Bale makes £500,000 donation to Cardiff hospital amid Covid-19 crisis

The Real Madrid star was born in the University of Wales Hospital and wanted to help out with a contribution to fight the disease

Staff at the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (CVUHB) have expressed their gratitude to Gareth Bale after the forward made a £500,000 donation to the trust.

As in much of the world, hospitals in the United Kingdom have struggled to keep up with the extra strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

As of Wednesday, there were over 8,000 cases in alone, with 624 confirmed deaths.

Bale might be in Madrid, but he moved to help out his hometown with a substantial donation in order to help Cardiff health authorities battle the outbreak.

"I just wanted to thank everybody in the NHS for all their hard work and sacrifice during the Covid-19 crisis," Bale said in a video shared on the CVUHB's Twitter account.

"The University of Wales Hospital holds a special place in my heart. It is where I was born and it has provided great support to my family, friends and the wider community.

"Me and my family would like to show our support. Keep up the good work, you are doing an amazing job. Thank you very much."

The Cardiff and Vale Health Charity, which oversees the allocation of such donations, explained that Bale's contribution would be used against Covid-19.

Our @Health_Charity the official charity of @cv_uhb would like to thank Wales and Real Madrid football legend, Gareth Bale and his wife Emma for their huge £500,000 donation to the University Hospital of Wales. @GarethBale11

Read more here: https://t.co/NPkxZ8ZKzx pic.twitter.com/E9NQnTJRMQ — Cardiff & Vale UHB (@CV_UHB) April 22, 2020

"They wanted to give something back to their local NHS as Gareth himself was born in the UHW (University Hospital of Wales) maternity unit, and they say UHW have provided many services to themselves and their family and friends," the charity signalled in a statement.

"Thank you Gareth, you really are our star!"

CVUHB chief executive Len Richards called Bale's gesture "fantastic" and added: "I'd like to say a big thank you to Gareth, Emma and their family for this fantastic donation.

"It's so heartening to hear they have chosen to give something back to their local hospital to say thank you for the services both them, and their family and friends have received, and to recognise all the hard work the staff and all at our hospitals are doing at this very difficult time.

"I would also like to say that gestures like this are testament to the fantastic work that our clinical and support colleagues carry out every day. Thank you so much."