Hospice hopes public warm to new appeal

GREAT start . . . Dr Kershaw’s Hospice appeals manager Brian Hurst accepts a cheque to kickstart the appeal from Winn Cameron (far left), chairman of HealthSure trustees; and Jackie Conboy, administration manager

DR KERSHAW’S Hospice is going green — and has been given a massive £37,356 boost to get its new appeal under way.

Healthplan provider HealthSure tipped up the cash in its biggest ever donation to the hospice — which medical director Dr Kevin Moore hailed as “a splendid start.”

Fund-raisers now have only 12 weeks to bring the total up to £250,000 to pay for a new heating system

But workmen, who are due to start today, will be on a tight schedule to get the work completed before the system is turned on for the winter.

Tough

Appeals manager Brian Hurst said the bill will have to be paid by September 15, which means fund-raisers must bring in £2,500 every day for the next 12 weeks — amounting to around £18,000 a week.

The target is tough, but the Royton hospice is never shy of taking on a new challenge.

Mr Hurst said:: “The people of Oldham are unstinting in their support and never fail to help us get the money we so desperately need.”

Fund-raising for the Spare a Little Time appeal is on top of the £1.35 million that must be raised to run the hospice this year. But Mr Hurst said the heating system was badly outdated and was costing so much to run that bosses had no option but to replace it. A new boiler is expected to slice 20 per cent off their annual fuel bill.

Mr Hurst added: “Time is money, and we need people to spare a little time by making a donation.

“Fourteen pounds pays for five minutes of care, £167 pays for an hour of care, and a donation of £4,000 covers a whole day.”

Phil Woolas, Climate Change Minister and MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, is backing Dr Kershaw’s efforts to go green.

He said: “Energy costs are running at record levels and there is an urgent need to stop emitting greenhouse gases.”