by Megan Reynolds | Jan 21, 2022 | Bright Lights, News, Royal Free Hospital, Runnymede, St George's Hospital, Uncategorized, Who We've Helped
The impact of the pandemic upon young people brings a renewed sense of urgency to supporting crucial projects around the UK, according to one philanthropist.
The Leus Family Foundation was established by the businessman and philanthropist Dmitry Leus. Born in Turkmenistan and now living with his family in the UK, Leus founded the charity to support children who are challenged by illness, poverty or special needs.
“The guiding principle of the Leus Family Foundation is that as a society we should be investing in every child. Every child deserves opportunity and to feel valued. If we invest in children, we are investing in our future. We know that some children – whether they are born into poverty, have special needs or suffer an illness – need an extra boost in order to fulfil their potential. That is our mission at the Foundation – to make a positive impact on their lives and to give them a sense of possibility. We see that our support is needed now more than ever due to the pandemic and the way that isolation and lack of resources has impacted vulnerable children in particular.” explains Leus.
The Leus Foundation supports multiple organisations, ranging from hospital charities such as St George’s and the Royal Free, as well as Runnymede Foodbank, plus youth clubs such as Bright Lights and Harrow.
“Their efforts with young people who are in danger of being recruited by gangs is vital. They have a real impact, helping the most marginalised young people to maximise their life chances and to enhance their personal development, getting them on the road to employment and building their resilience and well-being. It is a great pleasure to provide the bus as a practical support for this great work.”
Leus’s work with economically disadvantaged young people is not limited to the Harrow area. He is also behind an initiative to get children from state schools in the Brixton area engaged with the sport of fencing. Together with Christopher Tidmarsh QC, Leus is determined to make the sport accessible for all and the duo began this mission in South London. They started by giving demonstrations in local state schools so that local children could see fencing for themselves, often for the very first time. Then they invited 7-11 year olds to attend Junior sessions for free with Brixton Fencing Club so that they could learn together with their peers who already fence.
Leus explains: “Once they join us, if they demonstrate the commitment, we will keep supporting them in the secondary school years. We want them to be absorbed organically into the club and know that they will gain access to coaching and equipment without charge. There is another strong motivation for us. We see the power of fencing to divert a child away from getting into trouble on the street. When a child is training with our coaches and feeling good about the skills they are building, then they are not so vulnerable to gang membership or experimenting with drugs. Fencing is an ideal sport to captivate young minds and build their confidence in a positive way. Yes, you need some aggression to win. But you have to be in control when you are fencing and also respect your opponent. We are delighted to draw youngsters into the rigour and training of fencing, especially when we know they are perhaps disadvantaged and need such direction and passion in their lives.”
Helping those with additional needs
Children and young people with learning difficulties and special needs are also central to the work of the Leus Family Foundation. The Foundation supports Bright Lights, a Runnymede youth club for children with disabilities ranging from autism, Asperger’s, Downs, and moderate-to-severe learning difficulties, with some of them requiring one-to-one care. Children with varying learning and physical disabilities attend the Bright Lights club every Thursday evening for two hours during term time. Dmitry explains: “”We are so pleased to boost the club’s range of toys and equipment so that children attending get the maximum enjoyment out of their time at the club. It is especially meaningful for us to be able to provide two future outings for the children, knowing how much pleasure the children will get from these fun experiences at a privatised trampoline park and Drayton Manor theme park – and of course how much they need it after a more isolated time during the pandemic.”
Dmitry added: “Bright Lights is exactly the kind of organisation we like to work with. They are a small team and they have the energy and commitment needed to make a significant impact to young people who really need this service.”
Support for poorly children
Children suffering serious or long term illness are also a priority for the Leus Family Foundation. The Foundation has a been a long term supporter of St George’s Hospital Charity, with donations targeted at aiding children and their families through the difficulties of illness. The Foundation supported the renovation of a children’s garden at the hospital. Updates to the site include the extension and improvement of the play areas, including a new slide and better wheelchair access. “My long relationship with St George’s has given me a great admiration for the children who are patients here, their families and the amazing staff,” says Leus. “This garden will lift spirits and hopefully provide moments of joy and relaxation between treatments. We were also please to supply ‘Buzzy’ pain relief devices to distract children and reduce any pain when they are having blood tests or injections, which can happen very often during long term illness.”
