Thousands donated to hospices by Friends

Among the 12 donations were £28,566 to St Barnabas House hospice in Worthing, £19,296 to St Wilfrid’s in Chichester and £16,470 to The Martlets in Hove.

The money was handed over to the hospices at the group’s annual general meeting at The Keep historical archive in Mouslecoomb, Brighton.

Guest speaker was Lord Howard of Lympne, former Conservative party leader and cabinet minister, who chairs Hospices UK, the national voice for hospice care.

He said: “I was delighted to have the opportunity of sharing some time with the Friends of Sussex Hospices, who do so much to help the hospices make the end of life such an extraordinary experience for so many Sussex residents.

“I was delighted to about some of their very imaginative initiatives and to be able to wish them well for the future in person.”

Chief executives and representatives of all the hospices supported by the charity received cheques at the event. The Friends, which celebrate their 21st anniversary next year, have now raised £1.5million.

Kathy Gore, chairman of the Friends, said: “Our Sussex hospices cared for approximately 10, 716 patients last year, which, if you multiply that by three, to include family and loved ones, means our hospices touched the lives of 32,000 people across Sussex.

“Sussex adult hospices depend critically on their local communities to be able to provide the care they give.”