A ROMSEY telecoms company are on a mission to raise £12,000 to provide dozens of iPads for a Southampton trust.

ElemenTel, Premier Way, has already donated 16 iPads to University Hospital Southampton in a bid to allow patients and staff stay connected with their loved ones.

Now one woman from the company and her daughter are looking to raise thousands to buy another 34 iPads for the hospital trust.

Legal and finance director at ElemenTel, Ceri Stafford, said: “Like so many people we were keen to be able to support the people at the frontline of healthcare services.

"There are patients going without family contact for weeks on end and staff separated from their loved ones on long shifts.

"I can’t begin to imagine how tough it is to not see your children, partner or parents for that long, so we want to help people keep in touch by providing these iPads.”

Ceri's seven-year-old daughter, Zara, will run 10km – the distance between the ElemenTel offices in Romsey and Southampton General Hospital.

Joint Interim Director at Southampton Hospitals Charity, Beth Hall, said: “The outpouring of support from our local community has been astonishing.

"As soon as Ceri knew that we were fundraising for iPads she immediately offered assistance and for that we are very grateful.

"The tablets will make such a difference in helping our patients communicate with their loved ones, alleviate their feelings of isolation and positively impact on their wellbeing.”

On the COVID-19 wards the iPads can also be used for remote consultations with other departments.

The tablets will allow staff to connect with occupational health teams to provide remote support for their health and wellbeing, access online tools and stay in touch with their own families and loved ones.

Donations can be made via the JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/team/elementel.