More than 1,000 donate to Compton Care’s Light Up A Life campaign
More than 1,000 people have made donations to Compton Care as part of the charity’s Light Up A Life fundraising campaign this year.
Every year the charity, which provides round-the-clock care for seriously or terminally ill patients, invites supporters to sponsor lights on its ‘Tree of Light’ in the memory of lost loved ones.
This year’s campaign is sponsored by Walsall-based Homeserve. The lights on the tree, in the grounds of the charity’s Compton Hall base, will be switched on tomorrow in an online ceremony.
Tomorrow’s ceremony will feature music from youngsters from across Wolverhampton, as well as two nurses who work at the centre.
The daughter of one of the former patients remembered on the Tree of Light will read a poem, while Compton Care chaplain the Rev Elaine Dejonge will also deliver an address.
Supporter care manager Rebecca Stone says the charity normally invites those who have sponsored lights to attend the switch-on ceremony, but the coronavirus restrictions meant it would not be possible this year.
But while the pandemic has affected the ceremony, far more serious is the impact the lockdown has had on the charity’s finances.
Rebecca says Compton Care – previously Compton Hospice – says the charity has lost £2.6 million in revenue this year.
This represents a fall of about a third of its normal income, and has left the charity with a serious black hole to fill in order to meet its annual running costs of £9.1 million a year.
Compton Care, which provides round-the-clock care at its 18-bedroom inpatient centre on the outskirts of Wolverhampton, has lost a third of its annual income this year due to the lockdown restrictions.
Rebecca says: “This year has been hard and there is no denying it has had a huge financial impact on us, on our future.
“Whilst we have received incredible support from the public and have benefited from being able to access some government grants and relief, we are still facing uncertain times.
“We have had to consider some really challenging things, like the possibility of having to cut back some of our services, doing less in some areas. What a question to have to ask ourselves, who matters most?”
Terri Amesbury, in-patient ward manager at the charity, says she had never experienced anything like the present situation in her 18-year career.
Emotional
“We have had to find new ways of working and face some incredibly emotional challenges,” she says. “That has been really hard for us, and for families to come to terms with.”
Rebecca says the response to this year’s Light Up A Life campaign had been superb, but added that funds were still desperately needed.
“It’s not just us, I know hospices across the country are facing the really stark reality of having to make redundancies and in some cases close down,” she says.
“We are not there yet, but with news the Government is not likely to offer us the sort of financial assistance available in the first lockdown, it is a very serious position to be in.”
There is still time to donate and show your support for all of the hard-working, doctors, nurses and support staff of Compton Care. Simply go to the website comptoncare.org.uk/a-christmas-like-no-other/light-up-a-life-2020/
Alternatively, text ‘Brenda’ followed by the amount you would like to donate to 70085. For example, text ‘Brenda 10’ to 70085 to donate £10
Texts cost your donation amount plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you’d like to give but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text ‘Brendanoinfo 10’ to 70085.
