The QNI celebrates £2,500 gift from The Patron's Fund

The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) is celebrating after receiving a £2,500 gift from The Patron’s Fund, the charitable fund set up to acknowledge the work of the charitable organisations for which Her Majesty The Queen acts as Patron, on the occasion of her 90^th birthday.

Around £750,000 has been made available to distribute between nearly 300 charities and other organisations in the UK and the Commonwealth. The Fund received generous donations from a range of supporters including individual donors, businesses, schools, community groups and the proceeds from The Patron’s Lunch, the event held on the Mall last June.

The Queen’s Nursing Institute celebrates its 130^th anniversary this year. The charity was originally established with funds raised for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887 to set educational standards and to deliver the training for nurses working in people’s homes and communities. Today it continues to create standards for education and practice and to influence policy as well as providing a wide range of support to nurses working in community and primary care who deliver high quality care to patients, families and carers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Dr Crystal Oldman, Chief Executive of the QNI said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to receive this donation from the Patron’s Fund. We are using the donation for a very special purpose – bringing together working and retired Queen’s Nurses for a day of celebration at the Queen’s garden at Frogmore. Her Majesty is generously opening Frogmore to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme, a charity with whom the QNI has a valued and shared heritage, and it is a fitting venue for generations of nurses to come together, to recognise the long careers of service of our retired nurses, and inspiring the next generation.’

Sir Stuart Etherington, Chair of The Board of Trustees for The Patron’s Fund, said: ‘The Patron’s Fund is very pleased to be able to support the Queen’s Nursing Institute with its valuable work. The QNI is among hundreds of organisations for which The Queen acts as a Patron, which between them make a difference to causes and communities in the UK and throughout the Commonwealth.’

For more information about the QNI (Charity Number 213128), comment or photographs of the event, please contact: Matthew Bradby, Communications Manager at: matthew.bradby@qni.org.uk or 020 7549 1400.

For further information about The Patron’s Fund (Registered Charity No.1164171) email: info@thepatronsfund.org.uk or visit www.thepatronsfund.org.uk .