Katharine House Hospice appeal hits £100,000 mark
An urgent appeal to save Katharine House Hospice from closing down has achieved 10 per cent of its £1 million fundraising target – but bosses say there is still a long way to go.
The Stafford hospice, which cares for around 1,300 people with life-limiting conditions, launched an emergency appeal at the end of September, revealing it needed to raise £1 million to remain open after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
More than £46,000 was raised in the first two days, and this has now jumped up to more than £103,000 this week.
Chief executive Richard Soulsby said it was "amazing" to see the total rise, but admitted there was still a way to go to get to their target total by January.
He plans to bring in a more sustainable business model from next April, if the £1m goal is achieved.
Mr Soulsby said: "The people of our amazing caring community are going above and beyond to help the hospice in our time of need and we would like to thank them from the bottom of our hearts.
"Individuals, businesses, schools and other groups are helping to save their hospice with donations and sponsored challenges.
"We are over 10 per cent of the way to achieving our £1 million goal but have a long way to go between now and January – please continue to support our appeal and our shops."
This week the charity announced it would be closing four of its charity shops to help with costs – including stores in Stone, Cannock and Norton Canes.
The chief executive admitted a failure to reach the £1 million target would likely mean a reduction in services Katharine House would be able to provide. He said the public's support now was more crucial than ever.
To donate visit justgiving.com/campaign/savekhhospice or log on to khhospice.org.uk and click the link.
