Prospect Hospice is celebrating an incredible community effort after supporters raised over £100,000 in just 24 hours as part of this year’s Giving Tuesday matched-funding appeal.
The fundraiser, which ran from 7am on Tuesday 2 December to 7am Wednesday 3 December saw every donation doubled thanks to the generosity of a long-standing supporter.
All funds raised will go towards providing compassionate care and support for patients and families across Swindon and north east Wiltshire this Christmas.
As many in the community are experiencing themselves, the local charity is facing extremely challenging financial times. The cost of medical supplies continues to rise, and the energy required to power specialist equipment has rocketed. These pressures mean that while the hospice’s inpatient unit has space to care for twelve people, it can currently only afford to care for six leading to heartbreaking decisions no hospice should ever have to face.
At the same time, while costs have soared, NHS funding has not risen in ten years and now provides just 18% of the income needed to keep services running. This makes community support more vital than ever.
This year’s appeal was inspired by the story of Katie, whose husband Steve received specialist end-of-life care from Prospect Hospice. Katie shared how much the comfort, dignity and support her family received meant to them, especially during Steve’s final days.
Jeremy Lune, Chief Executive at Prospect Hospice, said: “We are truly humbled by the response to our Giving Tuesday appeal. The kindness shown by our community has been remarkable, and the total raised will make a real and immediate difference to the families we care for. At what can be the most difficult time in someone’s life, your generosity ensures we can continue to offer comfort, dignity and support to those who need us most.
“With the matched total of £100,000, supporters have provided enough to fund two of our Clinical Nurse Specialists for an entire year. These highly skilled nurses deliver expert, compassionate care for patients in their final days and support their families when they need it most. Thank you to every person who donated, shared our message, or helped spread the word – and to the generous supporter whose matched funding inspired so many others to give.”
Every pound raised through the appeal will help Prospect Hospice continue delivering specialist hospice care at its inpatient unit in Wroughton, as well as vital support for people receiving care in their own homes through the Prospect@Home service.
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