Weldmar Hospicecare is appealing for support during the Covid-19 pandemic, as it closes all retail sites following the directives from Prime Minster, Boris Johnson, and cancels all fundraising events until the end of May.
The Dorset charity must raise £18,000 per day to keep services going, and has said it is absolutely committed to continuing to provide crucial end of life care for anyone who needs it in the county.
Twenty six retail sites have closed until further notice, with a one month closure expected to cost Weldmar in the region of £300,000.
New fundraising event KAPOW!, scheduled for early May at Lodmoor Country Park in Weymouth, has been cancelled, as well as the popular Craft For Care Week and a number of Open Garden events. The Jurassic Coast Challenge walks have been postponed until September.
The local community is being encouraged to find new ways to support Weldmar, including signing up for virtual 5k, 10k, and marathon events, by signing up for the weekly lottery which has prizes up to £25,000, or by simply making a donation to help services continue.
Front line clinical staff, including Weldmar Community Nurses and doctors and nurses at the Inpatient Unit in Dorchester, will go on providing care to patients as needed.
Matt Smith, Director of Fundraising and Marketing, says, “Our nurses, doctors and other essential staff are working right on the frontline, caring for the very people who are most vulnerable. This care will continue over the coming weeks and months and the demand will significantly increase. I am deeply concerned about how we are going to raise this money in light of cancelling the next three months of events and the immediate closure of our retail sites. We have introduced a range of interactive virtual events, which can form part of your daily exercise routine. We’ve also introduced various other initiatives to support the hospice so in turn, we can support our patients. However you fundraise for us, it will make a massive difference. Putting it simply, we need our community more now than ever before.”
