North Chailey hospice ‘overwhelmed’ by response to appeal

‘You have kept us going over these past weeks’. That’s the message from a North Chailey hospice to supporters who have contributed more than £140,000 to its emergency appeal.
St Peter and St James Hospice in North ChaileySt Peter and St James Hospice in North Chailey
St Peter and St James Hospice in North Chailey

St Peter & St James Hospice, which serves Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, Lewes, Uckfield and the surrounding villages, offers a range of expert services to support adults living with terminal illness as well as their families.

Since the charity receives limited government funding its finances have been severely affected by the temporary closure of charity shops and the cancellation of fundraising events during the coronavirus lockdown.

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At the start of April it launched an emergency appeal, which has received thousands of donations and raised more than £140,000.

In a touching video update, shared across the hospice’s social media accounts on International Nurses Day this week, Claire Birnage, a nurse on the hospice’s inpatient ward, spoke of the ‘overwhelming’ support received in response to the appeal.

She said: “I’m incredibly proud to do a job that I absolutely love, and to work with such wonderful colleagues. It also feels very important to say that nurses like me would not be able to do this job without people like you, particularly during these tough times.

“So thank you for donating towards our vital services, for ensuring I can be there for vulnerable local families, and thank you especially for the endless love and reassurance you have given us. You have really kept us going over these past weeks.”

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Throughout the pandemic,the hospice’s community and wellbeing services are being delivered remotely and by telephone.

The inpatient ward, where people are admitted for either symptom control or end of life care, remains open, with social distancing and infection prevention measures in place for all.

As well as continuing to care for its own patients, the team have been supporting the wider nursing effort in Sussex, stepping in to look after vulnerable people transferred to the hospice from local hospitals, to help free up urgent care beds for those in the community who have required them for Covid-19.

Barbara Williams, chief executive at the hospice, said: “Local people have been simply phenomenal to us during these testing times. As well as generous monetary donations, we’ve been sent PPE, food donations, toiletries for patients, and thoughtful gifts for our frontline staff.

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“We’ve also received cages full of preloved items like clothing, bric-a-brac and furniture, ready for when our shops can reopen. We were in an incredibly vulnerable position at the start of this pandemic, and there is still some way to go in making up income lost through the closure of our charity shops and cancellation of fundraising events, but we are in a much better position than we were, and feel greatly reassured that we can come through this. This is testimony to our wonderful supporters. Please continue to stand with us and keep us in your thoughts.’

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