Head to Toe news

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust’s charity Head To Toe has been awarded a further funding boost of £50,000.

The money has come from NHS Charities Together, the umbrella organisation of all National Health Service charities, which shot to prominence when Captain Tom Moore raised more than £32 million for it.

In the latest round of grants, NHS Charities Together has said the money that Head To Toe has received should be distributed to communities which have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19.

Head To Toe supports the patients and staff of CPFT which provides mental health services and community physical health services across the area.

Charity Manager Hannah Wysocki said: “We are delighted to receive this funding from the latest grants issued by NHS Charities Together. 

“We recognise the need to do what we can to help support communities which have been 
disproportionately affected by coronavirus.

“That could include more support for staff and patients from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds or those who have been shielding because they have long-term conditions.

“We will be liaising closely with patient representative and community groups as well as our own workforce to decide how best this money can be spent.”

Sharon Gilfoyle, Head of Inclusion, said: We are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded this money as we know it will make a huge difference to those staff and patients who have been disproportionately affected by Covid19. 

“We are looking forward to spending this money on areas that that will make a measurable and sustainable impact for our staff and people within our community. 

“Thank you to NHS Charities Together and to everyone who has donated money to this worthy cause.” 

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, thanks to the generosity of people locally as well as across the country, NHS Charities Together has received more than £130 million.
Before the latest grant, Head To Toe has received around £65,000 to fund an array of projects to benefit patients and staff.

They have included:

Cups, hand creams and other personal items for community nurses who spend long days on their rounds seeing patients in their own homes.

Self-help therapy books for patients of the Trust’s mental health teams

Toys and arts and crafts materials for young people being supported by the Trust’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

Ipads and games which help support therapeutic treatments received by service-users on the Trust’s in-patient mental health and community hospital wards.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy self-help books, for clients who are restricted in being able to attend physical appointments with our mental health teams

Funding for the setting-up of special rooms at the Trust’s inpatient unit and community hospital sites where patients and staff can relax and practise mindfulness

Only part of the funds available to Help To Toe come from NHS Charities Together, other donations come from patients or relatives of patients who have been treated and cared for by CPFT teams. Staff from across the Trust also regularly hold events to raise money for Head To Toe.

Hannah said: “The continuing generosity of people and staff continues to humble and amaze me.

“People are so kind and we always ensure that all donations and gifts we receive benefit as many people as possible.”

For more information about Head To Toe and to make a donation go to: https://www.cpft.nhs.uk/HeadtoToe/.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and community physical health services.
With 4,000 staff, the Trust also provides learning disability, social care, and children community healthcare services. It is also renowned for its research work.
    
ENDS

For more information please contact:

Hannah Wysocki
Head To Toe Charity Manager
E hannah.wysocki@cpft.nhs.uk
T 07970 400788

Andy Burrows
Interim Deputy Head of Communications
E andy.burrows@cpft.nhs.uk  
T 01223 219467

Staff at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust will be able to access additional specialist menopause support thanks to a £48,000 grant.

The funding has been awarded to the Trust’s Head to Toe charity by NHS Charities Together and NHS England.

It is one of 29 ambitious projects across England that will support the wellbeing of NHS staff in a programme which has received £11 million of funding, including a £5 million contribution from NHS England.

CPFT already has a Menopause Support Group, and the new grant will fund the recruitment of a specialist menopause practitioner and also allow the organisation to encourage more colleagues to access help.

The Trust, which provides mental health services and physical health care for older people and those with long-term conditions, employs more than 4,900 staff. 

Of that number nearly 80 per cent – around 3,900 – are female. According to the NHS, the menopause usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can happen earlier. At CPFT, more than 1,800 female employees – 37 per cent of the total workforce - are aged 45 and over.

Hannah Wysocki, Head of Charity for Head to Toe, said: “We are delighted to have received this grant because we are as committed to supporting our dedicated staff as much as we are to our patients and carers.

“This funding will mean our Staff Wellbeing Service and Menopause Support Group will be able to go further with the recruitment of a dedicated menopause clinician to provide specialist help to staff and also advise managers on how best to support their team members.”

Fiona Gelner, Staff Wellbeing Service Lead, added: “We know that some staff groups – such as those from a minority ethnic or LGBTQ background – are still under-represented in terms of the support they are receiving so the grant will also help the Trust to do more to ensure more colleagues can access services. 

“Overall, we want to do everything we can to help staff to stay well and remain in their roles so they can continue to provide care to our patients.”

Amid continuing pressures on NHS services nationally, research from NHS Charities Together has highlighted that almost half - 47% - of NHS staff surveyed said their job was affecting their mental health while 41% said it was affecting their physical health. 

