Pendleside Hospice celebrates turning 35 on the 5th October this year and a whole host of activities are taking place to mark the special occasion.
Founder of the Hospice, Miss Muriel Jobling MBE is quoted saying, “Pendleside Hospice was built by the community, for the community”, and it’s with thanks to the people of Burnley & Pendle that our Hospice doors are still open today.
That’s why we wish to give something back and raise awareness of the services we provide, of which our community funds. You are all invited to Pendleside Hospice’s Community Family Day on Saturday, 30th September, located on the Hospice grounds, from 1.30pm-4pm.
Enjoy a fun day out with all the family! There will be a bouncy castle, face painter, various food and craft stalls, tombolas, interactive games, and so much more.
The Community Family Day is just one of many activities taking place in our ‘birthday week’. On our official birthday, we will be hosting a 35th birthday party for all staff and volunteers, past and present, and other health and social care professionals we work closely with.
If you once worked for the Hospice, we would love you to join in the celebrations and we welcome you to come along to the Hospice between 1pm - 4pm, to enjoy a brew and some cake, and catch up with old friends.
Leah Hooper, Pendleside’s Community Engagement Officer, and one of the organiser’s of the Community Family Day, added:
“Whether it’s signing up to one of our fundraising events, donating a bag of clothes at our Donation Centre, or simply following us on Facebook and sharing the word of what we do with family and friends - it all helps.
While there will be fundraising activities taking place at our Community Family Day, the event is about bringing our communities together to say thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing so many of you there on the day.”
With celebratory preparations underway, we look back at campaigns and events that have taken place this year, to highlight our 35th anniversary.
At the start of the year, we launched the Rewear Revolution campaign, which shed light on all nine of our retail shops. The aim was to disperse the myth of charity shops and how anyone, of all ages, can find preloved items, often brand-new, at a fraction of the recommended retail price. As well as supporting your local hospice, buyers are picking up a bargain and being more sustainable in their shopping habits.
In May, families and friends paid tribute to their loved ones at our first-ever Memories On The Lake event at Thompson Park in Burnley. Hundreds of personalised lanterns were released across the lake and more than 1,000 people attended the beautiful sunny, spring evening. Loved ones’ pictures were displayed on a large outdoor screen, music played and everyone got together to share fond memories.
Our most recent event was The Great Pendleside Trek, which took place on Saturday, 9th September. Over 100 walkers and runners set off on a 35-mile circular trek from the Hospice grounds, around the beautiful countryside of Burnley and Pendle, to raise vital funds in sponsorship for Pendleside. What nobody anticipated was the hot weather on the day. However, it did not deter people from completing the challenge. While some opted to end their trek at 13 miles in Barley, more than half of all of those who started the route, completed it. A fantastic day was had by all and due to the success of the event, The Great Pendleside Trek will be back on Saturday, 7th September 2024.
Last year, the Hospice cared for over 1,700 people, with 1,079 patients accessing patient services across inpatients, hospice at home, day services and outpatients, and 665 people accessing the family support service. In order to continue to maintain this high level of care and to continue enhancing the quality of life for people with long-term and life-limiting illnesses, their families and carers, the support of our community is so important.
We expect to incur running costs of around £5.5 million to run the Hospice over the next 12 months, with just 22% of these costs being funded through NHS grants. This means the Hospice has to raise over £4.3 million pounds each year.
We are fortunate and so grateful to have the support from volunteers, individual fundraisers, local businesses, and those who donate to or buy from our shops. Somewhere, at some point, you may have helped Pendleside Hospice and we are grateful for your continued support.