Hope House looking for public help to raise £500,000 in just 36 hours
Shropshire's children’s hospice is pulling out all the stops this weekend to try to raise £500,000 in 36 hours – to pay for a whole year of end of life care for seriously ill local children.
Every donation made to Hope House's 'Final Moments Matter' campaign between 10am on Sunday and 10pm on Monday will be match funded from a huge £250,000 pot of cash already pledged by the charity’s key supporters.
The charity's head of fundraising, Alison Marsh, said: "So if you go online during the campaign and donate £10, this will be matched and worth £20. But we do need your donations to unlock the pot of match funding so we can help every child and family who need us during 2023.”
The charity set itself the same huge challenge last November, and raised a phenomenal £590,000.
The money meant that every local family whose child died or needed end of life care this year has been able to be cared for by the hospices and their teams of expert nurses, carers, specialists and counsellors.
Vikki Turner, from Mid Wales, knows only too well how important the hospices’ end of life services are.
Her daughter Nia was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour at just seven years old.
Together they visited Hope House for respite care for 11 years before Nia died.
“We spent Nia’s last three weeks together at Hope House, with Nia having her bed wheeled around the hospice, going to the dining room for her favourite pancakes and holding court in the playroom like Queen Nia,” recalls Vikki.
“On her last weekend we had lots of visitors. Nia had so many people in her life and it was very important to her to say goodbye. Hope House helped to make that happen and looked after everyone.
“On the last day and night it was just me, Nia and her favourite nurses. She said, ‘I love you Mummy’ and gave me a hug which was just what I wanted. Those were her last words.
“I felt enormous sadness but relief. Unless you’ve been in that situation you wouldn’t understand how perfect it was. Nia passed away with me holding her hand and watching Mamma Mia with the two nurses. It was really peaceful and just how we planned it. Nothing ever went to plan for us but, because of Hope House, that did.”
Anyone who wants to support the Final Moments Matter campaign - either by making a donation, setting up a fundraising team or joining the online 'Big Night In' YouTube event on Sunday evening - can go to hopehouse.org.uk/fmm or call the fundraising office on 01691 671 671.
