From lemonade stalls to quiz nights, baked bean baths to head shaves – the Save Acorns Black Country Hospice Appeal has seen an impressive amount of fundraising activity – all of which has helped nudge the amount raised to an amazing £350,000 in just over two months.
The £2 million Appeal – launched by Acorns on 19 July as the proposed closure of its hospice in Walsall was put on hold – has seen a groundswell of support from the local community with numerous individuals, celebrities, businesses and sports teams all stepping-up to help Acorns and the 233 children and their families across the Black Country that use its services.
Acorns Chief Executive Toby Porter paid tribute to the fabulous generosity of the local community but urged people to keep donating. He said: “If anyone had said to me at the start of the Appeal we would have raised £350,000 just over two months after launching our Appeal, I would have been amazed. This is a wonderful, generous community and we are deeply grateful to everyone who has helped us reach this milestone.
“We know there is still much work to be done and we are not resting on our laurels. With many people getting stuck back at school and work after the holidays, the next few months will be crucial. I urge everyone to see what they can do to support the Appeal. Large or small, it doesn’t matter – it all makes a difference for our ability to help any child and family in the Black Country that will need us in the future.”
The Save the Acorns Black Country Hospice Appeal was launched by Acorns following a commitment of significant new NHS funding from Black Country healthcare commissioners and an earlier announcement by NHS England that they would double their central funding support to the country’s children’s hospices over the next five years.
Some of the Appeal highlights so far:
19 July – Closure decision put on hold and the Appeal is officially launched by Acorns
25 July – Celebrities Jasper Carrott, Glynn Purnell and Tony Iommi give their backing to the Appeal
31 July – Andy Street, West Midlands Mayor announced as Patron of the Appeal
7 August – Erica Brown, former Acorns member of staff donates £100,000 to the Appeal
13 August – Dame Julie Walters gives her backing to the Appeal as the total passes £200,000
31 August – James Wright completes 31 Marathons in 31 days to raise over £10,000 for the Appeal
To support the Appeal, you can donate by visiting: www.acorns.org.uk/appeal
ENDS
For more information or for interview, photograph or filming opportunities, contact the PR and Communications team:
David Chamberlain: 01564 825020 / 07817 612422 / david.chamberlain@acorns.org.uk
Nicki Robinson: 01564 825062 / 07814 302153 / nicki.robinson@acorns.org.uk
Notes to editors:
Due to the sensitive nature of Acorns care services it refrains from using the words ‘terminal’ or ‘terminally ill’ in its press releases and public communications when describing the children who use Acorns and the conditions that they have. Instead, Acorns uses the words ‘life limited’, ‘life limiting’, or ‘life threatening’. Acorns kindly requests that you respect this in your communications when referring to Acorns Children’s Hospice. Acorns children have a lot of living to do. Thank you.
- It costs £27,000 every day to run Acorns services providing care for children and support for their families. The charity relies heavily on donations to fund the majority of its activities.
- To find out more about Acorns, please visit acorns.org.uk
