Digging deep for Francis House

DIGGING for victory . . . Francis House chief executive, David Ireland

A charity is looking for 76 volunteers to get involved in the Saddleworth Beer Walk’s Crate Escape to help it continue its good work.

Francis House Children’s Hospice, Didsbury, wants the helpers to mobilise spectators to dig deep on Saturday to enable it to provide much-needed respite care.

The figure is significant because 76 was the number of prisoners who escaped from the German Air Force prisoner-of-war camp featured in the 1963 film “The Great Escape”.

Francis House provides a vital route for hundreds of North-West families trapped between home and the care system.

The “escape” Francis House offers is in providing a safe home environment for the families who care for children with life-threatening conditions.

Chief executive David Ireland, who lives in Dobcross, has grown up with the Saddleworth Beer Walk and appreciates its importance as a fund-raising event.

Mr Ireland, minister at the United Reformed Church in Union Street, Oldham, and also the architect who designed Francis House, opened by the late Princess Diana in 1991, said: “We appreciate the support we receive each year, but times are hard and so having 76 escapees working on our behalf is more important than ever.

“Every penny raised will be going to help the children and families of Francis House — people who may be your neighbours, friends or family — and it really makes a difference to all their lives.”

Francis House is the children’s hospice for Oldham, Saddleworth and surrounding areas and the care it provides touches hundreds of families each year, numbering more than a thousand over its 18 year history.

If you would like to help the work of the charity by taking part in the Saddleworth Beer Walk contact the Francis House Fund-raising Office on 0161-443 2200.