Donations to local charity Willen Hospice will be doubled during December, supporting their specialist nurses to visit patients at home this Christmas.
The Hospice has been chosen to be part of The Big Give’s Christmas Challenge (3–10 December), which matches public donations to selected charities. Following this, donations to the Hospice will continue to be doubled until 31 December*, thanks to the generosity of local supporters offering to match what’s raised. All donations must be made at www.willen-hospice.org.uk/christmas to be doubled.
The money raised will help fund the work of the Hospice’s Willen at Home team. Willen at Home nurses provide expert care and support so that patients with a life-limiting illness can stay in their own home and live well until they die. This service alone costs the charity £1.4 million every year and currently receives no NHS funding.
“I never quite know what to expect when I walk through someone’s front door,” says Anita Parker, one of Willen at Home’s Clinical Nurse Specialists. “Although we check in on our patients regularly, their condition can change very quickly. Someone might feel confused about what’s going to happen to them after a recent diagnosis, or a carer might be scared because their loved one is struggling to breathe.
As a team we made more than 1,200 ‘SOS’ same-day visits to patients last year, on top of our routine visits.
“Many of our patients don’t know who else to turn to, especially when local NHS services are under so much pressure. We want to make sure we can be here to care for future generations. It’s fantastic that any donations will be doubled during December. I’m only able to care for local people in their own homes because of charitable donations like these.”
To make a donation that will be doubled, visit www.willen-hospice.org.uk/christmas during December.
*Donations will be doubled until 31 December or until the matched funding pot runs out, whichever is sooner.
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About Willen Hospice
Willen Hospice is an independent hospice and registered charity based in Willen Village in Milton Keynes. We provide free expert care and support for local people with a life-limiting illness, and their loved ones, at what may be the toughest time of their lives. Only 13.8% of our running costs are met by ongoing NHS funding, so we’re reliant on the generosity of our community to help fund our much-needed services.
To find out more, visit www.willen-hospice.org.uk.
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