Donations have been rolling in - and now St Luke’s Hospice has hit a £2million milestone in its appeal to raise funding for a state-of-the-art new inpatient unit.
St Luke’s, in Whirlow, needs to collect £5million to build and fit out the new facility, and readers of The Star have done their bit by generously giving more than £10,000 so far.
Una Moran, the hospice’s director of fundraising and communications, said staff were overjoyed at the news they had raised more than a third of the money needed.
“We are delighted that we have already reached the £2million mark and I thank all the people and organisations who have helped us get this far,” she said.
But Una added: “We still have a way to go before we reach the target of £5million needed to complete this essential work, so there is a lot more for us to do.
“St Luke’s has been an important part of the fabric of Sheffield life for the past 40 years and this work will ensure that we are there for another 40 years and beyond.”
The new unit’s rooms - all with en-suite bathrooms - will offer patients and their families privacy and dignity, while a bed lift will provide access to the hospice garden.
There will also be places for relatives, friends and carers to sleep over, and hospice medics are set to receive vastly improved facilities.
Construction of the new building is scheduled for completion by the end of next March, with the refurbishment of the existing building set to be finished by October 2013.
“When the new unit is completed, we really will have a fantastic facility for the whole city,” said Una.
“That’s why we are depending on the continued support of all the people of Sheffield.”
The Room to Care appeal was launched as hospice chiefs fear the inpatient unit may have to close if it does not reach the standards demanded by its regulator, the Care Quality Commission.
The Star has pledged to raise £100,000, which will pay for one of the 14 new single rooms at the hospice. The newspaper is inviting readers to donate and organise charity events, while a team of journalists also completed a gruelling trek across the Pennines, collecting around £1,500.
Comments