Patients at Coalville Community Hospital could be getting an extra present this Christmas.

For the first time, the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust's charity, Raising Health, is asking for financial donations towards our £10,000 target.

The aim is to buy a gift for all patients in all of its wards on Christmas Day – whatever their age or condition.

Cathy Ellis, chair of LPT and chair of the Raising Health charity, said: "No-one wants to be in a hospital bed on Christmas Day in a normal year, but with the Covid-19 restrictions on visitors 2020 might be a more difficult time to be an inpatient.

"Some of our inpatients won't get to see a loved one face-to-face throughout their stay.

"We are hoping this Raising a Smile for Christmas campaign will tell our patients – ones with physical or mental health conditions, old, young or in between – how much the public is thinking of them.

"The people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland have been very generous this year in thanking our NHS for the work they have been doing. Now we are asking them to think of some of our most vulnerable patients."

Each patient will get a gift package consisting of toiletries, chocolate, sweets, biscuits and a game.

In previous years, LPT has worked with AgeUK Leicestershire and University Hospitals of Leicester to deliver a gift to all over-65s in our wards.

This relied on donations of actual presents, which has been ruled out this year to reduce the risk of transmitting the Covid-19 virus.

We are being supported by both organisations for this year's appeal to source and wrap the presents.

As well as Coalville, the presents will go to LPT inpatients at community hospitals in Hinckley, Loughborough, Market Harborough, Melton, Oakham); at Mill Lodge in Enderby (Huntington's disease), at Stewart House in Enderby (severe and enduring mental illness);  and in the city at the Bradgate Unit (working age mental health), Beacon Centre (children and adolescent mental health), Bennion Centre (older age general mental health) and the Evington Centre (physical health and dementia), Agnes Unit (Learning Disability), The Willows (severe and enduring mental illness).