Hospice hands out £50 notes but there is a catch

The fundraising initiative aims to increase the £50 as much as possible before it is injected back into the charity.

St Barnabas House will provide the money, which must be used to grow and turn it into as much as possible over a four month period.

How to do this is completely up to the team. Ideas include hosting a quiz night, a dinner party or an Easter egg hunt.

Staff at Eschmann Equipment, a leading medical equipment manufacturer in Lancing, have signed up for the challenge.

Key account manager, Sue Shaw, of Steyning, and customer service representative, Jo Tilbury, 39, of Lancing, have grown their £50 to £927 by organising a cake sale, a bike ride and barbecue, an open garden and a staff raffle.

They are continuing to find new ways to grow this even further.

Jo said: “Sue and I love to cook and bake. We used our skills in the kitchen to make cakes and then sold them to our friends family and work colleagues. Our open garden event, bike ride and barbecue and staff raffle have been really fun ways to raise further money for this amazing charity.”

Wendy Bardsley, community fundraising manager for St Barnabas House said: “We really hope local groups and companies will take up this fun challenge.

“I would like to thank staff at Eschmann Equipment, they have done brilliantly at growing their £50 and have so far raised enough to pay for over 40 hours of care on our In-Patient Unit.

“Our patients are never charged for their care.

“It costs nearly £6m each year to run the hospice and only a small part of these costs are state funded.

“We are continually grateful to generosity of the local community in supporting our work through voluntary donations.”

Since St Barnabas House first opened in 1973, it has been supported by a number of charitable trusts and foundations.

On average, St Barnabas House helps 100 people a day.It provides care for people who need support at difficult times in their lives.

Any companies, schools or groups that would like to take up the £50 challenge, contact the fundraising team on 01903 254777, email [email protected] or click here

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