Hospice hunts for Champions to help raise £500k in 36 hours

Local hospice Dorothy House is on the hunt for champions to help raise £500,000 with a 36-hour fundraising sprint next month.

The hospice’s Always Here Appeal will for the first time be using the online crowdfunding platform, Charity Extra, to deliver its most ambitious fundraiser ever.

Thanks to a generous group of donors, the hospice has secured pledges that will mean all donations made to the appeal during a 36-hour period in November will be doubled.

A hospice spokesman said: “This is an incredible opportunity which will help us raise the vital funds we need to sustain our compassionate, dedicated care for patients facing the end of their life.

“Our team of ‘Champions’ will be the most important part of the puzzle, but individually, their role is so simple. As a Champion you will reach out to friends, family and contacts during the main appeal fundraising sprint in November, asking if they will make a donation. Every donation made will support the Champion’s efforts to help ensure Dorothy House can continue to care for the rising number of local patients who need us.”

Dorothy House will supply everything you will need, including suggested wording and films showing the meaningful impact of its care.

Don Kennedy, head of fundraising engagement, said: “The funds Champions raise will help ensure no one in our community faces death alone. Research shows that by 2025 over 5,200 people each year across BANES, parts of Wiltshire and Somerset will need palliative and end-of-life care – a striking increase on current levels.

“To respond to this growing need, Dorothy House’s ambition is to significantly expand and enhance our services over the next three years. Our projections show that we will need to raise an additional £2 million, on top of our general fundraising, to achieve this. The Always Here Appeal aims to raise £500,000 of this funding shortfall.”

To become a Champion, you can complete a simple online form at www.charityextra.com/alwayshere/ signup or by calling the fundraising team on 01225 721480.