It does not seem possible, but today East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices is 25 years old. First officially opened by the Princess of Wales on August 1st, 1989. The charity in that time has expanded beyond the Milton hospice in Cambridgeshire to include hospices in Quidenham (Norfolk) and Ipswich (Suffolk). The royal support for the charity has continued with the Duchess of Cambridge recently becoming the Royal Patron of EACH.
I was delighted to be invited to the EACH 25 years charity fundraisers thank you reception. My girlfriend and I found it a wonderful experience to be among fellow fundraisers and to see more of the EACH team (plus some lovely cake as pictured). From the event it reinforced to me how important fundraising is. This is because a large part of the funding for the three hospices relies on the generosity of the public. The three hospices need £6 million pounds per year to keep running, of which around two thirds comes from donations and fundraising. There is now an amazing 17 shops across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk to help in the effort.
So far I have arranged two fundraisers for the charity in the last year, one at my home and one at the family restaurant. From the latter, the Mayor of Ely, Councillor Lis Every attended and as a result decided to make it her official charity for the year.
From having visited EACH in Milton, it is difficult to stress how much they do to support youngsters and their families. The amount of support, care and thought I only fully appreciated on visiting.
They deliver a wide range of services including; short break care, specialist play activities, music therapy, hydrotherapy, parent groups, sibling groups, care at end of life and bereavement support.
There is a guest wing for families to stay at. When I visited I was told of one story where a mother slept 24 hours straight because she was so tired. A good night normally at home was getting up six times in a night to care for her child. It really sent home to me how lucky many of us and our families are not to be in the heart rending position and why we should all support such a worthy charity.
To learn more about the charity please go to their website; www.each.org.uk. It is a cause that needs your support. Especially as they need to raise an additional £10 million to pay for a new purpose built hospice in Framlingham, Norfolk. Visit their website today on their 25th anniversary and make a difference.
