Hope starts here.
This Christmas, we’re embracing the hope that charity-funded, innovative projects have brought to many patients. You can help spark innovation at Southmead Hospital and bring real hope to many more patients this festive season. Hear the stories of Dave and others below, and donate today to create more stories of hope like theirs.
I’m Dave Richards, a 75-year-old from Devon. I’m a father, a grandfather, and I used to be a keen cyclist.
In 2021, I was hit by a drunk driver while cycling with two friends. They were thrown clear. I wasn’t. I got trapped under the car.
The crash left me with severe burns, broken bones, and serious injuries. I spent months in hospital and years recovering. But the hardest part wasn’t the pain – it was looking in the mirror and not recognising myself.
Then I found hope at Southmead Hospital.
Earlier this year, I was one of the first patients treated at the Bristol 3D Medical Centre, the first of its kind in the UK. Thanks to charity-funded technology in this new centre, I received a custom prosthetic that helped me feel like myself again.
The pioneering centre brings scanning, design, and 3D printing together to make custom medical devices for patients. Thanks to kind people like you, Southmead Hospital Charity has helped bring these amazing new technologies to life.
This Christmas, for the first time in years, I have the confidence to join my friends and family for festive gatherings. Something I thought I’d never do again.
My story is just one of many. Every day, Southmead Hospital helps people rebuild their lives, not just with kindness, but with innovation. By supporting Southmead Hospital, you can help make more stories like mine possible.
Thanks to generous donors like you, Southmead Hospital Charity is helping people when they need it most –with innovative ideas, holistic support and new ways of using technology to improve treatment.
Fliss experienced severe anxiety during her pregnancy after two miscarriages and found traditional support options didn’t fully meet her needs. Joining the Beginnings course, a holistic perinatal program funded by Southmead Hospital Charity, gave her personalised support that empowered her through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood.
Steve had lived with kidney problems since birth, spending 11 years on dialysis before receiving his first transplant in 2007, which lasted 17 years. When that kidney failed, he was quickly matched for a second transplant preserved using Southmead’s innovative Hypothermic Machine Perfusion, and he expressed deep gratitude to the renal team for their life-saving care.
Parkinson’s disease progressively damages brain cells, making movement and daily life harder.
But at Southmead Hospital Professor Alan Whone is leading research into treatments such as GDNF trials funded by charitable donations. His team is also creating digital tools to monitor mobility, offering hope for breakthroughs that could transform care for millions.
These are not just medical advances. They’re also lifelines. They help people feel safe, strong, and hopeful again. And they’re only possible because people like you choose to give.
Please donate to this Christmas Appeal and help build a future where every patient has hope.
Your gift could fund the next piece of equipment. The next breakthrough. The next moment of change for someone like me, Fliss, Steve, or someone you care about.
From the heart, thank you. May this Christmas bring many moments of hope for you and your loved ones.
