Harrogate district hospice urges residents to help as coronavirus causes 'financial crisis'

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The hospice has been forced to cancel or postpone the majority of its fundraising events and close all its charity shops as a result of the outbreak.

It also means hundreds of events around the region organised by Martin House supporters can no longer take place.

Beckie Wynne, director of income generation at Martin House, said: “We don’t have the deep pockets and resources of national charities, so we rely on the goodwill of our amazing supporters and volunteers to raise the money we need to provide our care.

“We have had to cancel or postpone events and activities we rely on to help us raise the millions we need – we only receive around 11 per cent of our running costs from statutory sources, so the money we and our supporters raise is crucial to us.”

Martin House cares for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions from across West, North and East Yorkshire, supporting more than 420 families every year, along with a further 150 bereaved families. It currently costs £9 million a year to run its services.

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The hospice remains open for emergencies and end of life care, but has been forced to cancel its planned respite stays, although it is providing support by phone and video calls to families. Hospice bosses are monitoring and reviewing the situation on a daily basis.

Beckie added: “We appreciate how hard the situation is for everyone, with many people facing their own financial uncertainty because of this crisis, but if they are able, there are still ways to support us.

“We have launched an appeal on our Just Giving page, and you can also donate to us directly through our website, set up a Facebook fundraiser, or plan a fundraiser once this is over.

“We’ve had to cancel some events, we are hopeful that those postponed or planned for later in the year, like our Glitter Ball, now taking place on October 2, will go ahead, so you could sign up for those.

“While our shops are currently closed, you can still sort and save your donations to bring to us when they reopen – we will really need your help to stock them up again.”

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To support Martin House, visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/MartinHouse or www.martinhouse.org.uk/donate