A London hospice which provides care for more than 4,000 patients and their families every year has received a cash boost to help it run complementary therapy sessions.
St John’s Hospice received an £875 donation from Persimmon Homes North London through its Community Champions project. Every month, the housebuilder donates up to £1,000 each to two groups or individuals through the match-funded scheme.
The hospice provides care for people throughout Central and North West London through its 18-bed inpatient unit, day centre, bereavement services and its hospice@Home support in the community.
Jamie Walsh, St John’s Hospice Corporate Fundraiser, said: “In 2018, it cost £6.5million for us to continue providing our services free of charge to our patients. We have found that complementary therapies can work alongside traditional nursing care to help patients feel better equipped to cope with their illness.
“We offer a range of therapies including massage, reiki, reflexology and acupuncture, which are extremely popular as they are a great tool to help reduce anxiety and depression as well as managing pain and mobility.
“However, this expense is not covered by the NHS and it costs around £80,000 per year to keep these services running. The donation from Persimmon Homes North London will allow us to run 25 hour-long sessions for our patients.”
Damian Seddon, director-in-charge at Persimmon Homes North London, said: “We are delighted that we could support the work of the
hospice in this way.”
To nominate and to find out about the terms and conditions people can visit www.persimmonhomes.com/charity
