Imperial College Healthcare wins at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea Foundation, the charity of Chelsea football club, invited key workers from three NHS trusts in north-west London to compete in a tournament at Stamford Bridge to thank them for all their amazing work and dedication during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This week, staff from Imperial College Healthcare, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and the Royal Marsden took to the pitch in the sunshine for the six-a-side football men’s and women’s tournaments, coached by Chelsea Foundation football coaches. Former Chelsea women’s star Claire Rafferty was also on hand to offer advice and cheer the teams on from the side-lines.
Imperial College Healthcare came out victorious on the day with both their men’s and women’s teams finishing top after winning their nail-biting penalty shoot-out showdowns. The pitch day was generously donated to the NHS by Chelsea’s official global tyre partner, Yokohama.
Chelsea Foundation’s tournament was the opening fixture and launch event for a London-wide NHS tournament organised by football charity London United, 14 iconic London clubs, and the 11 Foundation (set up by former professional footballer Joe Cole and his partner Carly). Each club will host a regional round supporting NHS trusts from their local area, with the men’s and women’s winners from each going on to compete in the grand finale event at Gunnersbury Park on 26 June.
Professor Julian Redhead, medical director at Imperial College Healthcare and a Chelsea club doctor commented: ’I really want to say thanks so much to Chelsea and London United for organising this event with us. It’s meant so much to all our members of staff from all the three hospitals, not just Imperial – I’m not just saying that because we won!
‘It’s been a really great way to say thank you for all the hard work they’ve put in. It allows them to socialise and relax and get back to some sort of normality, so a big thank you from us all.’
Head of region, south-east for Chelsea Foundation, Phil Hastings added: ‘NHS staff up and down the country have given so much during the pandemic and have taken care of so many people. It was great to team up with Yokohama to offer our local NHS staff a short respite away from their daily duties, giving everyone at Chelsea FC an opportunity to say thank you and showcase our ongoing support for our key workers.
‘We look forward to continuing to build strong relationships with the three NHS Trusts involved, and supporting them at the final tournament in June.’
Chelsea Foundation has continued to support the NHS and local communities throughout the pandemic with a raft of initiatives including offering NHS key workers free bed and breakfast at the hotels on the stadium site at the height of the pandemic. Food parcels were also provided for NHS staff and pensioner groups via the charities Refuge and NHS Charities Together.
