Alan McViety, senior partner with local accountants Dodd & Co, recently presented a cheque for £600 to Sheila Thompson from Hospice at Home. The money was donated from funds saved in lieu of the firm sending traditional Christmas cards. Part of the donation was also made up from donations from staff that had decided themselves not to send personal Christmas cards.
Dodd & Co made the decision not to send Christmas cards some years ago and have supported a local charity each year with an amount equal to what they would have spent on buying cards and posting them.
Alan stated, “We are delighted to support such a worthwhile local charity. Whilst it is nice to receive cards at Christmas we feel that more benefit can be obtained by gifting the money to Hospice at Home. It is encouraging to see that other local businesses have also decided to do the same”.
Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland is a nursing service caring for local people with a terminal illness who choose to die in the familiar surroundings of their own homes and also offers help and support to those caring for them. The Hospice at Home service covers the whole of rural north and east Cumbria and the city of Carlisle, some 1500 square miles with a population of 188,000. Their service is free of all charges to the patient and their carers.
Each year they provide nursing care and support to approximately 300 patients. The service applies to terminally ill patients, of any age, suffering from any illness, who choose to die in their own home. 20% of patients have terminal illnesses other than cancer.
Hospice at Home receive some grants from the NHS, however these cover only one third of the annual running costs and they need to raise the rest from other sources. In the current year this equates to £320,000 or £6,000 per week. They are very grateful for the support they receive from the local community, especially in this their 10th Anniversary year.
Anyone wishing to donate to the charity should contact Sheila Hodgson on 01768 210719.
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