Tag: charity appeal

Horseback UK still suffering effects of Storm Arwen

Charity desperately needs help

At the end of November, registered charity HorseBack UK was hit hard by Storm Arwen. Dozens of trees came down around the county pulling powerlines with them, leaving the charity without power, light, heat, hot water, or phone connection for six days.

Founders Emma and Jock Hutchison were cast back into the pre-electric age, in a freezing house, with a herd of thirty-three horses to look after.

Fortunately, the Hutchisons are pretty tough. One was a Royal Marine and the other served in the police force. They tend not to complain. But even Emma, usually one of the most stoical people you could meet, said that her sense of humour was wearing pretty thin.

Storm Arwen could not have come at a worse time. After 18months of pandemic and not being able to deliver the work the charity is known for, it was just getting back on its feet.

Emma, Jock and the team had re-started delivering their life changing courses to veterans and vulnerable young people, especially those suffering with mental health challenges – many of whom had had a particularly tough lockdown.

A huge amount of work had been done on logistics and installing strict safety protocols and, of course, course sizes had been reduced, limiting the number of people the team could work with and help.

However, there was light at the end of the tunnel and the entire team, including the 33 horses were back to doing what they love. Until Storm Arwen roared in and stopped the charity in its tracks once again.

Not only did it pull down power lines it also damaged buildings and in particular field shelters for the horses. With winter here it is imperative the horses have shelter from the cold, wet winds of northern Scotland.

Co-founder Emma Hutchison explained: “After a tough 18 months we were thoroughly enjoying getting back to work, so to be thwarted again really tested our resilience.  The storm has done a lot of damage and we desperately need to repair or replace the field shelters for the horses.

“The herd is pretty tough and can cope with quite a lot but the relentless rain and wind we get can wear them down and have a negative impact on their health. And when it snows, they really do need a place to shelter.

“These horses are part of our family and we are pulling out all the stops to get them the shelter they need as fast as possible. We desperately need donations to help pay for the materials to build and repair the shelters.”

The arrival of Arwen has also shown Emma that storms can take many forms, and that contingencies need to be put in place. 

Emma added: “We realised we need to build a Storm Fund, to keep us going when the unexpected strikes. We get no government or council funding, so we are completely reliant on donations. It is the generosity of the public which enables us to do our work.

“If we could gather a new fund, it would help us to do additional practical things, like build new field shelters for the horses to protect them against wind and weather, and invest in a generator to keep the lights on. But it would also act as a bulwark against unheralded events, like pandemics or shifts in the economy.

“We want to make sure that Horseback UK can rely on the sturdiest foundations. Whatever the literal or metaphorical weather, we need to be able to go on helping veterans with life-changing injuries, as well as the young people we work with in the local community. We want to ensure that our future is stable, however unstable the external world can sometimes seem. And that is our next, dedicated mission.”

To find out more about Horseback UK and to donate to support their work and the rebuilding of the field shelters visit: 

www.horseback.org.uk 

and https://www.justgiving.com/horseback

Charities bracing themselves as nearly one third of Scots say they may need to take on debt to cover the costs of Christmas

Charities bracing themselves as nearly one third of Scots say they may need to take on debt to cover the costs of Christmas

Nearly one third of people in Scotland (29%) may need to take on debt to cover the cost of Christmas this year, according to a survey of 2,000 people carried out by Censuswide for charity The Big Give.

Nearly one quarter of Edinburgh residents (24%) are not looking forward to the holiday season this year, with money worries being the most common reason, the survey also found.

While lower than the national average (16%), a shocking 13% of Scottish residents are worried they may need to use food banks to help them manage this Christmas.

Thankfully, more half of respondents from Scotland plan to donate the same amount to charities over the Christmas period. Between rising financial concerns and the ongoing health crisis that is the Covid-19 pandemic, the work done by local charities is more important than ever.

