Financially hit Forget Me Not Children's Hospice facing bleak future

The Hospice says it needs additional cash support to stop it being pushed to its limits.

Forget Me Not is calling on the public to support it by pushing themselves to the limit by taking on a fundraising challenge or making a donation.

The call comes in Children’s Hospice Week (21-27 June), the only UK fundraising and awareness week for children’s hospices.

Forget Me Not delivers lifeline care to the UK’s most vulnerable and seriously ill children and families.

Luen Thompson, chief executive of Forget Me Not says: “Last year Forget Me Not’s fundraising was hit hard by the pandemic, especially income from our charity shops, community and events fundraising.

"Although we received much-needed government Covid emergency funding last year, as well as funding to provide additional capacity to the NHS both have now ceased.

"Forget Me Not once again has to be mostly self-sufficient while continuing restrictions will mean our fundraising will not reach pre-pandemic levels in the coming year. This may have an impact on services.”

“And of course, the pandemic has pushed us to the limits in other ways too. I’m incredibly proud of the way the whole team has responded to the huge challenges they’ve faced over the last 15 months to ensure children and families continued to get the care and support they so desperately needed.

"For many of those families who were shielding and seeing no-one, we have been their only port of call.

"As a vital service for many struggling families, we are determined to continue to be here long into the future, but we can only do that with the help of the whole community. That’s why we’re calling on the public to push themselves to their limits this Children’s Hospice Week and raise vital funds – so we’re not pushed to ours.”

Although Forget Me Not receives government and NHS income from a variety of funding streams, this only accounts for about six per cent of what it needs to provide lifeline care and support.

The majority of funding continues to be met by trading income, corporate funders and trusts, and the generosity of the local community.