Fundraising appeal

A few months ago we were forced to launch an emergency fundraising appeal in order to ensure that Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading could continue to provide the expert and compassionate palliative care we are so proud of.

The coronavirus pandemic is having a huge impact on us. All of our shops closed overnight and our fundraising activities had to stop immediately. This resulted in a deeply concerning drop in income and for the very first time our future was in doubt.

We received the most wonderful response to our emergency appeal from local people who have so far raised more than £124,000 for us. I would like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to you and your readers from all of us at Sue Ryder. We are so very grateful for the support you have all shown us.

Unfortunately, our struggle is not yet over. Our fundraising events remain cancelled for the rest of this year, we have no clear indication of how long it will take for our shops to return to normal trading levels and we continue to incur the additional cost of purchasing PPE for our doctors and nurses.

As the Prime Minister recently announced, £3billion is being made available in order to support health services in the UK, but this will not include hospices.

This means that, even if we are able to avoid a second wave of this dreadful virus, by winter Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice will be struggling again financially.

Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice is anticipating a funding gap of £1,000,000 for the rest of this financial year alone, which is why we still so desperately need the support of our local community.

Your readers can donate via our website at sueryder.org/donate

We know that times are tough for everybody at the moment, so please be reassured that every bit really does help.

Maria Turnbull, Hospice Director, Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice