£100,000 Legacy Grant donated to Hospicare

Popular Devon charity Hospiscare is to receive a whopping £100,000 donation from The Exeter Property Summer Ball Committee and the Exeter Foundation.

The Legacy Project Grant is the first to be joint-funded by both organisations and will pay for the vital refurbishment of a 12-bed ward at Hospiscare’s Searle House in Exeter.

Based in Exeter, Hospiscare was formed in 1982 with two community nurses and the hospice was opened in 1992.

The charity now employs 160 staff and more than 1,000 volunteers and provides care and support to people with progressive life-limiting illness and those close to them living from the day of diagnosis to the last days of life.

Chief Executive Glynis Atherton said she was delighted the charity had been chosen to receive the joint donation.

She explained: “This money will help us to meet the cost of redecorating the patient areas at Searle House, including our 12-bed ward, day hospice, complementary therapy rooms and the patient and family dining room.

“It will provide a very welcome refresh for a building that is now 26 years old and in need of some TLC. It is an invaluable gift which means that we can continue to provide patients and their families with the most welcoming and calming environment possible.

“We are incredibly grateful for this generous support from the Exeter Property Summer Ball and Exeter Foundation.”

The Property Ball was held at Darts Farm in Topsham and attracted hundreds of guests from all walks of the business community.

Steve James, one of the committee members, said he was pleased to see the money raised on the night going to such a worthy cause.

“Hospiscare is an established and much-loved Devon charity and provides incredible support to its users.

“This money will improve the surroundings for patients and staff for many years to come.”

Tony Rowe OBE, chairman of the Exeter Foundation, said the Hospiscare application was a worthy recipient of the legacy grant.

He explained: “It was important to both the Foundation trustees and the Property ball committee that this money was used to fund a project that has longevity and would benefit the maximum number of people.

“We are glad to see the grant funding vital and long-overdue work at one of Devon’s most popular charities.”

The Exeter Foundation, which is the Exeter Chiefs rugby club’s charity, has raised more than £1m in the past six years.

Meanwhile the bi-annual property ball has raised more than £300,000 since it was first launched in 2002.