More than £200,000 has been donated to Hope House hospice appeal in its first few hours as Shropshire Star readers dig deep
More than £200,000 has poured in to Hope House children’s hospice's fundraising marathon in its first few hours.
The charity is hoping to raise half a million pounds in 36 hours over the weekend.
The Shropshire Star has signed up as a Champion for this year's campaign and is asking readers to make a donation to help the charity reach its goal.
Every pound raised by the public across the 36 hours will be doubled by local businesses who have pledged to match the public donations – meaning one donation will make twice the impact.
Launched on Sunday morning at 10am, in the first few hours of the campaign nearly £100,000 had already poured into the fundraiser.
Generous supporters of Hope House had donated £220,000 in the first ten hours - with 32 hours to go - with almost £600 donated from Shropshire Star readers.
The campaign finishes at 10pm on Monday.
Alison Marsh, head of fundraising at Hope House, said the money raised - which could be more than £1 million pounds if they reach their target, will give "children access to adventures and the chance to giggle, play and thrive".
She added: "We need to raise an additional £500,000 to provide even more quality moments that bring fun and joy to every child across Shropshire and Wales.
"We are so grateful to all the local businesses for pledging their support to be one of our generous matchers. But now we need the help from the wider community to unlock that money – and we are delighted that the Shropshire Star has agreed to be a Champion this year and is asking its readers to generously donate and support local children.
"Without that £500,000, we will be able to meet the clinical care needs of the children but would not be able to provide the extra quality activities such as days out and therapeutic play.
“We want all children with life-threatening conditions to have access to adventures and the chance to giggle, play and thrive.
“To never be told that things are impossible, but instead to be surrounded by specialist care staff who help them to overcome challenges and provide opportunities to have the best quality of life possible – with no charge ever made to families.
“Please do donate to the Shropshire Star Champion page and support local children and families today – every donation will be vital to helping us reach our goal.”
To donate today, scan the QR code below:
