Acorns Hospice ready to push on in £1 million fight for survival
Under-threat Acorns Hospice today called for renewed support to get its survival appeal past £1 million.
It is now a year since the charity launched an urgent fundraising drive to save its hospice in Walsall, which supports children and families from the Black Country and Staffordshire.
The appeal, backed by the Express & Star, saw donations flood in from generous readers and sparked a series of challenges to keep the money rolling in.
But the coronavirus pandemic put the brakes on the effort as Acorns was forced to focus on providing emergency support for more than 200 families who rely on the hospice and were forced to shield to protect their vulnerable children.
With lockdown eased, Acorns is today ramping up its campaign again with the £1 million mark coming into sight.
The total stands at £885,000, around double of that raised in November for the Walstead Road hospice but still short of what is needed to secure its future.
A total of £2 million is needed to ensure the survival of the hospice.
The immediate threat of closure was lifted in November thanks to the amazing response to the campaign, which sparked a series of fundraising challenges including sky dives, marathons and head shaves. Text donations have also flooded in from generous members of the public as the region got behind Acorns.
And after the turbulence of the last few months and the pandemic - which forced most of the families who rely on Acorns to shield due to the vulnerability of sick children and took some of the momentum out of the campaign - bosses are asking people to ramp up the fundraising efforts once again.
The charity dropped a bombshell last year when it announced it could no longer afford to run the facility. The announcement sent shockwaves through the region, and reduced devastated staff and families to tears. Closure would leave many families with nowhere to turn, unable to travel to other Acorns sites in Birmingham and Worcester.
Bosses said around £2 million was needed to plug a funding gap up to 2023 when more cash will become available for hospices from the NHS.
A total of £885,000 has been raised so far.
Generosity
Acorns chief executive Toby Porter said: "Words can’t describe how grateful I am to the Black Country community for their support as we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the appeal.
“We have obviously not promoted our Save Acorns Black Country Hospice Appeal since the start of the pandemic in March. But, as lockdown eases, we hope that there will again be opportunities for individuals and businesses to think of innovative and safe ways to raise funds for our appeal.
“Please do what you can and help us reach the next milestone of £1 million. Your generosity has inspired us and gives us hope. Because of you, we have been able to continue supporting children and families when they need us most.”
The announcement at the end of last year that immediate closure had been staved off was a massive boost for the campaign, and a tangible sign of the difference the public support is making.
The pandemic meant efforts needed to be focused on making sure Acorns families were safe and helping the wider community at a time of national emergency.
Without coronavirus, it's likely the appeal would be closing in on or have already passed the £1 million mark. Charity bosses know reaching a million will be huge for the campaign and a real morale booster for staff and families. Sixty jobs were saved as a result of immediate closure being put off.
Anna Terry, clinical lead nurse at Acorns Walsall, said: "The support from the community over the last 12 months has absolutely blown us all away, we're so grateful.
"We were absolutely devastated (when plans to close were announced). We're all here because we absolutely love our jobs. We really care about the children and their families.
"We were sad for ourselves but also the families - how were they going to manage without the support we give them."
She added: "Please continue to allow us to do the work we love doing. No matter how big or small, every penny counts."
Locked-down families reliant on support
Normally desperate families go to Acorns for support, but the coronavirus pandemic meant carers had to go to them.
The Walsall hospice had to adapt as the more than 200 families who rely on it for support were forced to shield to ensure their vulnerable children were protected.
It was an uncertain time for everyone, but even more so for these families knowing Covid-19 could be catastrophic for their sons and daughters.
Hospice staff have been providing expert social and counselling support to families through video calls, and have distributed food and household essentials to the doorsteps following donations from the public, who have once again rallied round at a time of need.
The charity rode in to help as families told of their fears about leaving the house to go to shops, and potentially exposing their children to the deadly virus.
Charlotte Cleary has been shielding at home in Cheslyn Hay since lockdown with eight-year-old daughter Aimee, who has quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy.
They have barely left the house in that time, apart from walks for fresh air. Ms Cleary, 31, says she still feels anxious about the threat the virus poses to Aimee, and that she doesn’t know how she would have coped without Acorns.
She said: “She has fought so hard to be here that I don’t want something like coronavirus to take her away. I’m still really cautious about taking her out. I don’t drive and I don’t want to take her on public transport. It has been really hard.
“Acorns have been angels in uniform. They texted me and said they had groceries and would I like them dropped off. Going to the shops is almost impossible and because we’re not classed as vulnerable I can’t get an online shop.”
Anna Terry, clinical lead at Acorns Walsall, said staff were fighting back tears when they saw queues of people donating food to help shielding families.
She said: “A few of us were emotional. We were absolutely blown away. It has helped these families so much and they are so grateful.”
