Residents and staff at a Swindon care home have helped raise £5,500 for three charities through a special black-tie fundraising auction.
Willowbrook View in Swindon joined forces with sister care homes Portsdown View in Bedhampton and Waterhaven Place in Chichester for the community event, with each home’s residents choosing a charity to support.
Residents at Willowbrook View selected Prospect Hospice, which provides free palliative and end-of-life care to people across Swindon and north-east Wiltshire, as well as support for their families and carers.
The evening brought together residents, relatives and members of the wider community, with auction lots ranging from pamper sessions and afternoon teas to weekend breaks, televisions, artwork and wine.
Mathan Balasubramaniyan, General Manager at Willowbrook View, said residents had been given a central role in deciding where the money raised should go.
“We were therefore delighted when the residents chose Prospect Hospice, which does amazing work helping and supporting families through difficult times,” he said.
“Choosing a charity that does that work in our own community gave the evening a very clear purpose and made the fundraising feel much more personal.”
Prospect Hospice has provided free end-of-life care in Swindon and the surrounding area for more than 45 years. The charity relies heavily on donations and fundraising alongside statutory funding to continue providing its services.
Charlotte Forrest, Director of Income Generation at Prospect Hospice, said the charity was grateful to everyone involved in the event.
“Support like this means so much to us. It helps us continue to be there for local people and their families, providing expert, compassionate care when they need it most,” she said.
The fundraising comes as hospices across England continue to face financial pressures. According to Hospice UK, hospices ended the last financial year with a collective deficit of more than £70 million, while nearly six in ten have made or are considering cuts to frontline services.
Mathan said the event had provided residents and staff with an opportunity to support a cause close to the local community.
“Good end-of-life care should give people space to be themselves, not just patients,” he said.
“It might mean helping someone stay comfortable in familiar surroundings or giving a worried relative time to talk. Those things matter enormously.”
The other two care homes also raised money for charities chosen by their residents, with Portsdown View supporting mental health charity Mind and Waterhaven Place supporting My Charity Hospitals Sussex.
Willowbrook View is part of the Connaught Care Collection and is based in Swindon.
