Staff in the Ulster, Lagan Valley and Downe hospitals enjoyed a healthy “Diversity Lunch” on Monday which was all for a good cause to raise funds for the Stroke Association Northern Ireland.
The Diversity Lunch was also arranged to mark the beginning of SAS Week (Specialist, Associate Specialist, and Specialty Doctors) and was thoughtfully created by Specialty Doctor, Dr Jeenat Khan along with Catering Teams across the three hospital sites.
The lunch not only provided the opportunity to raise vital funds for the Stroke Association and to mark World Stroke Day which is held on the 29 October each year, it was also a celebration of diversity and an expression of gratitude to the Trust’s staff for their hard work and dedication.
The Diversity Lunch featured a variety of delicious dishes including Harissa Salmon, Beef and Bean Burritos, Piri-Piri Chicken Fillet, Sweet Potato Curry, baby boiled potatoes and chives along with Jeenat’s rice, Tamarind chutney, poppadum’s and a vegetable medley. Jeenat also offered her delicious Mango Lassi drink which was full of flavour! Many of the dishes have never been served before in hospital canteens and this event today provided a unique culinary experience showcasing the rich cultural heritage of our diverse workforce.
Building on the success of last year’s event, which was widely appreciated, this year’s lunch also featured stalls from the Stroke Association, offering advice and distributing leaflets. The Ulster Hospital site hosted a stall manned by SAS Doctors while Stroke Nurses provided vital secondary prevention advice. Additional Stroke Association stalls were set up at the Lagan Valley and Downe Hospital sites.
Raffle tickets to raise additional funds were available at the Ulster Hospital site, with a wonderful fruit basket that was won by Donna McCabrey from the Trust’s Communication Team, adding an element of fun and excitement to the day.
The event not only recognised the importance of diversity within the workforce, it was also an opportunity to promote staff wellbeing.
Delighted with the support for the event and thanking the catering staff, Dr Khan said, “Today’s event was an opportunity to promote diversity and celebrate whilst also supporting the wonderful work of the Stroke Association in Northern Ireland. Last year’s event was such a success that we decided this year to make it more diverse and inclusive to represent our workforce here in the South Eastern Trust. Stroke is a very debilitating disease and with the help of charities like the Stroke Association, people’s recovery journey can be very positive, so it is to celebrate all of that.
“This year we included a wider range of dishes such as fish, chicken, a vegetarian dish and beef all made with Mexican and Indian recipes. A complimentary fruit drink, Mango Lassi was provided for everyone to try and it went down a real treat!
“It is so important to support our local charities such as the Stroke Association, because I work in stroke, I know what the charity is doing and how it is helping. It is really important for me on a personal level as well.
“I would like to thank the Catering staff within the Trust for helping to arrange this wonderful event.”
Catering Manager, Elaine Pringle added, “All our Chefs and Service Assistants enjoyed preparing, cooking and serving today’s multicultural menu in the Downe, Lagan Valley and Ulster Hospital Café Connect restaurants. Everyone was involved, the atmosphere was great and we hope to expand our menu to include some of the dishes.”
Thanking Dr Khan and staff for supporting the Stroke Association, NI Director, Alasdair O’Hara commented, “It is absolutely fantastic what Dr Khan and the team across the South Eastern Trust have done today to raise money for the Stroke Association, but also to raise awareness about stroke. We hear all the time from stroke survivors about that tough journey after a stroke and we are there for every part of that journey to help stroke survivors to find strength through support.
“Our services such as our helpline, our counselling service and our speech and language service are there to help every stroke survivor in the South Eastern Trust and that is what any funding raised today will go towards. We know that it can take a long time for people to rebuild their lives after a stroke and we are there to offer that support afterwards and that’s why fundraisers like this are so important.”
Enjoying the delicious food, Stroke Nurse, Emma Green stated, “Today’s lunch has been really well attended, the food was absolutely fantastic, extremely well organised and well done to all the staff involved which is for a really good cause.”
