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Royal Free Charity
@royalfreecharity.org
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NHS charity partner of Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. Helping our hospitals to go further and faster thanks to the generosity of our supporters.

Website: www.royalfreecharity.org
Link in bio: https://linktr.ee/royalfreecharity
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Royal Free Charity @royalfreecharity.org · 4d
Breaking news: our chair Judy Dewinter has been awarded an MBE for services to the NHS.

Read more: royalfreecharity.org/news/royal-f...

#NHS #MBE #NewYearsHonours #Healthcare #NorthLondon​
Royal Free Charity chair awarded MBE for services to the NHS
royalfreecharity.org
royalfreecharity.org
Did you catch David Attenborough’s Wild London?

It reminded us of our Pondcam on Hampstead Heath, a live webcam to ease the wait in the oncology clinic.

Watch Pondcam live as nature wakes up to 2026:
royalfreecharity.org/how-we-help/...

#NatureForHealth #WildLondon #HampsteadHeath #MentalHealth
January 2, 2026 at 1:16 PM
royalfreecharity.org
Breaking news: our chair Judy Dewinter has been awarded an MBE for services to the NHS.

Read more: royalfreecharity.org/news/royal-f...

#NHS #MBE #NewYearsHonours #Healthcare #NorthLondon​
Royal Free Charity chair awarded MBE for services to the NHS
royalfreecharity.org
December 30, 2025 at 9:26 AM
royalfreecharity.org
Christmas morning at 10am, Royal Free Radio will broadcast a special carol concert recorded at Chase Farm Hospital. The Rowantree Choir performs seasonal favorites for patients who can't be home for Christmas.

Listen live at royalfreeradio.co.uk 🎄

#Barnet #Hampstead #ChaseFarm #NorthMid #London
Presenters of the Royal Free Radio in the studio.
December 23, 2025 at 3:38 PM
royalfreecharity.org
This winter, we have focused on patients who face long stays in hospital and the loneliness that can follow. Support from our volunteers, support hub and complementary therapists has helped many people feel less isolated and more able to cope.

#Wellbeing #Loneliness #London #Wellbeing #Donate
A woman in a blue patterned dress sits on an massage bed in a softly lit massage therapy room, reaching out her hand as she talks to a complementary therapist wearing a branded black Royal Free Charity T-shirt. A woman in a blue patterned dress and denim shirt sits in a clinical room, talking with a healthcare professional in blue scrubs, with medical equipment and a yellow clinical waste bin in the background.
December 22, 2025 at 12:00 PM
royalfreecharity.org
We want to wish everyone celebrating a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah and a joyful new year. Thank you all for your incredible support throughout the year.

Offices will close at 12pm on 24 December 2025. We will return to work on 2 January and our offices will reopen on 5 January 2026.

📸 by 一 徐
Shallow focus photography of yellow star lights
December 19, 2025 at 1:45 PM
royalfreecharity.org
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Graham Stack has raised £25,500 for the Helping Hands fund in aid of the Royal Free Charity to support children’s cancer care at Barnet Hospital. On a visit to the ward he met Mya, an 11-year-old football fan who has just finished treatment for a rare brain tumour.
#Charity
December 17, 2025 at 12:50 PM
royalfreecharity.org
During a five‑week hospital stay, complementary therapists helped Bhavisha manage pain, relax and feel more like herself again.

#ComplementaryTherapy #NHS #Healthcare #London
December 16, 2025 at 1:59 PM
royalfreecharity.org
An older patient spent part of her hospital stay talking with one of our volunteers on a ward. That simple chat brought comfort and connection at a time she needed it most.

Help us ease loneliness on the wards by donating at myrfc.co/wabs25.

#Volunteers #Loneliness #NHS #London #Donate
December 12, 2025 at 1:16 PM
royalfreecharity.org
🕎 Wishing a bright and joyful Hanukkah to everyone celebrating!

As the candles are lit and festivities begin, we’re sending our warmest wishes to our supporters.

May your days be filled with light, love and hope. ✨

Chag sameach ❤️
Bright graphic reading “Happy Hanukkah” above a lit golden nine-branched menorah on wavy pink, purple, and lilac background, with the Royal Free Charity logo in the lower-left corner.
December 12, 2025 at 11:06 AM
royalfreecharity.org
🐾 Meet Jesse, our new therapy dog, paid in treats and belly rubs.

