WE’RE asking readers to join our 180th anniversary celebrations by raising £1,000 for St Margaret’s Hospice for every year the County Gazette has been published.

We’re running fundraising initiatives throughout the year and we hope you’ll get involved with your own ideas to support a great charity that touches so many people’s lives.

You can do anything from a sponsored walk to an abseil,; a dry month donating money you would have spent on alcohol to an unusual haircut; collecting all your coppers to picking up litter. It’s entirely up to you.

Whatever you decide, we want to hear from you - get in touch by e-mailing 180@countygazette.co.uk, call our newsroom on 01823-365100, or click here for our online form.

Together we can raise £180,000 to help St Margaret’s.

 

 

ST Margaret’s Hospice has been at the heart of Somerset’s community for more than 35 years, delivering high quality, responsive and compassionate care to patients and families facing any life-limiting illnesses.

With hospice sites in Bishop’s Hull, near Taunton, and Yeovil, as well as five community-based teams caring for patients in their own homes, St Margaret’s continually strives to reach everyone in the community who needs its care, often during their last days.

Clinical director at St Margaret’s, Joy Milliken, said funds from County Gazette readers would go towards providing vital care for patients.

“Whether it’s for one day or several weeks, the time spent at the hospice is precious, offering relief and care to both patients and their loved ones,” she said.

“Through our medical expertise, nursing skills and specialist support services, we provide physical, emotional and spiritual care to our patients and those closest to them.”

Chief executive of the hospice, Ann Lee, said: “St Margaret’s Hospice is dedicated to making each day count for all our patients and their loved ones.

“We aim to ensure they always achieve what they want - from arranging an on-site wedding and a ride on a Harley Davidson, to simply enabling a patient to pet a hedgehog for the first time.”

Liz Bond, publisher of the County Gazette, said: “We are excited to be launching this ambitious fundraising activity on behalf of St Margaret’s Hospice.

“As part of our 180 year celebrations we want to get involved in as many local community projects as we can, but this will be the main event.

“We are looking for individuals, schools, colleges, community groups and businesses to help us reach our target and will be happy to promote these events as part of our fund raising initiative.

“In addition, we are planning a big event for the summer, so look out for more information and how you can get involved.”

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St Margaret’s is a registered charity and 100 per cent of the care and support it provides is free.

It costs £10million a year to run and after NHS funding needs to raise £7.5 million to deliver care.

It relies heavily on the generosity of supporters and the local community to ensure it can continue to provide such vital end of life care. 

An army of 1,200 volunteers undertakes a wide variety of roles including clinical, fundraising, retail and support services.

The charity started out with a three-strong home care team based at Flook House, Taunton, and now has 360 staff serving the whole of Somerset, caring for 3,200 people annually.

But its principles remain the same – patients are at the centre of everything it does.

So how will the £180,000 benefit St Margaret’s Hospice and its patients?

It will pay for a bed for a whole year, enabling the care of 21 patients by funding 100,000 hours of in-patient nurse care.

Join us in our fundraising bid - let us know how you can help and we'll support you all the way

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