‘CONSIDER US WHEN ASKED TO DONATE’
Hospice’s plea for more support from public
A CHILDREN’S hospice has issued a plea for public support in the face of increasing financial pressures.
Donations to The Donna Louise have declined over the past two years and it has recently had to make five staff redundant to cut costs.
The Trentham Lakes-based charity, which derives 90 per cent of its income from fund-raising, supports the families of youngsters with life-limiting conditions from across Staffordshire and Cheshire.
It is developing new ways to raise funds, such as opening shops and launching its own Donna Louise lottery, but they do not yet generate sustainable income.
In the meantime, public donations are increasingly crucial. Chief executive Simon Fuller, above, said: “By donating and supporting us the community will be ensuring that high quality hospice care is available to local children and their families when they need it.
“If we weren’t here, there isn’t anything else available for them. We are simply the only place that people can turn to. We are relying on the community for support – 90 per cent of our income comes through fundraising. We are so grateful for the massive contribution that our supporters make.
“We understand that people are now being asked to donate to many charities, but I would just ask that people consider us.”
The Donna Louise supported more than 260 children and young people across Staffordshire and Cheshire in 2017/18. A new unit to cater for up to 100 young adults and their families is nearing completion and – as long as the necessary funding is secured – will open in the spring. Sharon Smith and her husband Martin experienced the support provided by the charity following the death of their three-year-old son Tommy.
He was diagnosed with meningitis and died at the Royal Stoke University Hospital in January 2015.
Sharon, aged 45, from Tamworth, said: “We had been transferred to Stoke hospital when he was poorly. Once he had passed, the nurse told us about the Donna Louise and said we could go there to have more time with Tommy.
“When we arrived, we were taken to the Garden Suite where there was a little bed made up, I tucked Tommy in. We were given a bedroom where we could stay.
“It gave us the chance to say our goodbyes, a place where all the family could come and be together. It helped us with our grieving because we had that time to spend with him.
“The staff were brilliant, they could not do enough for us. It’s so important to have places like the Donna Louise and for people to support it.”
Mr Fuller added: “When Tommy’s family went through the very worst thing that can happen to a parent, The Donna Louise was there for them.
“If we don’t raise the money we need to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for our services, the reality is that The Donna Louise might not be there in the future and families might have to face this alone.
“We will do everything in our power to make sure that doesn’t happen, but we need the public’s donations and support more than ever before.” ■ To make a donation call the fundraising office 01782 654444 or visit thedonnalouise.org/make-a-donation