Leus concludes: “For our Foundation, the common theme throughout all of our work is that each child deserves the best start we can give them. A child does not get to choose their circumstances and when they suffer illness or poverty or are born with a disability, we all have a responsibility to improve their situation, to boost their opportunities. The pandemic and its impact upon young people makes this work more urgent than ever.”
To find out more about the foundation, click here.
Source
by admin | Nov 25, 2020 | News, Royal Free Hospital
03/04/2020
By Thebusinesscourier.com
Royal Free Hospital, Princess Royal University Hospital and St George’s Hospital in London have received thousands of pounds for ventilators, critical care capacity, PPE, testing capacity in an act of solidarity by the Imperium Investments company in England.
The influx of coronavirus patients has increased five to seven times in London in the last few weeks, and chief executives are alarmed by the speed at which hospital beds are filling up in London.
The problem has been exacerbated because up to 50% staff sickness rates with suspected coronavirus or in vulnerable groups.
According to Chris Hopson, Chief Executive Officer of NHS Providers, London hospitals are facing a ‘continuous tsunami’ of coronavirus patients, and some of them are likely to be overwhelmed in a few days due to staff sickness rates rising.
“London CEOs saying they urgently want a lot more of everything – staff, ventilators, critical care capacity, PPE, testing capacity – but they recognise that their job is to do absolutely the best with what they have got and that’s what they are focused on”, he added.
UK hospitals seek donations to cope with coronavirus outbreak
Trusts and the charities of many hospitals are asking the public to lend their support to staff as quickly as possible via their funds.
Imperium Investment, a London-based company has responded to appeals to help tackle the problem.
The company has donated thousands of pounds to hospitals in England, which will provide the necessary support to protect nurses, doctors and other health care workers fighting the virus on the front line.
The company posted on its Facebook page where Dmitry Leus, CEO and Founder of the Imperium Investments, has said: “Old and young people are losing, risking and having their lives put in jeopardy because of this awful pandemic, I feel that now more than ever, it is my moral duty to help where I can.
And while I have no experience or knowledge in medicine, I am able to donate so that doctors can continue to fight for me, for my family, and for all of us.
I sincerely hope those who see this and are in the fortunate position to be able to support and protect our frontline heroes fight Covid-19 do so in any way they can”.
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust has thanked the company by saying: “We are extremely grateful for the incredibly generous donation from Imperium Investments in support of our Covid-19 Emergency Fund.
They have responded resoundingly to our public appeal and their gift will make a tangle difference to our critical work at this time. From the provision of care packages at the end of a very long shift, to psychological support and the creation of physical respite spaces for our staff, Imperium’s donation is directly helping to meet the needs of our local NHS heroes”.
Amerjit Chohan, CEO, St George’s Hospital Charity: “We are particularly grateful to long-term supporters like Imperium Investments who are able to support our NHS staff and our most vulnerable patients during this time of need. Their donation, and overall commitment to the charity will help us make a difference in the coming weeks and months”.
Ian Lush, Chief Executive of Imperial Health Charity, said: “During this extremely challenging period, we’re determined to do everything we can to support our incredible NHS staff as well as the most vulnerable patients who suddenly find themselves in real financial difficulty.
Right now we’re working closely with our NHS colleagues to get support out to staff on the front line – and despite the extraordinary pressure, it’s clear that staff are responding in the most remarkable way”.
“We’re extremely grateful to Dmitry Leus and the Imperium Company for their incredibly generous donation in support of our appeal. We know the scale of the challenge is enormous and this significant contribution will make a huge difference in enabling us to get urgent support to staff on the front line.”
Also, theyexpressed its gratitude to the company in the social network: “Thank you so much @DmitryLeusUK for supporting our urgent appeal and helping our hospitals fight #covid19UK. We are so grateful for your generosity at his crisis. #ThankyouNHS
Statistics
UK coronavirus deaths rise 27 percent in one day.
