We speak to Community Fundraiser Tamsin Murley from Salisbury Hospice Charity about how our charities support each other to fund vital services for local communities.
Salisbury Hospice have been working with us since 2016. When we approached them to see if they would be interested in being a part in our Christmas Tree Collection Campaign, they were eager to sign up, and since then the partnership has gone from strength to strength, raising more and more for Salisbury Hospice each year.
Community Fundraiser, Tamsin Murley explains: “When we first heard about the project it really appealed to us – not only was it a way to raise vital funds for Salisbury Hospice, it is also a great environmental initiative too.
“We are a small team, and the hospice is only part funded by the NHS, it would have been impossible for us to have the funds, manpower or technology to create a Christmas Tree Collection Campaign like this. Which is why we jumped at the chance to get involved with Just Helping.
“In our first year of collection we raised £2k for Salisbury Hospice Charity, the following year it was £4k, last year it was £7k and this year we are hoping to raise a huge £9k. The funds raised help us pay for the day to day running of the hospice including patient care, staff, family support and education. With just 40% of our costs funded by the NHS, every penny we raise is vital for the people using our services.”
The increase in funds generated each year is a testament to the relationship between Just Helping and Salisbury Hospice and how we support each other. We are always on the look out for ways we can promote each charity, so people know who we are and how to give to us.
Tamsin adds: “I would definitely encourage other hospices to make use of the amazing Just Helping infrastructure and team to generate funds for their hospice. As awareness of our collection grows, each year we get more and more volunteers agreeing to take part and they love it! Our local Building Society had to ask staff to pull volunteer names out of a hat last year, as every member of staff wanted to take part in the collection, but somebody had to keep the Building Society open.
“Another amazing thing about Just Helping is that they give you the opportunity to gift some of the monies raised to other, local charities. Last year, following our Marketing Officer receiving an MS diagnosis, we decided to give some money to a local MS Support Group in Salisbury. The funds made a huge difference to such a small charity. Dave, our Marketing Officer was really touched, and he now benefits from this charity as he has signed up to become part of the support group.”
And this is what Just Helping is all about, supporting local charities, on the ground, that make a huge difference to people living in our community. If this story has inspired you to give us a donation, sign up to become a volunteer, or you are a hospice looking to find out more, please get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you.