Hospice still needs you

JUST because a final lick of paint will complete a £250,000 scheme to improve Dr Kershaw’s Hospice on Friday — that doesn’t mean the fund-raising should stop.

An appeal to pay for a new heating system was launched in June with a £37,356 boost from healthplan provider HealthSure.

Since then, fund-raisers have been busily raising cash to hit the target and get a new boiler up and running before the chill of winter sets in.

Appeals manager Brian Hurst paid tribute to the people of Oldham who have once more dug deep to support the cause.

He said it was only through their unstinting support that the hospice was able not only to carry on caring for the terminally ill, but also to improve and expand its services.

But more cash is needed.

The hospice faces a constant battle to meet running costs — £14 pays for five minutes of care, £167 funds an hour of care, and it costs £4,000 to run the hospice for a day.

Fund-raisers are now urging the public to continue to support them with some Christmas money-spinning ideas, starting with a festive fair which begins at the hospice, in Turf Lane, Royton, at noon on Sunday.

Well-wishers can also contribute by making a minimum £5 donation to remember a loved one at Christmas. The donation pays for a light on the hospice Christmas tree, which will be switched on following a carol service, open to anyone, on the first Sunday in December, at 7.30pm.

There are still a few tickets left for a sportsman’s dinner at Smokies Park, Bardsley, on November 14, and a variety of Christmas cards are available from the hospice.

To find out how you can become a fund-raiser, call 0161-624 9984.