East Lancs Hospice launches major campaign to recuperate £650,000 fundraising loss due to pandemic

It costs £3.9m. a year to run the hospice, which equates to over £10,000 a day and as a charity, the hospice relies on fundraising, but the cancellation of its fundraising events as

well as the temporary closure of its shops, warehouse and Café Retreat means that income is now down by nearly £650,000 in nine months.

Now, the hospice intends to fight back and has launched a fundraising campaign, which takes the form of a Door Drop to 80,000 households in Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, which will hit people’s letter boxes and is supported online via the hospice website and social media channels.

Backing the campaign is Steve Almond, who lost his wife Anita to terminal cancer on November 5th, 2020

From the point of diagnosis, Anita, of Clayton-Le-Dale, was supported by The East Lancashire Hospice. Steve said: “I can’t begin to tell you what a difference the hospice made to Anita’s life during her eight years of living with ovarian cancer. From early help and advice with the best pain management drugs, through ongoing support with complementary therapies and regular one-to-one meetings with her clinical nurse specialist to the amazing compassion and care provided for Anita by the nursing team at the end of her life, the hospice made a huge and real difference to the way we were able to live our life together.

"The hospice helped us to make the most of every single day and it gives me great comfort, now, to know that the hospice is here to help other people in the same way. It’s so important

for me to be involved with this fundraising campaign. It’s a small way of saying 'thanks' and a great way for me to continue Anita’s fundraising activities that she enjoyed so much -

especially at a time when those funds are so desperately needed."

Alongside this, hospice supporter Richard Tatlow, from Tatlow Signs, has gifted the hospice some complimentary advertising on their DigiVan, which is being used to promote the

campaign and is circulating in Blackburn throughout the month of February.

Richard said “It is a pleasure to be able to support the hospice with such a worthy campaign and to offer them valuable advertising exposure in Blackburn. I have had first-hand

experience of the care and support that they provide and understand how difficult this past year has been for them financially. I hope that our gesture goes someway to helping them

achieve their campaign target of £650,000."

Graham Parr, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at ELH, said: “We know that times are difficult for everyone, but we are appealing to our community for their help –

however they can. Any donation made helps to ensure all of our patients at the hospice are able to make the very most of life. By supporting East Lancashire Hospice, they will be

helping families get the support they need at the time they most need it. All monies raised go directly towards the provision of patient care in the hospice and in the local community –

for which we are incredibly grateful”.

To make a donation as part of the Covid Pandemic Impact Appeal, supporters are encouraged to visit https://eastlancshospice.org.uk/covidimpact or call (01254) 287014.