Bognor business backs St Wilfrid's new hospice appeal

Parsons Son & Basley staff with St Wilfrids staff celebrating their support. To become a Dreambuilder call Chloe Neilson-Hopkins on 01243 755186. ks170012-2 SUS-170117-184614008

And two huge individual donations of £100,000 since the fundraising appeal was launched have swelled the total closer to the £15.5m target.

Individual donations have also started coming in after the appeal to help fund the £15.5m new hospice was launched earlier this month.

‘Excited’ workers at Parsons Son & Basley already have a host of fundraising events planned after seeing the appeal launch in the Observer.

Artist impression of the new St Wilfrid's building

Karen Challis, client accounts manager, said: “We’re all really excited about rising to the challange and helping St Wilfrid’s raise the money it needs to build a new hospice.

“After reading about the appeal for Bognor residents to help in the paper we have picked St Wilfrid’s Hospice as our chosen charity for 2017.

“Every year we choose a charity and raise money for them with events like raffles, sponsored walks and marathons.

“St Wilfrid’s is a charity which is dear to the hearts of many of us and Parsons Son & Basley supported them in 2015 and raised £2,599.73.

“That was an amazing sum but that’s now the target to be beaten this year.”

Parsons Son & Basley will be holding a raffle with various prizes over Easter, and will be entering a team to take part in the Moonlight Walk on May 6.

Lis Spence, chairman of the Dreambuilding committee, said: “They are the first local business to pledge their support and already have a fantastic array of events planned to help raise money for our new Dreambuilding.

“We are really looking forward to working with them and helping them to beat the previous amount raised in 2015, of £2,600.”

As media partners, the Observer is backing St Wilfrid’s Dreambuilding campaign, which will see a modern and much-needed hospice built in Bosham to replace the current, outdated home in Donnington.

Chief executive Alison Moorey revealed: “Since our launch we have received two very generous donations of £100,000; one from an individual and the other from the Garfield Weston Foundation, based in London.”

Mrs Moorey said that because of these vital donations, the Dreambuilding campaign had reached 79 per cent of its £15.5m target.