Loyal supporters of a children’s hospice organisation gathered for a celebration tea to mark the magic milestone of raising £200,000.
Members of The Nook Friends were invited to the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) base as a thank you for their tireless efforts, since being formed in March 2015.
In the decade since, the dedicated group has raised funds by organising events including an old time music hall, a St George’s Day evening, a silent auction (which included pre-historic bones), an American hoedown and Sunday lunch at a Grade One Elizabethan Manor House.
Members have also been on hand to support hospice staff by volunteering their time, as well as organising regular coffee afternoons to generate extra funds.
While tucking into their afternoon tea, the friends enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane, reflecting on their collective success.
Judith Sykes, a founder member and current chairman, helped organise the first meeting in March 2015. It followed the launch of The Nook Appeal – a five-year public appeal to help raise £10 million to fund EACH’s new Norfolk hospice – the previous November.
She said: “I remember worrying not many people would turn up, whereas in reality the hall was packed and they were having to stand at the back.
“I’m so proud of all we’ve achieved together, as a group, in the years since. As the saying goes, you can’t take the fun out of fundraising and I’ve made some wonderful friends. The majority of the 20 people who registered to join the group at the first meeting were also at the celebration tea.
“The members have worked so hard in many different ways and given hours of their time to raise this money, having been inspired by all the care, lifelong support, therapies and specialist nursing given by the dedicated hospice staff.
“Of course, we couldn’t have achieved this amount without the support of our local communities, which included providing raffle prizes, giving their premises free of charge for fundraising events, sponsoring concerts, demonstrations and speakers. Most importantly, they bought tickets to attend the events, making sure we had ‘full houses’.
“We wanted to be ambitious from the start and set ourselves a target of raising £1,000 a month. Within a year, that monthly figure was beyond £2,000.
“The fundraising is obviously key, but raising awareness has always been equally important. It’s about shining a light on all the amazing things that happen here and not just end-of-life care.”
EACH staff joined the celebrations and the afternoon began with a welcome from the charity’s Director of Fundraising and Communications, Kevin Clements.
He said: “On behalf of all the children, young people and families that benefit from our services, I’d like to say a huge thank you to The Nook Friends.
“In terms of their fundraising, it’s such a significant milestone and we don’t take their support for granted.
“Eighty-five percent of our funding comes from the public’s generosity and we wouldn’t exist without groups like this.
“Without such incredible support, our organisation couldn’t function or deliver such world-class care and support, day in, day out. For that, we’re incredibly grateful.”
The friends watched a special thank you video featuring messages of appreciation from staff, as well as looking at photos and press cuttings.
They all left with a thank you card, to mark their astonishing efforts.
EACH Community Fundraiser Megan Kemp added her thanks, saying: “I’m so grateful for the incredible support and contribution of these wonderful people. Their kindness and passion for our charity is boundless and they’re such an inspiration.
“Reaching this milestone is a truly special achievement and I hope they’re thoroughly proud of themselves.”
Five years after the launch of The Nook Appeal, The Nook was opened by The Princess of Wales – then The Duchess of Cambridge – in November 2019. It replaced EACH’s former Norfolk base at Quidenham.
The Nook Friends group is currently 30-strong and, on average, there are meetings every six weeks.
