Big thank you from Good Hope for fundraiser Ivor Nichols

Good Hope Hospital has said a big thank you to “miracle” fundraiser Ivor Nicholls after he raised more than £14,000 for the hospital over 12 years.

Ivor, 75, from Castle Vale, in Birmingham, started fundraising in 1993 in memory of his daughter, Pauline, who sadly died while waiting for a heart transplant.

Since then he has organised a range of events, including raffles, discos, car boot sales and quizzes to raise money for Good Hope Hospital.

However, his best known event was an annual five a side football tournament in Castle Vale which attracted more than 20 teams. The winning team received a trophy bought by Ivor.

Ivor launched his fundraising campaign despite suffering serious illness himself. Since 1987 he has suffered three serious strokes – and he has angina. A local newspaper described him as “a walking miracle.”

Ivor said: “I’ve been paralysed down my right hand side twice, I’ve had to be taught to walk twice and had speech therapy for more than a year. I also lost my memory for four years.

“Good Hope has been marvellous to me and I’ll never forget the kindness staff showed to Pauline. I wanted to find a way to say thank you.

“I thought the fundraising would only last a couple of years. But people kept asking when the next event was so I just kept going. It’s helped take my mind off being poorly. I’m not out of the woods with my health but you have to keep going.

“A lot of people have helped me over the year and Robert Wilkinson, the fairground owner, sponsored the five a side tournament for nine years, which was very generous of him.

“I would have liked to have kept going with the fundraising but I’m getting on a bit now and need to slow down things a bit.”

Ivor presented his last cheque, for £500.70, to Good Hope Hospital on Wednesday (Oct 26). That brings the total raised to £14,160.70.

The money has helped across the hospital – in the Coronary Care Unit, Accident and Emergency, the Physiotherapy Department and the X-ray Department.

Trust Chairman Graham Comfort received the final cheque. He said: “Ivor has been a great friend and supporter for the hospital over many years. His fundraising has undoubtedly helped thousands of other patients. He’s an inspiration to all the staff who meet him.”

However, Ivor may not have stopped his fundraising entirely. He explained: “The footballers who have taken part in the five a side tournament have been asking if it can continue – and they’re saying they might help organise another one next year. So, we’ll have to see what happens!”

For more information, contact Andy Comber, Head of Communications, at Good Hope NHS Trust: 0121 378 2211 ext 1146, Mob: 07974 575104.

Source : Good Hope