A campaign organised by the Big Give and backed by celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Dame Judi Dench, Russell Brand and others is aiming to help. 

The Big Give Christmas Challenge, the UK’s biggest Christmas coordinated fundraising appeal, is supporting over 900 charities to raise funds with the unique offer of matching any donations made during the week of 30th November – 7th December.

Alex Day, Director of The Big Give said: ‘Our study shows that, sadly, people across Scotland and the rest of the UK are facing an imperfect storm; High fuel prices, chronic mental health problems, rising debt, loneliness and fears about Covid-19 will mean that, for many, this festive period will be a far cry from picture perfect scenes portrayed on Christmas cards.

‘Some will rely on charities which will be further and further stretched as demand grows.’

‘That is why, for those who can, supporting charities is more important than ever. Through The Christmas Challenge campaign, we are offering to match any donation made to hundreds of amazing charities through theBigGive.org.uk. That means whatever you can give will go twice as far.’

Social Bite launches Festival of Kindness

  • Social Bite lights up major cities encouraging kindness this Christmas
  • Charity aims to provide 300,000 gifts, meals and essential items to people experiencing homelessness this Christmas
  • Christmas trees with donation points installed in five cities, Edinburgh London, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee, to emphasise that ‘in a world where you can be anything, be kind.’

Social Bite’s Festival of Kindness has launched in five cities across the UK today, expanding on last year’s campaign, in a bid to spread some much-needed festive goodwill and kindness.

The charity is asking people in Edinburgh, London, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee to donate meals, gifts, essential items and accommodation to those who need it most this Christmas.

Through the campaign, Social Bite has set a target of providing 300,000 meals and essential items of the winter months to those experiencing homelessness this festive period.

Working alongside local partners, Social Bite has installed five 28ft tall Christmas trees across the country and is asking people to buy one extra gift, drop it under the tree and contribute to a movement of kindness.

Festival of Kindness locations include:

·       St Andrew’s Square, Edinburgh

·       Charing Cross Station, London

·       Vinicombe Street, Glasgow

·       Outside M&S at the Bon Accord centre, Aberdeen

·       City Square, Dundee

The charity has created a gift wish list of the things homeless and vulnerable people need the most – from a warm pair of gloves, a hot water bottle and a torch, to good quality socks and toys for children  living in temporary accommodation to open on Christmas morning.

Passers-by can drop their gifts at the trees and take in the Christmas lights, meet Santa in Edinburgh and hear more about Social Bite’s ambitions from volunteers. All gifts will then be distributed by Social Bite’s dedicated team to those who need it most, just in time for Christmas.

Social Bite co-founder and Executive Director, Josh Littlejohn MBE, said: “This Christmas, many of us will be able to reunite with family and friends to celebrate after so many restrictions.

“But for homeless people and families, the pandemic has made their situation particularly desperate. Thousands of people all over the UK will spend Christmas on the streets – cold, hungry and lonely, without a family to go to. Thousands of children will find themselves in temporary emergency accommodation or without food on the table over the festive period. 

 “That’s why we are building on the success of last year’s campaign to expand our reach even further, going from two to five locations and taking Festival of Kindness to London for the very first time.

 “Our Festival of Kindness campaign aims to spread some festive cheer. In a world, where you can be anything, we’re urging people to be kind and buy or donate a little extra to help those who need it most – even the smallest of gifts will make a huge difference.”

Monetary donations can also be made online via the Social Bite website which will then go towards the provision of food, gifts and essential items.

Donations will also help fund accommodation and support for those sleeping rough in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and London.

Social Bite has a track record of successful fundraising campaigns, having previously hosted ‘Sleep Out’ events in all major Scottish cities, then helped to launch The World’s Big Sleep Out for a global campaign attended by Hollywood A-listers including Dame Helen Mirren and Will Smith in 2019.

Last year’s Festival of Kindness held in Edinburgh and Glasgow raised over £1.5m.