Ellie Orton, CEO of NHS Charities Together, said: “Many NHS staff feel that theirs is the best job in the world, but these roles come with a tremendous responsibility for the lives they care for, and at a time of incredible pressure on health services, this takes a toll on their mental and physical wellbeing.

“In the face of so many wider healthcare challenges it can be easy to forget about healthcare staff, but it goes without saying that we need a healthy workforce if we want a thriving NHS that can give patients the care they need. 

“This funding means NHS charities like Head to Toe can help ensure NHS staff prioritise their own health and wellness with the same care they give to patients, and we are delighted we can support this important work. We’ve spent a lot of time talking to frontline staff and analysing evidence from previous projects to arrive at solutions that will give healthcare staff the right tools to look after their own wellbeing."

Applications are now open for a second round of grant funding as part of this programme, in partnership with NHS England.

CPFT provides community physical health services for older people and adults with long term conditions, mental health services, children community services in Peterborough and learning disability services. The Trust is also renowned for its research and development work and in June 2025, CPFT was awarded Teaching Partner status by the University of Cambridge.

ENDS

For more information contact:
Andy Burrows, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Deputy Head of Communications
E  communications@cpft.nhs.uk

Footballers are set to raise money for Head to Toe, the official charity of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

They are taking part in a special five-a-side tournament organised by Jensen Group Solutions.

The event is being held at the Gladstone Park Community Centre on Tuesday, 16 September from 5.45pm until 9.30pm.

Laura Semple, community and engagement lead for Head to Toe (pictured), said: “We are incredibly grateful to Jensen Group Solutions for organising the tournament and choosing to support us as one of its chosen charities.”

“Head to Toe is very proud to be the official charity of CPFT and to fund initiatives that will benefit patients, carers and staff.  

“Some of the projects we’ve recently been involved in include therapeutic outdoor spaces and respite for carers.

“Proceeds from the five-a-side tournament will give us another great opportunity to continue our work.”

Laura and the Head To Toe team will be at the event and she will be accompanied by her husband, former Peterborough United winger and now the club’s professional lead development coach, Ryan, and ex-Posh and Manchester United goalkeeper, Luke Steele, who will be cheering on the teams.

Jensen Group Solutions has also chosen sports and education charity Inspire+ as another organisation that will benefit from the funds raised at the event.

For more information about the tournament click here.

Visit the Head to Toe section of the CPFT website to find out more ways to get involved and fundraise.

CPFT provides community physical health services for older people and adults with long term conditions, mental health services, children community services in Peterborough and learning disability services. The Trust is also renowned for its research and development work and in June 2025, CPFT was awarded Teaching Partner status by the University of Cambridge.

ENDS

For more information contact:
Andy Burrows, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Deputy Head of Communications
E communications@cpft.nhs.uk

 

 

TV and radio presenter Jeff Stelling hosted a night to remember at Ely Golf Club in aid of Head to Toe, the official charity of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

The Talksport host and former presenter of Sky’s Soccer Saturday recounted a series of funny, fascinating and sometimes emotional stories about his five decades working in the media.

The special evening was organised by Mark Smith who chose to support Head to Toe during his time as men’s captain, after his daughter, Molly, was treated for an eating disorder at the Trust.

CPFT provides eating disorder services for young people and adults, and since her recovery, Molly has detailed her experiences in a successful BBC podcast.

Laura Semple, Community and Engagement Lead for Head to Toe, (pictured left with colleague Hannah Wysocki, Jeff, ladies captain Sue Didlick, Molly and Mark) said: “We can’t thank Mark, Molly and Jeff enough.

“We were delighted when Mark picked us as his chosen charity during his time as club captain but then for him to arrange for Jeff to host a fundraising evening - which he did for free – is truly wonderful.”

When the proceeds of the night, which included a raffle, are totalled up, it is expected the evening will have raised a five figure sum for Head to Toe which funds projects and initiatives that provide additional support to CPFT patients, carers, volunteers and staff.

Hannah Wysocki, Head of Charity for Head to Toe, said: “The evening was a tremendous success. We’re very grateful to Mark and Molly for their support and to Jeff for putting on such an entertaining evening which everyone loved.

“Mark has asked the funds raised from the evening go towards eating disorder services and that will be a very welcome boost for our teams and patients.”

To find out about future Head to Toe events and to support the charity visit www.cpft.co.uk/ourcharity.

CPFT provides community physical health services for older people and adults with long term conditions, mental health services, children community services in Peterborough and learning disability services. The Trust is also renowned for its research and development work and in June 2025, CPFT was awarded Teaching Partner status by the University of Cambridge.

ENDS

For more information contact:
Andy Burrows, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Deputy Head of Communications
E communications@cpft.nhs.uk