Hartlepool hospice launches annual memorial fundraiser

The annual campaign invites people to make a donation in memory of a loved one to the charity.

Everyone making a dedication will receive a Forget Me Not keepsake – which will be displayed and available for collection on Sunday, July 18, from 10am-noon when people are welcome to visit the hospice gardens in Wells Avenue and view the dedications.

In addition, hospice volunteers are also running a Forget Me Not stall in Tesco Extra, in the town’s Belle Vue Way, until Friday, July 16, where supporters will have the opportunity to write a message on a Forget Me Not tag and display it on a tree in return for a donation.

The annual event is being sponsored once again by Victoria House Funeral Services, based in Victoria Road, Hartlepool which has worked closely with Alice House since the company was founded in 2013.

A spokesman for the firm said: “We are so proud to be able to support the Forget Me Not campaign once again, raising funds to support the specialised care that is given to families in Hartlepool and the surrounding area.”

Alice House fundraiser Nicola Winwood said: “We are delighted to have the ongoing support of Victoria House and to be able to proceed with this appeal after a very difficult time.

"The team at Victoria House have long been supporters of Alice House and their kindness is making a real difference to the lives of local patients.”

She added: “I hope people will take some comfort in making a dedication to their loved ones.”

Alice House is a registered charity offering specialist palliative care, counselling and support to hundreds of adults from Hartlepool and East Durham each year.

It costs £3.5m a year to providing its range of services although the hospice only receives 20% of that in Government funding.

The outstanding £2.8m must be raised through local fundraising initiatives.

To make a dedication, go to www.alicehousehospice.co.uk/event/forgetmenot, call the fundraising team on (01429) 855555 or visit the stall in Tesco.