AN ASPIRING doctor raised more than £900 for a ward at Andover War Memorial Hospital by taking part in a sponsored swim.
Liming Yang, who is 18 and volunteers at the hospital, swam 65 lengths of the pool at Andover Leisure Centre in the space of an hour during his swimathon, despite suffering cramp on two occasions.
The teenager, who is hoping to study medicine at university, smashed his fundraising target of £500, raising an impressive £921.38. This was thanks, in part, to donations of £333 from Test Valley Borough Council and £250 from health insurance agency SimplyHealth.
The money will be used to fund, among other things, the purchase of a giant Scrabble board to keep patients on Kingfisher Ward at the hospital occupied.
Liming said:
I’m delighted to have raised so much money and very happy that I was able to do for the hospital and Kingfisher Ward in particular. Thank you to everyone who came to watch and has sponsored me. I really appreciate it.
Some of the patients stay on Kingfisher Ward for several weeks and time can pass slowly. The Scrabble board will help to occupy their time and help them to interact with each other and staff, all of which aids their recovery. It will also make the patients who have dementia think and keep their brain going.
As I would like to be a doctor, it was suggested that I could help in a hospital, so I chose to volunteer here.
Initially, I was quite nervous, but the staff were very friendly and helpful and the working environment in the hospital made me feel really comfortable. I have changed a lot since I began volunteering, and my communication skills have really improved.
Donna Green, Hampshire Hospitals’ chief nurse, added:
On behalf of Hampshire Hospitals, I would like to say a big thank you to Liming. We really appreciate your efforts.
Being in hospital can be tough at times and small niceties make a big difference to both patients and staff. You probably cannot appreciate how much of a difference this will make for years to come, but I think that your legacy will live on.
Photo: Liming Yang presents a cheque for £921.38 to Donna Green, Hampshire Hospitals’ chief nurse