Leaving a gift in your Will to Derian House costs nothing during your lifetime, but will help protect the future of hospice care for children and young people across the North West.
Derian House, based in Chorley, has joined forces with 143 hospices across the UK to take part in the “This is Hospice Care” campaign starting today (17 February) – facilitated by Hospice UK.
The campaign launched with a powerful TV advert based on real life hospice stories and aims to shift public perceptions of hospice care. The goal is to encourage people to consider leaving a gift in their Will to ensure their local hospice can continue to provide specialist care for its families, now, and in the future.
The message is that hospice care is everything you’d expect and everything you wouldn’t. At Derian House, children spend their days filled with joy – splashing in the hydrotherapy pool, baking in the kitchen, and playing in the accessible park. They enjoy trips out to the cinema, the zoo, the seaside, and beyond, making memories that enrich their lives.
“I have left a donation in my Will to Derian House because of the endless support they offer families like mine,” said Ashleigh Bleasdale, mum to Georgia, aged three, who has used Derian House since she was a baby.
“Writing a Will is not something that I had thought about, but now realise how important it is. You never know when you will need a children’s hospice in your life… I didn’t.”
With legacies helping to fund the care of one in 10 of Derian House’s children and young people, the hospice hopes the campaign will encourage supporters to leave a gift to the charity, which cares for seriously ill babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions.
“Derian House has definitely made an impact on our lives and I can’t tell you how grateful I am,” continued Ashleigh.
“By including a little something in my Will for Derian House, I hope that it will allow its facilities to continue to stay open and even grow. To be able to offer support to more families, allowing them to continue making precious memories. I also want my children to understand and appreciate the importance of supporting charities and how they play such a vital role in people’s lives.
“By leaving something in your Will, you are helping hundreds of local families, just like mine, make happy memories that we will never forget.”
It will cost Derian House £6 million to run services this year, and with only a small percentage of this coming from NHS funding, any legacy big or small makes a difference.
Karen Edwards OBE, Chief Executive Officer at Derian House, said: “Gifts in Wills are crucial to the survival and growth of hospices like ours, that’s why we’re asking our incredible supporters and community to consider leaving a gift to our hospice.
“As a registered charity, we rely heavily on our kind-hearted supporters to keep our doors open. That’s why we’ve come together with hospices across England, Scotland and Wales to shine a light on the essential role hospices play in our communities and protect our futures.”
For more information about the “This is Hospice Care” campaign or to find out how you can support Derian House, please visit www.derianhouse.co.uk/legacy
17 Feb
