DORSET County Hospital is looking for support from the local business community as it looks to honour staff that go the extra mile for their patients.

The Dorchester hospital is preparing to hold its annual GEM (Go the Extra Mile) Awards ceremony to celebrate the efforts of hospital staff and volunteers and is appealing to local businesses for sponsorship to stage the event.

The hospital said last year’s event at Athelhampton House was a great success and it would like to build on that this year to make it a truly special occasion for the award recipients.

Any offers of sponsorship, large or small, to help cover the cost of the event or donations of prizes which could be raffled to raise money for staff thank you events would be greatly appreciated.

Staff engagement lead Kristina Risley said: “Our staff work so hard to provide the very best services they can for their patients.

“Our annual awards ceremony is about recognising the efforts of people who go above and beyond what is expected of them every day to do the best job they can.

“We would like to make this year’s event really special and we would really appreciate any support local businesses could give us, be it a contribution to the cost of staging the event or a donation of a raffle prize.

“We would make sure any sponsors were fully recognised in pre and post-event publicity.”

Businesses interested in supporting the awards event should contact Kristina on 01305 254628 or Kristina.risley@dchft.nhs.uk