Member Article

North East Hospice Walks Away With £5k Community Bursary

North East residents dealing with life-limiting conditions are set to benefit from additional specialist equipment after Northumberland’s largest shopping centre announced St Oswald’s Hospice as the beneficiary of its 2014 community bursary.

Manor Walks Shopping and Leisure in Cramlington has awarded £5,000 to the charity, which provides specialist palliative care for local adults, young people and children across the North East, as part of its annual community bursary scheme.

Funded by Hammerson, the scheme aims to support organisations that undertake vital work in the communities in which the company operates. It was open to all registered charities operating in Northumberland with a focus on children and young people, health or local regeneration of community infrastructures and facilities.

The funding will be used by St Oswald’s Hospice to purchase specialist equipment, such as standing frames for children, pressure relieving chairs and mobile sensory devices.

Manor Walks’ general manager Bruno Coppola said: “With one in three people touched by hospice care at one point in their lives, every year St Oswald’s supports hundreds of people across Northumberland with life-limiting conditions and their families.

“The charity’s fantastic work already makes a huge difference in our local communities and we are proud to be able to announce St Oswald’s Hospice as this year’s community bursary beneficiary. To support the bursary donation we also have a number of exciting projects planned for the coming 12 months which will help raise further awareness and funds for this very worthwhile organisation.”

St Oswald’s Hospice, which in 2013 supported 400 patients from East Northumberland alone, offers purpose-built facilities that are designed to create a comfortable home from home environment, where adults, young people and children can feel relaxed and spend quality time with their loved ones.

Its services and support go further than patient care as the charity offers a range of services to family members, including complimentary therapies, family support and bereavement support – all of which are free of charge.

Kate Gilbertson, fundraising team leader at St Oswald’s, said: “We were delighted and proud to hear we have been chosen as Manor Walks Shopping and Leisure’s beneficiary of its 2014 community bursary.

“St Oswald’s is a local charity, helping local people and it’s great to have the support of Manor Walks to help us raise awareness of our services within our local community. We need to raise over £6.5 million each year to continue providing hospice care and bursaries such as this help towards us reaching our targets. We are really looking forward to working with the Manor Walks team on some exciting events and projects in the coming 12 months.”

With over 100 retailers including Northumberland’s only multiplex cinema and a great range of family restaurants as well as high street favourites and independent stores, Manor Walks Shopping and Leisure in Cramlington offers a huge amount of choice.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Manor Walks Shopping and Leisure .