Sarum Rotary Club are delighted to announce that they have selected two very worthwhile organisations as their chosen charities for 2021, Salisbury Hospice Charity and Hope for Tomorrow.
With so much of the normal fundraising that charities normally do being cancelled during 2020, Sarum Rotary members felt it was vital to provide even more support during 2021. Whilst it will remain difficult to run fundraising events this year, Sarum Rotary is committed to doing what it can for its chosen charities. The support will include raising the community’s awareness of the two charities as well as fundraising activities.
Sarum Rotary’s Media Co-ordinator, Andrew Longland, commented “many of our members have had a long-standing relationship with Salisbury Hospice Charity and we wanted to continue our support for such a worthwhile local cause. We then selected Hope for Tomorrow to support alongside the hospice because we felt there was so much synergy between the two charities and Hope for Tomorrow offered us the ability of ensuring the support we give has a direct impact on the service they provide in the Salisbury community. We’re looking forward to working closely with both organisations throughout the year.”
Salisbury Hospice Charity
Celebrating 40 years this year, Salisbury Hospice was initially set up in 1981 to provide care and support for terminally ill patients. It is the only dedicated palliative care provider in the Salisbury community. It costs nearly £2.4m a year to run the hospice. Some funding comes from the Government, but Salisbury Hospice Charity aims to raise £1.5m a year to ensure vital services are maintained.
During the pandemic in 2020, the hospice was still able to help almost 1,000 people but this would not have been possible without the funds raised by Salisbury Hospice Charity. These funds enable the hospice to continue to offer nursing and medical care, emotional and practical support, welfare advice, occupational and physiotherapy, complementary therapies, spiritual care and creative activities.
The service provided is free to patients and their families who may be cared for either in their own homes or through non-residential and in-patient services at the hospice. The support offered may be for up to a year, or even longer in some cases.
Speaking of the support from Sarum Rotary, Louise Compton, Corporate Fundraiser for Salisbury Hospice Charity, said “As we all make our way through these difficult times, Salisbury Hospice Charity continues in its mission to keep the doors of Salisbury Hospice open, working alongside supporters, like Sarum Rotary, to raise the annual £1.5M needed to do this. We appreciate this support immensely.”
Hope for Tomorrow
One in two people will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime. Hope for Tomorrow have made it their mission to make a difference to the way that cancer treatment is delivered; giving the gift of time to patients so they can spend it wisely, with those that they love.
Founded in 2003, Hope for Tomorrow has a fleet of Mobile Cancer Care Units (MCCUs) which they take into the heart of communities to make access to cancer treatment easier for those who need it. The MCCUs help patients to fit their treatment into their lives, not the other way round.
Hope for Tomorrow works closely with NHS Trusts throughout the country, to help as many people as possible, but receives no statutory funding and relies solely on donations from supporters to help keep the wheels turning on the units.
One NHS Trust that they have a partnership with is Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust and they work closely with the Oncology team to provide mobile cancer care in the local Salisbury community. The MCCU assigned to the Salisbury community is called “Kayleigh” and has been in operation since 2012. Kayleigh, who was named in memory of a young woman from Chippenham, who sadly passed away from cancer, is based at Salisbury District Hospital and delivers treatment in Salisbury, Fordingbridge, Gillingham and Westbury.
In 2020, Kayleigh delivered 1,956 patient treatments compared to 1,198 in 2019. This significant increase confirms this service is much needed in the area, and with delays in screening due to COVID-19, it is anticipated the need will increase even further.
Tina Seymour, CEO of Hope for Tomorrow said “We are delighted to be Sarum Rotary Club's joint chosen charity for 2021 with Salisbury Hospice. It's always wonderful to be able to reach more people who might need our mobile cancer care units. We really look forward to sharing more about our charity and working alongside Sarum Rotary.”
The funds that Sarum Rotary help to raise for Hope for Tomorrow will be used solely for the Salisbury unit, ensuring that local fundraising efforts benefit the local community.