18th January 2011
East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) which cares for life-threatened children across North Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, is hoping to raise their profile in the North Essex region.
The charity has a friends group in Colchester which works to raise funds and inform the local community of the work the hospice does. They are all local people, who give up their time voluntarily and one of their most important tasks is getting the message across to the residents of North Essex that the EACH hospice in Ipswich is in fact their local children’s hospice.
EACH provides care and support for about 40 life-threatened children and their families in the North Essex region, 25 of which are in the Colchester area.
The group which was started in 1990 by Dorothy and Ray Roberts from Ardleigh, currently has nine members. The group has managed to raise thousands of pounds for the charity, but EACH needs to raise a staggering £11,000 every day of the year to run their three hospices as well as providing care and support in families’ homes too, which is why more support is needed.
Pam House, who has lived in the Colchester area for the past 37 years, became the chairperson of the Colchester Friends Group in May 2009, said: “I have been involved with the group for eight years now and I really enjoy it.
“People don’t realise that the Ipswich hospice, which serves our region, is only a 30 minute drive away. The Suffolk/ Essex divide is the cause, but we want to change that and let people in North Essex know about EACH.
“We are very lucky to have the support of local Lions and Rotary clubs, but we would also like to encourage other community groups, schools and businesses in Colchester and across North Essex to consider supporting us too.
“We would like to put out a rallying cry to the residents of North Essex to support any fundraising events we have taking place in their local community or to get in touch to find out more about the charity and how to help.
“We have a number of events planned for the year including a fundraiser at Layer Marney Tower in September- and hope we will have lots of local support. “
Nicky Jackson, community fundraiser for North Essex and Cambridgeshire, said: “The Colchester Friends Group is an asset to the charity, and work tirelessly to raise funds and raise our profile in the Colchester area and the rest of North Essex.
“EACH provides care and support to life-threatened children and their families
“Their dedication to managing collection boxes, organising supermarket collections, thanking donors for their support, attending charitable events and holding stalls to raise funds means we can build upon the support we already have in the region.”
If you would like more information on how to support EACH or how to get involved, including organising an EACH representative to deliver a talk to your school, business or community group, please contact Nicky Jackson on: 01223 205181 email or Pam House on: 07759 606804 email
