Thursday 9 October was Gift Aid Awareness Day and Rowcroft Hospice highlights the incredible difference that Gift Aid makes. Over the past financial year alone, Gift Aid raised an astounding £185,000, helping to care for patients with life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones across South Devon.
This total includes £105,000 from fundraising donations and a further £80,000 from Gift Aid on donated items sold through the hospice’s network of charity shops.
“Gift Aid is a fantastic government scheme designed to help charities like Rowcroft maximise their donations,” said Jon Hill, Rowcroft’s Finance and Commercial Director. “When you, as a UK taxpayer, donate to a charity like Rowcroft, the charity can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give. This extra money can make a big difference for us at Rowcroft, enabling us to provide more support and care to our patients.”
Signing up for Gift Aid is simple and costs nothing. Online donors can just tick the Gift Aid box on the donation form; and when dropping off items in Rowcroft’s shops, supporters can sign up to the scheme to ensure the hospice can receive Gift Aid on the sale of their donated goods. If supporters have already signed up to Gift Aid, then it’s important to let the shop know.
Gift Aid funds go directly into providing comfort, compassion and dignity at the toughest of times. They help fund specialist nursing care at home, bereavement support for families, and expert care in Rowcroft’s Inpatient Unit in Torquay.
To put it into perspective, when a supporter gives £25, with Gift Aid that donation becomes £31 – enough to fund an hour of nursing care for a patient with complex needs in Rowcroft’s Inpatient Unit.
A gift of £100 grows to £125, enough to cover the hourly cost of running Rowcroft’s entire Hospice at Home service – caring for patients across South Devon in their homes in their last two weeks of life and helping them to make the most of precious last moments with loved ones.
And even donated items to Rowcroft’s shops can go further: when a donated jacket sells for £40, Gift Aid increases this to £50, enough to provide vital supplies including medications or specialised equipment for Rowcroft’s Inpatient Unit.
“By using Gift Aid, you’re helping Rowcroft to provide more care and support to those facing life-limiting illnesses,” added Jon Hill. “It’s a small step that increases the impact of your generosity, and it really does make a huge difference in the lives of local families.”
At a time when hospices across the country are facing growing financial pressures, Rowcroft is urging local people to make their donations go further by signing up to Gift Aid.
To find out more about Rowcroft, and how you can support the hospice, please visit: www.rowcrofthospice.org.uk
Notes to Editors
About Rowcroft Hospice
It takes time, compassion, medical expertise and money to help patients with life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones to make the most of every day, but every year Rowcroft Hospice helps around 2,500 people in South Devon to do just that.
By providing comfort, support and specialist services, the hospice enables families to share precious moments when they are needed most – whether it’s a beautiful wedding, remarkable reunion or a simple thank you.
From Dartmouth to Dawlish and up onto Dartmoor, Rowcroft cares for 80% of its patients in their own homes with a team of community nurse specialists, social workers, and bereavement volunteers. The team also provides occupational therapy, physiotherapy, complementary therapy, spiritual care and music therapy, delivering a holistic approach tailored to individual needs.
Day and night, Rowcroft’s award-winning Hospice at Home team provide free specialist support to patients at home in their last few of weeks of life. The team helps to monitor and manage symptoms to enable patients to be comfortable and also offers support for loved ones, enabling carers to take much needed breaks. The service includes a dedicated telephone support line 24 hrs a day.
In Rowcroft’s 12-bedded Inpatient Unit in Torquay, the hospice’s team provides specialist care for patients whose complex needs cannot be met at home. Along with high quality health and social care, we also offer delicious homecooked meals and access to our beautiful gardens. The welcoming and homely environment helps patients and families to make the most of precious time together.
Rowcroft is an independent charity with around 75% of its funding derived from the incredible generosity of local people. The hospice team fully acknowledges the current challenging economic climate and is grateful for the local community’s continued support through these tough times; every pound raised makes a real difference.
With an increasingly ageing local population, the demand for Rowcroft’s care has never been greater. The charity currently cares for around one in three people with life-limiting illnesses across South Devon and has ambitious plans to expand its care to reach more people.
For more information, please visit www.rowcrofthospice.org.uk or contact Shala Weeks, Marketing Projects Manager, on (01803) 210 846 or email weekss@rowcrofthospice.org.uk
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