Macclesfield furniture retailer donates to NHS staff sanctuary

Macclesfield furniture retailer, Arighi Bianchi, have donated a selection of their stock to furnish a new staff sanctuary room at Stockport’s Stepping Hill Hospital.

Arighi Bianchi made the donation less than 24 hours after Stockport NHS Foundation Trust put out the appeal. The new room at Stepping Hill will provide hospital and other NHS staff with a calm space during the coronavirus public health emergency.

An array of leather armchairs, sofas and other soft furnishing are now in place when the sanctuary room opens to staff members. It will provide a place for relaxation, reflection and will allow staff to gather their thoughts during the immense demands of their job. The furniture retailer invited staff from the trust to Arighi Bianchi’s warehouse in Macclesfield to pick the items for the room.

Mandy Rogerstone from Arighi Bianchi said:

Staff at Stepping Hill Hospital are doing an outstanding job during this time of national crisis, and they truly deserve the new sanctuary room as a reward for their hard work. When the appeal for furniture went out we just wanted to provide for them what we could; its really an honour to help out.”

Helen Howard, Deputy Chief Nurse at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust said:

Staff wellbeing is a priority for us, and we know our staff already experience traumatic situations and difficult circumstances, but never before has it been so important to support them as they help the nation fight the COVID 19 pandemic. With the sanctuary room, we want to create a quiet space where they can gather their thoughts, support each other and have access to support services or information which may help them to continue in their amazing work. We would like to say a huge thank you to Arighi Bianchi for their generosity, which will be truly appreciated by all the staff who use this room in the future.”