High Wycombe’s new Mayor has chosen to support The South Bucks Community Hospice as his main appeal for the year – and is calling on the public to rally round to back the 'fantastic' charity.
Cllr Brian Pearce, who took office on Saturday, has decided to centre his Mayor’s Appeal on the Hospice saying it ‘ticks all the boxes’ in terms of helping the whole community of High Wycombe.
His support comes as the charity opens its new £4.8m community hospice in Totteridge to help it cope with a rapidly-increasing demand from across South Bucks.
Cllr Pearce said: “I am very excited by the opening of the new Hospice in Totteridge. I have visited the building and it was so good, it left me speechless. I was so impressed with it and wanted to support it as my main charity for the year because it ticked all the boxes.
“I am the father of a disabled child but I didn’t just want to support just one good cause - I wanted to find a charity that would do something for the whole community. And I have found that in The South Bucks Community Hospice, because it is there to help everybody – the old, the young, the ill, the bereaved and those in urgent need of counselling after a major life-changing illness or loss. I really do now hope the public will back me in supporting this fantastic cause.”
Cllr Pearce was also impressed by the Hospice’s army of volunteers who will help to raise appeal funds with him because he points out that being Mayor for him will be so much more than fundraising.
“Of course I want to raise funds for charity but I also want to enjoy my year as Mayor and one of my main aims is to bring the ‘wow’ factor back to High Wycombe,” he said. “The town and its environment could be so much better and I hope I can make a difference in my year.”
Jo Woolf, CEO of The South Bucks Community Hospice, said: “We are thrilled that Brian Pearce is helping to raise money for us so we can continue to provide the first-class care our patients so urgently need. We are the only palliative day hospice in South Bucks and serve over 320,000 people. According to research, there will be a dramatic increase in people aged 65 and over in our county, so our new community hospice is opening at just the right time.
“It took a massive effort to raise the funds to build our hospice and now we need to raise £1.1m a year going forward to run it and continue to provide our patients with the best possible care.”
Cllr Pearce will also be supporting the Wycombe Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme during his mayoral year.
Jo Woolf added: “Less than 3.5% of this Hospice’s funding comes from the Government and we raise the rest of the money ourselves just to pay for the day-to-day services for people with life-limiting illnesses - so we are indebted to the efforts of people such as Cllr Pearce and our patrons for supporting us so generously.”
How you can help? Contact the Fundraising team on fundraising@sbhospice.org.uk or call 01494 552761
