04 October 2017
It is one of the reasons that I have decided to choose the hospice as my chosen charity this year.
Already some events have taken place since I took office as the County Council’s Chairman, and we have more events taking place in the coming months. These include two planned community choir events in Brinsley next year.
Nottinghamshire Hospice does incredible things. It does a phenomenal amount of work and it is vital that they and other hospices raise funds. It is difficult because they are voluntary organisations and they have to find funding through charitable work – but money is not a bottomless pit.
I have personal experience within my family with hospices – my sister-in-law Marian Brown spent the last two weeks of her life in a hospice in Barnsley, passing away in 2004.
My sister-in-law had only been diagnosed seven weeks before her death with ovarian cancer and the hospice made her last fortnight a quality experience despite the circumstances. The care was unbelievable and there was as much care for my wife Margaret – Marian’s sister, as there was for Marian herself, because they were both so close. I learnt a lot about the work of hospices from this experience so the opportunity to support our local hospice this year seemed a great one to me.
I received many requests from organisations to be my chosen charity, but I was inspired after meeting with community fundraiser Elaine Hopkins from Nottinghamshire Hospice, who said that the charity needs to fundraise £7,000 a day.
I hope that by organising events we will not only raise money for Nottinghamshire Hospice but also raise its profile to build more awareness of the vital work it does across the county.
Founded in 1980, Nottinghamshire Hospice is a community-based palliative care centre providing high quality care services to adults who have terminal and life-limiting illnesses, and their families and carers. As a registered charity the hospice is regulated by the Care Quality Commission and all services are delivered and based on individual patient needs.
This is achieved through the generosity of people in communities across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire who recognise the difference the hospice’s work makes. If you have an idea for a fundraising event to help the Chairman’s charity this year please contact: Elaine Hopkins on elainehopkins@nottshospice.org or 0115 910 1008 ext 251.
Councillor John Handley, Chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council
