Local charity attempts record fundraiser

Over the weekend of 7-8 October, Keech Hospice Care will attempt the biggest fundraiser in its 32-year history, REACH OUT FOR KEECH. In the space of just 48 hours, the charity, which provides specialist care for adults and children with life-limiting illnesses, hopes to secure £500,000 to help it continue its vital work for patients across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes.

This fundraising super-sprint will be done through an online crowdfunding platform, which allows people to make instant donations and view in real-time how the event is performing against the half million pound goal. The clock will tick down every second until the time runs out!

As this is a matched fundraiser, every donation made will have double the impact at no cost to the donor or the hospice. Every donation will make the difference to the lives of patients and their loved ones when they need it the most.

Keech Hospice Care CEO Liz Searle says:

“It’s certainly ambitious, but we’re determined to do all we can to raise these funds, which are vital for ensuring our work can continue. Every year, we care for over 2,500 patients with life-limiting illnesses. The need for our care is rising and to meet that need, we must evolve.

“Our service is free for people to use, but to provide it, we constantly need to raise money. It costs £17,000 a day – that’s over £6 million a year to keep our services running, and only 30% of these costs are covered by the Government.”

Calling out for local champions

To help REACH OUT FOR KEECH achieve its goal, Keech Hospice Care are urgently looking for ‘Keech champions’ who can help spread the word about the campaign.

“Fundraisers don’t necessarily need to make a donation themselves,” explains Liz. “What we’re looking for are people who feel passionately about the cause and are willing to do what they can to let everyone in their networks know about the fundraiser. This will involve simple things like texting, emailing and posting on social media. You don’t even need to leave the sofa! It’s not just about digital, though – sharing these messages face to face can work brilliantly too.

“A champion might have personally benefited from our care or know someone who has. Or, they could simply choose to be a champion because they want to do something special to help their local community and ensure no one need face death alone.”

How to get involved

Keech Hospice Care need as many people as possible to get involved to help them hit target. If you want to be part of something special and be a champion for REACH OUT FOR KEECH, please contact [email protected] and simply say ‘I want to be a Keech Champion’ and Keech will be in touch with everything you need.