All gifts should be new and unwrapped, with a helpful ‘how-to’ guide on their website.

To find out more or donate, please visit https://festive.social-bite.co.uk/

Lorraine Kelly returns for “extra special” STV Children’s Appeal fundraising show

  • The STV Children’s Appeal 2021 will air on STV at 8:30pm on Friday 29 October
  • Lorraine hosts from performing arts charity CentreStage’s new Kilmarnock HQ
  • The Appeal – which is celebrating its 10th birthday – supports the 1 in 4 children affected by poverty in Scotland

The STV Children’s Appeal has announced that its annual TV fundraising event will return for 2021 on Friday (29 October), with long-term host Lorraine Kelly back at the helm as the charity appeal celebrates its tenth birthday.

Viewers can expect The STV Children’s Appeal 2021 to look a little different from previous shows as, for the first time, it will be hosted at Kilmarnock-based performing arts academy CentreStage – a charity with a close, enduring relationship with the Appeal.

CentreStage’s recent move to new headquarters on the site of the former Kilmarnock Academy “wouldn’t have happened” without the support of the STV Children’s Appeal, according to the charity’s founder, Fiona McKenzie.

Friday’s show will see Lorraine meeting some of the many people who benefit from CentreStage’s activities and discovering why it has proven a lifeline for the local community. The show will also feature a rousing live performance from the 60-strong CentreStage Choir, made up of local people from all backgrounds, circumstances and abilities.

Elsewhere, The STV Children’s Appeal 2021 will put the spotlight on some of the community heroes up and down the country who have raised thousands for the Appeal in its tenth year – with one young musical duo set to receive a huge surprise from Simon Cowell in response to their impressive fundraising work.

BBC Radio 1’s Jordan North will take part in a special edition of Celebrity Catchphrase, while First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also chats to Lorraine about the importance of the Appeal and why she continues to be “delighted to support it”. 

STV is also set to air a one-off documentary tonight Tuesday 26 October focused on how the Covid pandemic has impacted youth mental health across Scotland. 

Where’s Your Head At? – presented by Andrea Brymer – will share the stories of young people who have been particularly affected by the mental health crisis. Earlier this year, the STV Children’s Appeal distributed £152,000 to charities supporting the mental wellbeing of Scotland’s young people.

Lorraine Kelly said: “This year’s STV Children’s Appeal show is going to be extra special, as we’re broadcasting direct from one of the amazing charities that the Appeal has supported over the last 10 years.

“Being in the heart of a community that really benefits from the unwavering generosity of the Scottish people year after year makes the show even more authentic, and reminds us all why the work of the Appeal to tackle child poverty continues to be so important 10 years on.”

Paul Mathieson, CentreStage CEO, said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome the STV Children’s Appeal to CentreStage and to host this year’s show. Our long-standing relationship with the Appeal has allowed us to provide significant support and opportunities to so many children and families across our local communities.

“On behalf of the full team at CentreStage, I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone involved.”

The STV Children’s Appeal 2021 airs on STV at 8:30pm on Friday 29 October. Viewers can donate £10 to the STV Children’s Appeal by texting TEN to 70607 (standard network rates apply).

Letters: World Porridge Day and Mary’s Meals

Dear Editor

It’s World Porridge Day on 10 October – and while for some this might conjure up images of Goldilocks and The Three Bears, or those famous old porridge adverts, there’s also a more important meaning to this day, one that can, quite literally, change lives.

Mary’s Meals feeds more than two million children in 19 countries around the world every school day. In the countries where the charity works, including Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, children are normally served steaming mugs of porridge, known locally as likuni phala, enriched with vitamins to help them learn and grow.

Providing a daily meal in a place of education is helping even the most vulnerable children to attend school and concentrate in lessons, giving them the freedom to learn and fulfil their potential. And the average global cost to feed a child with Mary’s Meals for a whole school year is just £15.90.

