Throughout April many of our colleagues have been observing Ramadan, part of which means abstaining from food and drink between sunrise and sunset. It can be a challenging time, particular for those in demanding healthcare roles. Colleagues in NHS111 wanted raise awareness of what fasting is and how it affects people, so one of their teams got together to hold a sponsored fast.
We spoke to Erin Legg and Farhan Moghal, who arranged the sponsored fast between 5am and 8:12pm on Saturday 16th April, to ask them how it went and what they learned.
Farhan said: “Our Pod often organise things together and the team were asking me questions about the fasting part of Ramadan. Everyone was really up for joining in and trying, so we decided to hold the event to raise money for charity.
“Ramadan is about being grateful for what you have and giving back to the community. We chose Cancer Research UK because cancer resonates with a lot of us and we all know someone who has been affected by it. Everyone shared it online and it was really nice to see how far reaching the page went. We were surprised by how much we raised.”
Erin spoke to us about her experience and how it had brought the team together, saying: “I think the build up to the fast was the worst part, especially the thought of not having any water. Getting up at half 4 in the morning to eat was quite isolating, but once I started work I whizzed through the day and found it ok. To hear the team talking about what the charity meant to them was a real motivation. For me, the last hour was the hardest part and I really struggled with that.
"It definitely gave me a new perspective on the fasting. People often think it is easy to fast, but there is a lot more to observing than many people know about. It really makes you appreciate the quality of the food and access to clean water we have, especially when others around the world do not.
Fasting finished at 8pm and the team made a day of it with an activity booklet Erin put together, a raffle and homemade-food for afterwards. The team raised an incredible £750 for Cancer Research UK and wanted to thank everyone for their support.