NHS Big Tea: Join a national outpouring of love for the NHS

Tea drinkers across Sussex are being invited to join a national outpouring of love for the NHS by donating to one of its charities while enjoying a cuppa with their friends. 

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, the largest provider of NHS community services in the area, hopes residents will take part in the NHS Big Tea 2021 on 5 July by giving what they can afford to its official charity, Sussex Community NHS Charity. 

The charity funds Trust projects that help patients and staff but fall outside the scope of core NHS funding, such as those which improve health, support learning, upgrade equipment and facilities, modernise environments, and enable medical research. 

After a year in which the COVID-19 pandemic has put the Trust’s services and staff under unprecedented pressure, charity bosses hope people will thank the NHS by raising or donating money to support their work so they can continue providing help. 

“The NHS Big Tea 2021 provides an ideal opportunity for people to show the love and appreciation they have for their NHS, the nation’s favourite institution,” said Fundraising Manager Rosie Hemming. 

“What better way to say ‘thank you’ to the NHS’s true heroes – its staff – than by giving what you can to support them following their incredible work during the most challenging year in the service’s history?” 

The charity is inviting people to hold their NHS Big Tea party either online or in person at 3pm on Monday 5 July – or at a more convenient time - with relatives, friends, work colleagues or their local community. 

To help each party go with a swing, it is providing a wealth of free downloadable resources, including printable materials like bunting, an invitation, cake cards, and sponsorship and gift aid forms. 

Digital resources such as an email signature, virtual backgrounds and social media templates are also among the assets, all available here on the charity’s NHS Big Tea webpage. 

Those who are too busy to host or attend their own tea party are being encouraged to take a five-minute tea break, donate £5 to the charity, and post a photo of themselves and their brews on social media, tagging five friends. 

The charity is taking the lead by providing up to 350 boxes of tea, coffee and biscuits for Trust teams so they can enjoy a drink together while reflecting on their astonishing achievements during the past 12 months. 

Staff are being invited to apply for their boxes by 3pm on 24 June to give the charity enough time to distribute them before this year’s celebrations. 

Further information about the NHS Big Tea 2021, including full details about how you can take part, is available here. 

You can donate via our Virgin Money JustGiving NHS Big Tea page, and follow our celebrations via @scft_charity on Twitter and Instagram, and via @scftcharity on Facebook.