April 3: 33,718 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK and 2,921 people have died, the Department for Health confirmed.
April 2: the National Health Service confirmed that 569 people had died after testing positive for the coronavirus in the previous 24 hours.
April 1: The UK has reported 29,474 coronavirus cases and 2,352 deaths linked to the virus.
March 31: 25,150 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK and 1,801 people have died, the Department for Health said on Tuesday, March 31.
The deaths of the first British doctors from Covid-19 have intensified pressure on ministers to accelerate the supply of protective equipment and address growing fears among frontline staff that they risk catching and spreading coronavirus.
Doctors died from Covid-19:
April 3
Areema Nasreen, 36, mom of three, staff nurse died in the Walsall Manor Hospital, where she had worked for 16 years.
March 31
Alfa Sa’adur, a general practitioner, worked for the NHS for nearly 40 years in different hospitals across London. He died on Tuesday aged 68 after a two-week battle with the virus.
March 29
Thomas Harvey, a mental health nurse at Goodmayes Hospital in north east London, passed away on Sunday 29th March after contracting Covid-19 from a hospital patient.
March 28
Amged El-Hawrani, a 55-year-old ear nose and throat consultant at university hospitals in the north of England.
March 25
Adil El Tayar, 64, an organ transplant specialist, had been working at Hereford County Hospital in the west of England as a volunteer in the emergency department
Habib Zaidi, 75, worked in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, southeast England.
by admin | Nov 25, 2020 | News, Royal Free Hospital
WRITTEN BY LLB REPORTER 3RD APR 20 2:37 PM
By Londonlovesbusiness.com
The Royal Free Hospital, Princess Royal University Hospital and St George’s Hospital in London have received thousands of pounds for ventilators, critical care capacity, PPE and testing capacity in an act of solidarity by British company Imperium Investments.
The influx of coronavirus patients has increased five to seven times in London in the last few weeks, and chief executives are alarmed by the speed at which hospital beds are filling up in London.
The problem has been exacerbated because up to fifty percent staff sickness rates with suspected coronavirus or in vulnerable groups. According to Chris Hopson, Chief Executive Officer of NHS Providers, London hospitals are facing a “continuous tsunami” of coronavirus patients, and some of them are likely to be overwhelmed in a few days due to staff sickness rates rising. “London CEOs saying they urgently want a lot more of everything – staff, ventilators, critical care capacity, PPE, testing capacity – but they recognise their job is to do absolutely the best with what they have got and that’s what they are focused on,” he added.
Trusts and the charities of many hospitals are asking the public to lend their support to staff as quickly as possible via their funds. Imperium Investments, a London-based company has responded to appeals to help tackle the problem.
The company has donated thousands of pounds to hospitals in England, which will provide the necessary support to protect nurses, doctors and other health care workers fighting the virus on the front line.
The company posted on its Facebook page where Dmitry Leus, CEO and Founder of the Imperium Investments, said: “Old and young people are losing, risking and having their lives put in jeopardy because of this awful pandemic. I feel that now more than ever, it is my moral duty to help where I can.”
Mr Leus added: “While I have no experience or knowledge in medicine, I am able to donate so that doctors can continue to fight for me, for my family, and for all of us. I sincerely hope those who see this and are in the fortunate position to be able to support and protect our frontline heroes fight Covid-19 do so in any way they can”.
The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust has thanked the company by saying: “We are extremely grateful for the incredibly generous donation from Imperium Investments in support of our Covid-19 Emergency Fund. They have responded resoundingly to our public appeal and their gift will make a tangle difference to our critical work at this time. From the provision of care packages at the end of a very long shift, to psychological support and the creation of physical respite spaces for our staff, Imperium’s donation is directly helping to meet the needs of our local NHS heroes”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Chris Hopson added: “Staff are struggling with the explosion of demand in seriously ill patients. They are saying it’s the number arriving and the speed with which they are arriving and how ill they are. They talk about wave after wave after wave. The words that are used to me are that it’s a continuous tsunami. As one said to me, it’s much bigger and large numbers with a greater degree of stretch than you can ever have possibly imagined.”
