A hospital charity in East Lancashire has just received an astonishing £2million gift – the biggest donation in its history.
The money comes from The Kay Family Foundation, set up by the family who built Heatmiser UK Ltd into a hugely successful smart thermostat company.
ELHT&Me, which supports East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, will use the funds to buy essential medical equipment for patients across the trust’s five hospitals and community teams.
The donation will pay for everything from neonatal incubators to mobile X-ray machines and bladder scanners, helping thousands of patients get better care and treatment.
The foundation was established by the family behind Heatmiser UK Ltd, a Blackburn-based company that Gordon Kay founded back in 1968.
Mr Gordon, who now chairs the foundation, built the company from its base at Shadsworth Business Park into a major player in the smart thermostat industry.
The family ran the company for five decades before selling it in 2022 for £110million.
Now they’re giving back to their local community through this record-breaking donation to the hospital charity that supports the NHS trust serving East Lancashire.
A hospital charity in East Lancashire has just received an astonishing £2million gift – the biggest donation in its history
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The money will fund an impressive range of equipment across different departments.
Thirteen state-of-the-art incubators will help premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, while new visual field machines will help doctors diagnose eye diseases more effectively.
Cancer patients will benefit from a scalp cooler that helps reduce hair loss during chemotherapy treatment.
The trust is also getting mobile X-ray machines, which means bed-bound patients won’t have to wait as long for diagnosis.
District nurses will receive 18 bladder scanners, allowing them to examine patients in the community rather than sending them to hospital for tests.
The Kay Family Foundation explained their decision came from personal experience with the trust’s hospitals.
“We know the difference East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust makes to people’s lives, having experienced first-hand care and treatment at the hospital,” a foundation spokesman said.
“Our hope is that this donation will touch the lives of thousands of patients, ensuring they receive the best technology and the most comforting environment possible.”
Trust chief executive Martin Hodgson called it a “remarkable and incredibly generous donation that will literally change lives.”
“After having the honour of meeting with the Foundation, I know personally just how much it means to them to be able to give something back to their local hospital,” Mr Hodgson said.
“We truly are extremely grateful to The Kay Family Foundation for their donation.”
Denise Barrett-Wilson, who heads ELHT&Me, worked closely with the foundation to plan how the money would be spent.
“Every single penny will directly impact a patient’s journey,” she said.
“We are eternally grateful to The Kay Family Foundation for their extraordinary generosity and support of our services.”