BIG PICTURE
Home is where the heart is and have received so many wonderful messages of appreciation.
Many people have lost loved ones during this awful time and have not been able to say their “goodbyes” in many ways. Grief in normal circumstances is so hard.
Our Family Support Team have reached out to those who are bereaved by offering counselling support by telephone every day and also continue to support all of the patients and families/ carers who access our services in the same way.
Community spirit has been so apparent and continues to be so. We received so many fantastic offers of Personal Protective Equipment, it is difficult to mention each and every one who helped in this way. Huge thanks to you all, you helped us to keep our fantastic team of
Nurses and Palliative Care Support Workers, Patients and families to keep safe, which was and still is our ultimate priority.
Lockdown really ignited the imagination of our Community and there were some fantastic and unique efforts from all ages which raised money on behalf of the Hospice – Thank you so much!
Remarkable achievements in raising funds nationally were also watched by the nation and we shared pride and support to people all over the UK.
This, coupled with the fact that we have had to cancel all the fundraising events we had planned for the year has however, had a dramatic effect on our fundraising income.
Our shops have been closed since March 24, which has also had a real impact on our finances. Thankfully we have been able to re-open our Bank Street shop over the past couple of weeks, with safety and social distancing measures firmly in place, but it will take a long time for the shops to recover financially.
In all of my 15 years with the Hospice I have never seen the money generated from Fundraising and the shops at such low levels and, of course, we are concerned.
Our running costs are circa £1 million per year and it is the people of Rossendale who depend upon us when they need us the most, so if you can make a donation
(however large or small) or to think of a way to raise money for us amongst all the social restrictions which we now live under, please do – we so need your support. Now more than ever.
We all know that there are still daily cases of people in the community who are presenting as positive with COVID-19, so we aren’t out of the woods yet. Forward planning for the winter months which will soon be with us is essential to make sure we are ready for the flu season and also potential outbreaks of COVID.
None of us knew exactly what the new “normal” would look like - COVID19 has changed our world completely.
I can assure you however, that Rossendale Hospice is here for you, to provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place and that will always be our aspiration, but it will be much more difficult financially now.
So, if you can help us – please do, every penny counts.
Irene Smith
CEO, Rossendale Hospice