Our NHS Charity is ever-grateful for the donations that they receive from families or fundraising efforts made by colleagues. 

And someone has to manage all of the finances. Step up Charitable Funds Officer, Sanna Samateh, who oversees a whopping 109 Trust Charitable accounts, all of which offer valuable extra support for our patients and colleagues.

Read more from Sanna, who is one of three sets of twins in his family below.

What is your current role and career background?

Hello, I am Sanna Samateh and CHFT’s Charitable Funds Officer. My role is to ensure that all approvals for expenditure, invoices, requests for payments and receipt of income are input to the charitable funds system in a timely manner, and to maintain cashbooks and ensure reconciliations to bank statements are completed.

I was previously a Management Account Assistant at Spectrum Community Health and I have also worked as a Payroll and Pension Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospital processing and administering transactions for 13 trusts.

Before joining Leeds, I spent 12 months with the Department of Health as student placement and went back to the University of Bradford to complete my degree in Accounting and Finance.

What is the highlight of your career so far?

I am the only child in my family to be educated at University, and a huge highlight for me was gaining my Association Accounting Technicians and Degree in Accounting and Finance.

Sum up your role in three words

Processing financial transactions

Who is your hero/heroine and why?

My hero was I my mum, Adama, who never went to school, but she fed and clothed our very large family (more below) through farming. Her inspiration and determination made me grow up as a philanthropist (a person who helps the poor or supports good causes, helping make life better for others).

When you are not at work, how do you relax?

When I’m not working, I can spend all day watching football and police interceptors on TV!

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I am a twin. In fact, my inspirational mum gave birth to three sets of twins as well as three other children. I’m pictured with my twin brother Sainey below.

I try now to put everyone else first, but when I was in High school, I was extremely selfish when it came to sharing food and other things with my siblings.