Your readers can learn more about the work of this charity, and how a mug of porridge is helping to transform young lives, at marysmeals.org.uk

Sophie Thompson,

British actor and former winner of Celebrity MasterChef

Letters: Support Mary’s Meals and Make a Difference

Dear Editor,

I’d like to make your readers aware of a unique opportunity to make a big difference to the lives of hungry children in the world’s poorest countries this summer.

For anyone who becomes a monthly giver to global school feeding charity Mary’s Meals before the end of August, their first three donations will be tripled, meaning the impact of their regular gifts will go even further.

This is thanks to a group of generous supporters who are making funds available up to £100,000 for tripling donations from new regular givers for a limited period.

Your readers can help Mary’s Meals to access all the available funds by setting up a monthly Direct Debit by 31 August here. (marysmeals.org.uk/tripled).

Mary’s Meals feeds more than 1.8 million hungry children in 19 countries every school day.

This funding boost will bring fresh hope to families struggling amidst the continuing challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has hit the world’s poorest countries especially hard, and will also help Mary’s Meals in its goal to reach two million children with a nutritious meal every school day.

I am proud to support Mary’s Meals and hope that this summer your readers can take advantage of this incredible opportunity to see their kindness go three times as far.

MARK BEAUMONT, 

Long-distance cyclist, broadcaster and author.

RCEM launches public appeal to support A&E staff facing stress and burnout

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine is launching a public appeal  to support the mental health and wellbeing of A&E staff after data show that many have struggled with burnout, distress, and other psychological conditions resulting from the stress of the pandemic, further to the continued pressures of their day-to-day work in Emergency Departments.

The NHS entered the pandemic underfunded, under-resourced and understaffed. This meant the severe demands of the ensuing pandemic were faced by the existing but understaffed workforce.

The shortage of health care workers has meant these existing staff have been continually pushed to their limits and beyond. And throughout the pandemic these health care workers have been physically, mentally, and emotionally challenged. Staff have been working with little or no respite in challenging conditions while facing ever increasing pressures.

The Health and Social Care Committee report “Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care” cites data from NHS Providers that show 92% of trusts raised “concerns about staff wellbeing, stress and burnout following the pandemic”.

A study published in January 2021 found that nearly half of frontline doctors, including those working in Emergency Medicine, suffered psychological distress during the first wave of the pandemic with others suffering from trauma, PTSD and other psychological conditions.

A study from 2019 found that working as an emergency physician is one of the most fatiguing and stress-inducing professions, a result of regularly working shifts longer than 12-hours, struggling to find work-life balance, and burnout. This was recorded prior to the pandemic, during which the pressures on Emergency Medicine staff significantly increased.

Dr John Heyworth, Consultant in Emergency Medicine in Southampton and Chair of RCEM Fundraising, said: “We know that many Emergency Medicine staff are exhausted and facing burnout.

“After 15 months of this pandemic, with waves of Covid causing intense pressures on our overstretched emergency departments, and now a return to high pre-pandemic levels of hospital activity, added to the stress of the threat of a further wave of covid – this is not surprising. But it is deeply worrying.

“We must do all we can to protect and support our frontline Emergency Department staff. Their hard work and dedication throughout this extremely challenging time has been incredible. As ever, they have been on the frontline throughout the pandemic risking their personal health and dedicating themselves to the care of others.

“The public have shown their remarkable support and respect for the health service. And now, we want to appeal to them to support our A&E staff who work 24/7 in Emergency Departments, ready to treat anyone who seeks care.

“When we know that our Emergency Medicine workforce is struggling with exhaustion, burnout, stress and other psychological conditions then we must take action, and they deserve our support.

“RCEM’s Public Mental Health and Wellbeing Appeal aims to raise money to develop and expand the support services offered to A&E staff who may be struggling with mental health conditions including PTSD, stress, burnout and exhaustion.

“The support offered will be guided and dictated by what A&E staff need most so that we can help them in the best way possible.