Every Friday, Jesse and her owner Tracy visit patients and staff at Chase Farm Hospital, spreading calm and comfort across the wards. 💛

🐕Calling pooches: royalfreecharity.org/volunteer

#TherapyDogs #Wellbeing #ChaseFarmHospital
A Royal Free Charity volunteer in a purple T-shirt kneels beside a golden-brown spaniel wearing a black harness and blue-and-yellow lead in a bright hospital corridor, with other people blurred in the background. Close-up of a golden-brown spaniel with a white stripe on its forehead, looking down with a calm expression while wearing a black harness, indoors on a grey floor. Overhead view of a golden-brown spaniel with a white face and stripe on its head, standing on a grey floor and looking slightly downward while attached to a blue-and-yellow lead and wearing a black harness. Side profile of a golden-brown spaniel with wavy ears, standing in a harness with a blue-and-yellow lead attached, looking attentively toward the left against a soft grey indoor background.
December 11, 2025 at 3:52 PM
royalfreecharity.org
Our Christmas tree is up at Chase Farm Hospital!

Visit our decoration desk or charity office to collect a wooden bauble, donate a suggested £3 and add your message in memory, in thanks or just for fun, any day until 18 December (excluding Fri 12 Dec).

#NorthLondon #ChaseFarm #NHS #LondonChristmas
“Decorate Your Own Christmas Bauble” activity at Chase Farm Hospital, featuring bold purple and red background waves, hanging bauble frames with photos of children crafting and a decorated Christmas tree, and text noting a suggested donation of £3.
December 10, 2025 at 1:49 PM
royalfreecharity.org
In November, the Royal Free Charity support hub:

❤️Opened 23 new welfare rights advice cases and supported 87 ongoing cases

💛 Secured £17,006.60 in financial support

💙 Welcomed 10 people to peer support groups and 33 to coffee mornings

#NHS #Loneliness #London #Healthcare #SocialCare #Wellbeing
December 9, 2025 at 2:52 PM
royalfreecharity.org
The London Doctors' Orchestra and Choir will fill the Royal Free Hospital atrium with festive cheer on Sunday 14 December.

Patients and staff are invited to join us between 4pm and 5:30pm for an afternoon of enchanting festive melodies and holiday favourites.

#NorthLondon #NHS #Hampstead
A large orchestra and choir rehearsing inside a grand church with high stone columns and a tall stained-glass window behind them. A conductor stands on a small podium facing the musicians, who are seated in sections with strings, brass, woodwinds, and a harp. The choir is positioned behind the orchestra, and the setting is warmly lit with ornate architectural details. A chamber orchestra and choir posing together at the front of an ornate church. The musicians in the front hold string instruments, including violins, viola, and cello, while the choir stands behind them on steps. The backdrop features carved stone reliefs and warm lighting, giving the group portrait a festive and formal atmosphere.
December 8, 2025 at 12:09 PM
royalfreecharity.org
Happy International Volunteers Day and a big thank you to our incredible team of dedicated volunteers who support our local north London hospitals.

Interested in volunteering? - royalfreecharity.org/volunteer

#InternationalVolunteersDay #GiveBack #nhs #IVD #London
December 5, 2025 at 4:56 PM
royalfreecharity.org
Lonely patients heal slower. This winter, many people in our hospitals will face long days without a familiar face. Recovery is about more than treatment. Patients need emotional, social and psychological support, this is where the biggest gaps exist.

#London #Hampstead #ChaseFarm #Barnet #NorthMid
A man in a hospital bed looking into the camera. Text reads: "Recovery is about far more than medical treatment. National research shows that patients need emotional, social and psychological support to get better - yet this is where the biggest gaps exist." The bottom of the image shows the Royal Free Charity logo and the text "Donate today: royalfreecharity.org/witerappeal".
December 4, 2025 at 12:17 PM
royalfreecharity.org
Our welfare rights advisors help patients, carers and staff navigate the practical challenges of benefits and housing support - helping them feel less alone in their problems.

