STAFF on Musgrove Park Hospital's cardiology ward have thanked a family for raising an incredible £7,470.

Angie Merrick, her family, and the team at the Merry Monk pub in Taunton, raised the money for Fielding ward in loving memory of Angie’s late husband Mike, who sadly passed away earlier this year. Both were previous landlords of the Bathpool-based pub.

In 2020, during part of the COVID-19 lockdown, Mike spent six weeks on the ward while waiting for heart surgery in Bristol.

During this time Angie praised the care he received from everyone on the ward.

She said: “Mike was always a great supporter of the NHS and stood outside the pub on Thursday evenings ringing the pub bell while the neighbours clapped.”

Three years later, Mike returned on and off to the ward, and both he and Angie were pleased to see familiar faces – once again Angie mentioned he could not have been better looked after.

Towards the end of his time on Fielding, he noticed that the ward only had one digital thermometer, so he promised to have a raffle to raise money to buy more.

When he arrived home, Mike started planning for this, but sadly he suddenly passed away.

Angie and her incredible staff at the pub decided to proceed with the plans to purchase the thermometers he so wanted to get.

Donations soon came flooding in, from the funeral, the raffle, and an additional race night held at the Merry Monk. This brought the grand total to £7,470.

Li Wang, ward sister on Fielding Ward, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Angie and her family for the amazing fundraising they have achieved, and we want to thank everyone who has donated”.

“The money raised is a truly amazing amount, which will make such a difference to patients on the ward. It’s a fantastic way of carrying on Mike’s legacy and we’ll be forever thankful to Angie and her family.”