THE SUE Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice has launched its second appeal as funds continue to decline this year.
The charity is experiencing a £2 million shortfall each month, and has now launched a winter appeal to make up the difference.
Maria Turnbull, hospice director, said the pandemic has hit the charity hard, and more people need support with end of life care.
“We received a wonderful response from our supporters to our emergency appeal earlier in the year. This, paired with the emergency funding that we received from the government, covered our funding shortfall until the end of June 2020.
“Unfortunately however, our struggle continues.
“Our fundraising events remain cancelled for the rest of this year and our high street shops have now closed for a second time.”
She said the charity’s funding gap is unsustainable and needs support from the public to continue.
“Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice is playing a vital part in the Coronavirus effort – all of the staff here want to use their skills, expertise and experience to help patients and their families in the months ahead as well continue to relieve the pressure on the NHS,” she said.
“However, in order to keep our services running through the winter and beyond we urgently need to secure more funding now.
“We know that times are tough for everybody at the moment, so please be reassured that every bit really does help.”
For more information, or to support the appeal, visit: sueryder.org/winterappeal20