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Hannah joined us as Fundraising Officer in September. In her role she liaises with the local community to help raise awareness of our work and is responsible for building strong relationships with our supporters. A fantastic addition to the team, she quickly fitted in and has proved popular with our fundraisers, who rely on her for guidance throughout their supporter journeys.
Hannah caught up with East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust comms team so that staff could get to know her better. Read her staff profile below:
The Covid-19 pandemic had a profound effect on many people’s lives, including East Kent Hospitals Charity’s fundraising officer Hannah.
She had trained and worked as a florist, but when shops shut and life stood still there was little need for her skills.
Hannah, 33, had been working in the flower section of supermarket Morrisons, and was then moved to a community champion role working to support local groups.
She found the work so rewarding that she decided to make a permanent move to charity and fundraising work even once life had returned to normal.
Hannah said: “It was a massive eye-opener, and I could see the potential for making a difference and the huge need for roles that supported people.
“I realised it was what I wanted to do, so I started looking for other roles. Even as a florist I had gravitated towards funeral work, because I liked being able to do something to help people at one of the worst times in their lives, so in a way moving into the charitable sector felt quite natural.”
Hannah initially worked for animal conservation charity the Aspinall Foundation, best known for its work alongside Howletts and Port Lympne zoos. The role offered her some incredible experiences but ultimately she wanted to make a difference closer to home.
She said: “I got to meet some of the incredible animals, and made memories that will stay with me forever, including tickling a rhino so it rolled over like a two-ton puppy.
“It was an incredible job and allowed me into the fundraising world and I learnt a lot.
“But a lot of their work is overseas, and I wanted more of a community role, so when I saw the job with East Kent Hospitals Charity I decided to go for it.”
Hannah joined the team at one of the busiest times of the year, just before Christmas, and was immediately surrounded by evidence of the community’s generosity with gifts for patients and staff.
She said: “It was absolutely incredible, and such a privilege to be able to help distribute all the presents around the different sites.
“We had literally hundreds of gifts and it was a great introduction to the Trust and the many different departments and wards.
“I’m really excited to get to know more people and work with them on ideas for fundraising and events to raise money for projects that benefit our patients, staff and visitors.”
