From Swansea to Cambridge: Amazon supports UK’s leading heart and lung hospital

The Amazon fulfilment centre in Swansea has donated £1,000 to Royal Papworth Hospital Charity in Cambridge.

The donation follows a request for support from an employee whose sister recently received a heart transplant at Royal Papworth Hospital, which performed the UK’s first successful heart transplant back in 1979 and has continued to be a world leader in heart and lung transplantation.

Darrell George is the general manager’s assistant and community ambassador at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Swansea. He’s been part of the team at the site since 2011, when he joined as temporary fulfilment centre employee.

Part of Darrell’s role at Amazon involves supporting organisations local to the fulfilment centre in Swansea, while empowering his colleagues to engage alongside him.

Earlier this year, Darrell attended a national conference in Birmingham with his colleagues from around the UK to discuss Amazon’s community initiatives for the year ahead. The week prior, his sister Hayley had received word that she was eligible to receive a heart transplant at Royal Papworth Hospital.

Spurred on by the content of the conference, Darrell requested that a £1,000 donation be made to Royal Papworth Hospital Charity to help other families like his.

Speaking on the importance of the hospital to his family, Darrell said: “Royal Papworth is one of just five hospitals in the UK that performs heart and lung transplants on adults and it performs more than any other UK centre. People come from all over the UK to have surgery at these hospitals, which obviously comes at great cost.

“When she was 17, my sister was diagnosed with a genetic disease called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, which affects the pumping ability of the left ventricle in the heart. In 2022 she found out that she’d need to have a heart transplant, and earlier this year she underwent the surgery to receive one. We are hugely grateful that Hayley was given the opportunity to receive a new heart, and for the surgeons and medical staff who looked after her during the process.

“Royal Papworth Hospital Charity goes a mile further to absorb costs for families that aren’t in the position to afford local accommodation whilst their loved ones are in hospital. I can’t imagine going through the stress of Hayley undergoing surgery and not knowing how I was going to afford the costs of travelling from Wales to Cambridge to look after her. The charity is such a valuable support to people in what can be a really scary situation, and that’s why I wanted to support it.”

Alongside the donation from Amazon in Swansea, Darrell supported his nephew as he ran the Swansea Half Marathon to raise money for Royal Papworth Hospital Charity. Robbie George completed the half marathon in under an hour and a half and raised a further £900 for the charity, which was donated alongside Amazon’s £1,000.

Shelley Green, Fundraising & Stewardship Manager from Royal Papworth Hospital Charity, said: “Our patients like Darrell’s sister Hayley, their families and our staff are at the heart of everything we do. The Hospital treats some of the most life-threatening conditions within the NHS, and our Charity bridges the gap between NHS funding and the reality of providing outstanding care.

We are humbled that Amazon has contributed to our resources with this fabulous donation which will help patients now and in the future. We also want to say a huge thanks to Darrell, Robbie and Hayley for being huge supporters and requesting the Amazon donation.”

Community donations and employee volunteering are just two of the ways Amazon supports the communities where it operates. Amazon co-founded the Multibank initiative with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to support families in need. ‘Cwtch Mawr’ Multibank opened in Swansea this year, with Faith in Families. The initiative has donated more than 4 million surplus goods to over 400,000 families across Wales, Scotland, Greater Manchester, and London.

Amazon has supported more than 700,000 students across the UK with free STEM education programmes through Amazon Future Engineer and helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need through its pro bono logistics programme, Amazon Local Good.

Amazon partners with Comic Relief and is the official home of the charity’s iconic Red Nose. Together with its employees, customers, and partners, Amazon has raised over £4.8 million to fund projects that support people across the UK, and around the world.