Francis House Children's Hospice receives £13,000 funding boost
The generous donation will be used to support emotional support and bereavement services as well as homecare services.
Submitted by Karen Flower
Francis House Children's Hospice has received a donation of £13,000 to help care for children and young adults with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.
The hospice, based in Didsbury, Greater Manchester, supports around 2,000 people at any one time, offering respite care, homecare, sibling support, end of life care and emotional and bereavement support.
This latest donation will go towards the expansion of the Emotional Support and Bereavement service as well as the hospice's homecare services.
Rachel Astill, Fundraising Officer at Francis House, said: “We were incredibly grateful to receive the excellent donation of £13,000 from Barratt Homes Manchester.
"The funds will go a long way to support our work here at Francis House. It will help us to bring invaluable comfort, support and expert care to families facing unimaginable challenges."
Francis House needs to raise £4.7 million a year to keep its services running, unfortunately, the essential charity has incurred additional costs including those for specialist equipment and training to protect staff as they continue to carry out duties in the pandemic.
From its site in Didsbury, Francis House is a lifeline to more than 500 families across the Greater Manchester area including Stockport, Oldham, Bury, Rochdale, Manchester, Salford and Trafford.
Rachel said: "This last year has been especially difficult for these families; caring for a very vulnerable child in the midst of a pandemic has intensified their anxiety and increased their need for support.
"Although our income has suffered, Francis House has managed to continue supporting families throughout the pandemic by providing emergency respite stays, homecare visits and telephone support.
"It is thanks to great supporters that we can afford to keep these services going."
