Anyone who wishes to support the fundraising to provide a blood fridge can visit sheffieldhospitalscharity.org.uk or text EMER14 with their donation amount eg EMER14 £10 to 70070 or donate via Paypal.
Image caption: David Reynolds, Sheffield Hospitals Charity Director (left) and Sheffield Adventure Film Festival Director, Matt Heason (right) at Northern General Hospital + NHS emergency care images ( click here to download in high res for one-off editorial use)
Notes to Editors
- Contacts for interviews, images or more info: Sarah Stables, PR & Communications Manager at Sheffield Hospitals Charity 07966 874 895 or Lissa Cook, PR for Sheffield Adventure Film Festival 07818 411 791.
- Funds raised from SHAFF will be used to provide a blood fridge facility at the Northern General Hospital and to improve the care of patients receiving treatment in the Accident and Emergency Department.
- The 9th Sheffield Adventure Film Festival will take place from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th April at the Showroom Cinema and Workstation. The programme will be announced and tickets will go on sale around the end of January. www.shaff.co.uk
- Sheffield Hospitals Charity (registered charity number: 1059043) helps to improve the care and treatment of thousands of local people by investing over £2 million a year in vital equipment, pioneering research, patient support, buildings and people. The charity funds projects that make life better for patients being treated for almost every type of condition in the five hospitals that make up the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals (STH), these are the Northern General, Royal Hallamshire, Weston Park, Jessop Wing and Charles Clifford Dental hospitals. http://www.sheffieldhospitalscharity.org.uk and https://www.facebook.com/SheffieldHospitalsCharitableTrust
- Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital is one of a network of nationwide Major Trauma Centres with consultant-led specialist teams, providing round-the-clock, life-saving treatment with state of the art diagnostic and treatment facilities for seriously injured patients for example with head or spinal injuries.