#NHS #Charity #London #NorthLondon #Welfare
December 3, 2025 at 3:07 PM
royalfreecharity.org
🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️Run 13.1 iconic miles for us in 2026.
​
The Royal Parks Half Marathon route takes you through four Royal Parks on traffic-free roads, with amazing views and an incredible atmosphere, all while raising vital funds for the Royal Free Charity.​

royalfreecharity.org/get-involved...

#London #Running
A man wearing a Royal Free Charity running vest runs among other runners at the Royal Parks Half Marathon. He waves to the camera.
December 2, 2025 at 1:25 PM
royalfreecharity.org
The government’s new HIV Action Plan hopes to end new transmissions by 2030. At the Royal Free Hospital, staff deliver outstanding holistic care - we’re proud to support as its NHS charity. From clinical massage to welfare advice and volunteer support, we help people living with HIV. #WorldAIDSDay
A massage therapist in a black tshirt gives a woman a back massage.
December 1, 2025 at 3:51 PM
royalfreecharity.org
Festive plans are stacking up fast: markets, meet-ups, shows and last-minute gift runs.

But while the city lights up, many patients in our North London hospitals will be spending the winter months away from their families, experiencing feelings of loneliness and isolation.

#London #NHS
November 28, 2025 at 10:29 AM
royalfreecharity.org
Jellyfish, doughnuts and Formula 1 → NHS innovation?

At this year’s Marsden Lecture, Prof Rebecca Shipley shows how ideas from unexpected places can transform patient care and why cross-sector teamwork matters.

🎥 Watch the full talk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D0Z...

#London #NHS #Healthcare
Marsden Lecture 2025: Innovative engineering inspiring new advances in NHS care
YouTube video by Royal Free Charity
www.youtube.com
November 27, 2025 at 2:35 PM
royalfreecharity.org
Cold homes make people ill and stop them getting better.

Every winter, patients tell us they’re worried about heating their homes. Cold, damp conditions delay recovery and increase hospital readmissions.

Tackling fuel poverty means tackling ill health.
A person sits bundled under a beige blanket on a sofa, holding a mug. They are surrounded by cosy cushions in a softly lit room. The image is overlaid with the "Fuel Poverty Awareness Day" logo and a yellow text box stating, "Poorly insulated, damp and energy inefficient homes limit the life chances of children and jeopardise their health."
November 25, 2025 at 1:36 PM
royalfreecharity.org
After major surgery, Bhavisha spent five weeks in hospital, in pain and missing her children.

A visit from one of our massage therapists brought moments of relief and human connection.

Help support patients like Bhavisha: myrfc.co/wabs25

#London #Charity #NHS #NorthLondon #Healthcare
November 24, 2025 at 1:03 PM
royalfreecharity.org
Hospital loneliness affects over 60% of older hospital patients.

Sinead Hanton, ICU matron: “Spending a long time in hospital can take a toll a patient's mental health. They can feel isolated and disconnected from the outside world. That sense of loneliness can have an impact on their recovery.”
November 19, 2025 at 11:36 AM
royalfreecharity.org
We’re backing a new report that sets out how people with lived experience can have a stronger voice in the research that turns scientific ideas into better care and new treatments.
An infographic which reads: How to advance patient and public involvement (PPI) in translational science: 1. Develop best practice guidance. 2. Create better ways of communicating translational research 3. Develop and offer training for PPI leads and research managers. 4. Developtraining for people with lived experience. 5. Establish an involvement network. 6. Set up 'speed networking' activities. 7. Help translational researcers communicate in plain language. 8. Collaborate ot involve more people with lived experience. 9. Collate and share exsisting insights from people with lived experience. 10. Use Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for meaningful involvement.
November 18, 2025 at 1:47 PM
royalfreecharity.org
After 25 years of living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in silence, Bhavisha finally found the space and understanding to speak through our IBD peer support group.

✨Give the gift of connection this festive season: myrfc.co/wabs25

#IBD #UlcerativeColitis #NorthLondon #NHS #London
A woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a blue patterned dress and a blue jacket, stands with one hand on her chest and the other holding a folder. A quote from Bhavisha about group support is overlaid: “The people there understand everything you’re going through completely. There is a comfort in that. There’s nothing like a group of people going through the same thing,” alongside a banner at the bottom reading "Royal Free Charity" with the donation URL royalfreecharity.org/winterappeal.
November 17, 2025 at 1:15 PM