An NHS porter is one step closer to his goal of raising £1 million for charity.
Stephen Dixon, who works for Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW), has chosen the Trust’s SHINE Fund as his charity of choice for the first half of the year.
He started fundraising for SHINE at the beginning of the year and will finish at the end of May.
So far, he has raised over £1,000 through a range of activities such as charity walks, raffles and a cake sale.
Stephen, who works as a porter at the Campus for Ageing and Vitality in Newcastle, is no stranger to fundraising. His first fundraiser was when he was 13.
He said: “I love fundraising and I would class it as a hobby of mine. When I was 13, my grandad died from cancer and I raised over £300 for the local hospice.”
To date, he has raised over £412,000 for more than 60 charities, including Cancer Research, Macmillan, Marie Curie, the British Heart Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Society to name a few.
“I’d donated money to Trust wards before but wasn’t fully aware of SHINE and the work it does until last year,” Stephen said.
“I really like what SHINE stands for so I decided to fundraise for them.”
SHINE aims to improve the experience of patients receiving care in CNTW’s hospital and community services, providing the little extras that can make a big difference.
Since its launch in 2014, SHINE has funded hundreds of projects. It has supported patients with everything from exercise equipment and pet therapy to yoga classes, gardening tools, and much more.
For the rest of the year, Stephen plans to do a summer fundraiser for the Marie Curie Hospice in Elswick and a winter fundraiser for the People’s Kitchen.
Stephen has worked for the NHS since 1998. He started as a kitchen porter at what was Newcastle General Hospital and has been in his current role since 2000.
“I love working for the Trust and love helping people in any way I can,” he said.
“I am blessed with my own health and great friends and family and work friends so I like to help others who might not have that.
“I remember at school the teacher asked what my life goal was and I said I wanted to help others and raise £1 million for charity. I’m not sure if I’ll make the £1 million but I know that I’ve helped and will continue to do so.”