Redrow is doubling the amount of money it donates to a children’s hospice for every house it sells in Yorkshire to £100 to help the charity through the coronavirus crisis.
The commitment should raise around £24,000 for the charity this year, with the first £10,000 handed over for the first six months to June 2020.
Like many charities, Martin House’s fundraising efforts are being impacted heavily by Covid-19.
Current forecasts show that they expect to lose almost a third of their fundraised income, over £2.3million, due to the pandemic, which has resulted in cancelled events, closed shops and community and business activity stalling.
Our Yorkshire division managing director John Handley, said: “The impact of lockdown and the ongoing effects of the global coronavirus pandemic have hit the charitable sector particularly hard and we hope our ongoing support for Martin House can help somewhat to mitigate the impact – and encourage other Yorkshire businesses to get involved too.
“We’ve had a relationship with Martin House for many years now and have raised in excess of £86,500 during that time, through a combination of company events such as charity balls and golf days, dress down days, plus individual fund raising and sporting endeavours by our staff.
“Increasing our donation to £100 for every one of our private sale homes completed this year will give customers a chance to feel involved too – when they buy from Redrow they’ll know that a portion of their money is going to an incredibly worthwhile cause.”
It is hoped a number of other fund raising events planned by us for this year can also still go ahead, with staff keen to provide a much-needed boost to the charity.
From its hospice base in Boston Spa, Martin House cares for children and young people who have progressive life-limiting illnesses. It also provides support to their families and offers home-based support and care for children and young people. There are more than 420 families and around 150 bereaved families being looked after and supported by the hospice.
It costs £9 million a year to provide this service and currently only around 10% of that funding comes from central Government, with the hospice reliant on grants, donations and fund raising for the rest.
As well as exploring new ways to raise funds, Martin House is working hard to adapt its services to ensure it can still provide vital support to families in a time of heightened anxiety. For example, specialists can now provide remote bereavement counselling via phone or video calls, and use video consultations for things like symptom control, helping families to avoid hospital admission.
On June 8, the hospice re-opened to planned respite stays, with a remodelled provision to adhere to social distancing regulations whilst allowing for additional deep cleaning between stays and in communal areas. The charity has also increased care in the community provision for families who need extra help at home, ensuring access to support for those most vulnerable.
Clair Holdsworth, interim chief executive of Martin House, said: "We are delighted Redrow Homes in Yorkshire is continuing to support Martin House throughout this challenging time.
"Redrow has been a valued partner for the past 11 years, and this generous donation of £10,000 from the sale of its homes will make a real difference to the lives of babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions.
"It could pay for one of our doctors for two months, enabling families to receive care and advice from a paediatric palliative medicine specialist when they need it, and during a time when they are feeling more vulnerable than ever."
To find out more about Martin House, visit www.martinhouse.org.uk
Based in Wakefield, we have new homes developments across North, West and East Yorkshire. See www.redrow.co.uk/yorkshire for details of where they are currently building.
