A Bristol dad who has spent more than 20 years volunteering his time to different causes, has opened up about why he has been secretly leaving wood carvings inside hospitals and care homes in and around the city this Christmas.
48-year-old Jay McDonald knows all too well what it can be like to lose hope after a four-year battle with stomach cancer in his early 20s. The Whitchurch native said it was while being a patient in the hospital that he knew he wanted to help others and began working alongside a cancer charity for many years.
Despite still suffering from a heart condition caused by the chemotherapy treatment, received more than 20 years ago, he decided to utilise his carpentry skills to create stunning carvings for people in hospital wards and in care homes to find ahead of the festive season. He said: “They’re for people who are at their most anxious and that little message might just change their day - so if it's meant for them they'll find it.”