“RCEM’s goal is to ensure the services and support provided have a positive and lasting impact on the mental health and wellbeing of our frontline A&E workers.”

RCEM Appeal:

 https://www.rcem.ac.uk/RCEM/Get_Involved/Wellbeing_Appeal.aspx

Donate here:

http://www.rcem.ac.uk/RCEM/Get_Involved/Sign_in_for_donations.aspx?f=SPRW

PDSA passes 500,000 remote appointment milestone

PDSA, the vet charity for pets in need, has carried out a remarkable 500,000 phone appointments since the start of lockdown, as demand for the charity’s services has surged due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

In response to the Covid-19 crisis, the charity – which provides free and low cost vet care to the pets of owners who are suffering from financial hardship – introduced a new phone appointment system back in March during the first lockdown.

Since then, the scheme has meant over half a million remote appointments have been provided to poorly pets and their owners, ensuring they could still receive the vital veterinary advice they needed, despite lockdown restrictions. 

PDSA Vet, Paul Manktelow, said: “Sadly, even during a pandemic, our pets can still become sick or get injured and need urgent veterinary treatment.

“When the first lockdown started looming, it was clear that we needed to drastically adapt the way we worked across our 48 Pet Hospitals around the UK to help keep everyone safe and help stop the spread of Covid-19, while still providing support to desperate pet owners seeking our help.

“Providing remote consults has allowed pets to access the essential veterinary care they need, while freeing up the space and time needed in our pet hospitals to treat the sickest pets and emergencies in a socially distant manner..

“Thanks to kind support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, we were able to quickly develop new ways of working, allowing many of our dedicated vets and nurses to work from home providing vital pet advice remotely.

“Leading into the first lockdown we started offering our first remote consultations. Within weeks we were delivering around 2,000 phone appointments daily, which has now risen to over 2,300 a day.”

Remote consultations have enabled PDSA staff to help all but the most serious cases over the phone, offering advice, and posting out or delivering essential medications. This ensured the charity could keep their vet teams, owners and pets safe while continuing to provide life-saving emergency treatments at its Pet Hospitals.

Hazel Johnstone, Longterm Partnerships Manager at People’s Postcode Lottery said: “Pets have been a lifeline for so many people during the lockdowns this year – providing companionship and helping improve mental wellbeing for owners during incredibly difficult times. 

“So for those who face financial hardship causing increased worry when a pet falls ill during the pandemic, it’s vital they’re able to continue to access veterinary care. By supporting the development of these remote consults for PDSA, players of People’s Postcode Lottery have ensured that hundreds of thousands of pet owners always have somewhere to turn, even during the darkest of times.”

But PDSA is now facing a double threat – the pandemic has resulted in PDSA’s income decreasing by £3m a month in 2020 due to all fundraising events being cancelled and its charity shops temporarily closing their doors.

This is coupled with an expected increase in unprecedented demand for its services as many more pet owners fall on hard times.

PDSA Vet Paul Manktelow continued: “Delivering half a million remote appointments in eight months just shows what vital assistance PDSA provides for a huge number of pet owners. For many, we are their only emergency service – a safety net when times are tough, but we rely entirely on generous public support to keep our charitable veterinary services running.

“As we enter what is likely to be a challenging winter, we know many people are facing extremely difficult times through no fault of their own, and their pets are a lifeline, providing unconditional love and comfort during these worrying times. We greatly appreciate every donation, to help us to continue to be there for much-loved pets in need.”

To find out more about PDSA, its Pet Care Crisis Emergency Appeal and how you can help, visit www.pdsa.org.uk/whywematter

Edinburgh Direct Aid leads relief effort by Syrian refugees in Beirut

The small Scottish charity Edinburgh Direct Aid has deployed a team of carpenters and other construction workers, trained in their vocational training depot in Arsal, Lebanon, to repair windows and doors destroyed by the recent blast in Beirut port.

