iPads donated to Lothian hospitals after Bonnyrigg couple raises £7k for NHS

Louise and Billy Dempsey were ‘blown away’ by the amount raised.

Louise and Billy Dempsey with daughter Kara, 9.

Hospitals around the NHS Lothian area are due to receive donations of iPads, radios and microwaves as a Bonnyrigg couple divides the proceeds from an NHS fundraiser.

Louise and Billy Dempsey raised more than £7,000 from a Saturday night DJ session Mr Dempsey streamed on Facebook live last week.

The couple were ‘blown away’ by support for the fundraiser, which they thought might raise around £500.

The couple bought slippers, pyjamas, toiletries and books on Monday.

They have spent the week buying and distributing donations to nurses and wards around the Lothians.

“It’s been quite an emotional week, we were trying our best to spend the money as quickly as possible but to not spend it on silly things,” said Ms Dempsey.

“It’s been really rewarding handing things over to nurses and to be able to see them go away with stuff.

Five iPads have already been purchased.

“We really want to thank everybody for their donations and support, we’re really grateful.”

The couple began with a £600 spend on Monday on items for patients stuck on Covid-19 wards with no visitors, including toiletries, pyjamas, slippers and socks, as well as entertainment including DAB digital radios, books and puzzle books.

The pair visited Tesco, Iceland and Home Bargins, and were careful to speak to the manager in each case to explain why they appeared to be stockpiling.

They were also ‘very strict’ about social distancing measures and as far as possible only one person at a time when into each store.

They then got in contact with Alison Williams, a nurse at the ERI who set up a crowdfunding page to raise money to buy similar items.

With donations already exceeding £18,000, Ms Williams hopes to be able to supply every ward in the area with toiletries.

In light of this, and the donations of toiletries flooding into wards from members of the public, the Dempseys turned their attention to what many nurses had called the ‘ultimate wish’ for wards: iPads.

The couple purchased an initial five iPads, one of which they donated to play therapy at the Sick Kids.

The other four they passed on to Alison Williams, who will distribute them between the ERI, the Western General and St Johns Livingston.

After speaking to several wards they realised that cheaper tablets would also be useful, and have bought two Samsung tablets for the ERI, one of which will be used to play music to especially ill patients in the ICU.

They plan to give a Kindle Fire to a community hospital or care home.

The tablets will all be carefully tracked, and wards are currently examining the best options for screen protectors and cases which can be fully decontaminated, so the devices can be used by multiple patients.

A donation of £1,000 has been given to the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, which has a Covid-19 appeal to put together emergency food packs for families being discharged from hospital but placed into isolation and so not able to easily shop.

The pair have ordered two microwaves, two toasters and cutlery for two intensive care wards.

They still have around £2,000 left, after a trip to Costco to buy coffee, teabags, hand cream, squash and body wash for an A&E ward.

They plan to make a monetary donation of the remaining amount, perhaps to support staff working on Covid-19 wards who cannot live at home with accommodation and travel.

Mr Dempsey, a painter and decorator who also works as a DJ with his firm City Discos at weekends, will run another DJ livestream on Saturday.

While the paypal link to the fundraiser will remain live, the purpose of the gig will primarily be to say thank you to supporters.

A mix of genres, the stream will be live between 7pm and 10pm on Saturday night from Mr Dempsey’s City Discos Facebook page.