Benefactor leaves £250,000 to The Bay Hospitals Charity

The charity raises money for the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, which manages Furness General Hospital. Credit: Morecambe Bay NHS

Hospitals in south Cumbria received almost £350,000 through wills, it has been revealed.

The Bay Hospitals Charity said it had received £250,000 from one individual as well as three donations of more than £20,000 each.

While NHS budgets cover essential services, donations help in providing extra facilities and services, including specialist equipment.

Suzanne Lofthouse, head of charities and fundraising for the The Bay Hospitals Charity, said many people give money "as a way of saying thank you”.

She said: "We are so grateful to the generous donors who leave money in their wills to support our hospitals and help them to deliver the best possible patient care.

"Many of those who leave money to Bay Hospitals Charity do so as a way of saying thank you for care they or their loved ones have received through our hospitals."

The charity supports the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust (UHMBT) by buying equipment.

UHMBT medical director Jane McNicholas said all donations were "hugely appreciated" and left a "lasting legacy" for the future.

She said: "It's incredibly moving to know that the care provided by our hospitals inspires people to support us by leaving something to us after they have passed away."

Nearly all hospitals have charities dedicated to channelling donations, although critics have suggested this can lead to them subsidising state funding.

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