Maggie Tookey, EDA’s international aid director, has arrived in Beirut to lead and plan the work. EDA is one of the very few NGO’s, so far, to begin actual repair work.

For over 6 years Edinburgh Direct Aid has been helping 50,000 Syrian refugees in Arsal, a small Lebanese town high above the Bekaa valley, near the Syrian border. All this aid has been passing through Beirut.

Now EDA has brought a team of Syrian refugees from Arsal to Beirut to carry out emergency repairs after the explosion at the port on August 4th. The team is drawn from graduates of construction courses at EDA’s vocational training centre in Arsal, which are run in partnership with the German “Green Helmets” organisation.

EDA and Green Helmets, are working together in Karantina, a poor residential area of Beirut near the port. Many living in this area have lost not only friends & family, but also their jobs at the port, & have suffered heavy damage to their houses.  

While many NGOs in Beirut are providing food & medical supplies, or carrying out damage assessment, the EDA – Green Helmets team is one of very few (so far) actually working to shore up & repair houses.

The team brought with them woodworking & other machinery from Arsal, now set up in a marquee on some nearby waste ground, & is using its specialised skills to make & replace doors & windows & their frames as needed, & to carry out other repairs to ensure the traumatised local people have shelter.

Working conditions are grim. The need for precautions against coronavirus is ever prevalent; the midsummer heat is relentless; access to supplies & communications in the city is erratic.

MAGGIE TOOKEY, Edinburgh Direct Aid’s international projects director, is leading the team in Beirut. OnWednesday, she wrote from the scene: 

“Beirut is complete chaos. It feels to have lost all its spirit but the strength of the continuing protests seem to belie that. Maybe it’s the depth of anger that everyone seems to hold, apparent in everyone I speak to about how the explosion and the economic collapse came to pass. The city seems to have no guidance and no authority to control anything. It’s almost lawless despite the state of emergency and the presence of the Lebanese army on the streets.

“Traffic congestion is the worst I’ve ever known. It takes me almost 2 hours to get to our work site near the port – a distance of 6 kilometres. I’ve now measured it. The army closes roads at random. Inside the city, thousands of volunteers are sweeping up glass and masonry and endless streams of small trucks come to take it away, choking up the narrow streets even more. Much of it gets left – swept into big piles in any corner behind houses and kiosks, probably destined to remain there for months/years.

Maggie’s ‘office’

“The port area which I pass every day, is a sort of Ground Zero. Nothing is recognisable in the blast area. A desert of twisted metal overlooked by huge and ruined silo towers, still standing but spilling out their contents to form a grain mountain.

“People come to stare in the evening when it’s cooler. They come from all over Lebanon taking selfies and endless pictures of the disaster. They come in big 4 wheel drive cars, blocking the roads and preventing those of us trying to get to work. It’s very hard not to get out and yell at them when stuck at a chaotic road intersection for 20 minutes unable to move. The police are useless. They do nothing. They’ve given up.

“The blast was terrifying. 50% of the force went out to sea towards Cyprus. The other 50% went deep into the city. God only knows what would have happened had the blast not been on a small peninsula by the sea.

“Karantina is an area of roughly 1 sq km, the nearest part being less then 500 meters from the epicentre of the blast. The community is mostly poor Lebanese and a few Syrian families. EDA, along with our partners, the Green Helmets, have set up a carpentry workshop with machinery brought from our base in Arsal and a team of EDA refugees trained in setting up shelters and repairing housing in Arsal.

“The workshop is on a patch of rough land by several blocks of 3/4 storey flats which have all suffered damage. As with many buildings the explosion blasted out windows and doors.

“There’s also some structural damage: we have an engineer in our team to check possible problems. Many men in these families are port workers; some were killed or injured and most have lost friends in the explosion.

“The team is making window frames, door frames on site in the makeshift workshop and every night, 2 of the team take turns in sleeping there to guard the valuable, rented machinery. We have a target of 200 windows but of course the need is endless. We will see how the project plays out in terms of funding. Right now it’s hot, hard, noisy work but the residents are delighted to get our help.

Meanwhile in Beirut the protests continue; sometimes the army fires off their guns to clear the streets which causes alarm when it’s close by.”

Edinburgh Direct Aid initial target is to repair 100 apartments at a cost of around $10,000. With more cash we could do much more, to help out not only with repairs in Beirut, but also in mitigation of the terrible effects of the hyper-inflation & lock down in Arsal.

To help pay for this work by refugees making some repayment for the sanctuary they have received from a desperately beleaguered country, donations can be made, please, at:

https://www.edinburghdirectaid.org

or by cheque to: EDA, 29 Starbank Rd., Edinburgh EH5 3BY

or by ringing 0131 552 1545.

Marie Curie in Scotland caring on the frontline

The charity Marie Curie is geared up to care for hundreds of additional dying patients requiring end of life care, in order to relieve the unprecedented pressure on the NHS during the Coronavirus crisis.

Marie Curie in Scotland needs to raise over a quarter of a million pounds a week (£2.5 million UK-wide) to continue to run its essential frontline services, at a time when its ability to generate this money has been seriously compromised.

Given the choice, people overwhelmingly say they would prefer to die in their own home, or in a hospice, rather than a hospital. 

People who are dying are able to leave hospital quickly, if the right package of care is in place and it is safe to do so. Marie Curie are experts in providing that care.

Now more than ever, dying people who do not want to be in hospital need to be moved to a more appropriate setting, as precious beds in critical care units are urgently required for patients who need lifesaving treatment for Coronavirus.

Marie Curie can help, but only if it continues to raise the donations it needs to fund its vital work. 

Marie Curie Head of Community Fundraising in Scotland Debbie Mooney said, “This is a stark warning that Marie Curie desperately needs more donations if it is to continue caring for dying people and help the NHS cope with the Coronavirus crisis.  

“The people of Scotland are known for our generosity and kindness, which we’ve seen in abundance over the last few difficult weeks. We need the public to rally around our hospices and nurses now and give whatever they can. It has never been more critical.”

Marie Curie’s Chief Executive Matthew Reed said: “At this time of national emergency, Marie Curie Nurses and frontline staff are needed more than ever as the NHS is put under ever greater strain. We’re ready and geared up to help, with hospice beds and nurses on standby.    

“Sadly, some people’s lives will be shortened by Coronavirus, so the need for end of life care will be greater. Marie Curie can meet this need, and in doing so will help free up intensive care beds needed for Coronavirus patients.

“But just as we want to help, our income has been decimated.  We need donations urgently to keep our Nurses and Hospice staff on the frontline.

“Unlike other healthcare providers, Marie Curie is reliant on donations from the public to survive. Every week the charity needs to raise £2.5million to care for the tens of thousands of people who require nursing and hospice care.  

“At the moment, our ability to fundraise is seriously compromised. Events are being cancelled, and we’ve had to close our Shops.  That is why we have launched an emergency appeal to make up the shortfall, and ensure the charity can care for more dying patients, support the NHS and ultimately save lives in the weeks and months ahead.”

Matthew added: “We are all in this crisis together and already we are seeing how the public in this country is rising to support each other and the most vulnerable.  Please donate now.”

  • Text NURSE to 70633 to help us reach the families who need us. Texts cost £5 plus 1 standard rate message. 98% is received by Marie Curie. To unsub text OUT to 78866. Thank you.

If you, or someone you know, is affected by a terminal illness and concerned about Coronavirus, our Support Line team are ready to help with the information you need when you need it. Call free 0800 090 2309*.

Due to increased demand, Marie Curie has extended its service to 7 days a week: Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm. Your calls may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes.

You can also find more information on our website: mariecurie.org.uk/coronavirus