Friends of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity’ celebrates its first birthday

‘Friends of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity’ (FOARHC) – a special group of regular donors – has celebrated its first birthday.

This marks one year since the Charity relaunched its regular giving programme and renaming regular donors as FOARHC, to recognise and bring together supporters who choose to give steadily.

Over the last twelve months, more than 200 new Friends have joined other like minded supporters who share a commitment to our Hospice Care. Their reliable monthly gifts help Arthur Rank Hospice Charity plan with confidence and continue providing compassionate, specialist care, free of charge to patients and families across Cambridgeshire, at the Hospice, the Alan Hudson Centre and in people’s own homes.

To celebrate the milestone, members of the fundraising team visited Arthur Rank Hospice Charity shops to speak with customers, volunteers and supporters about the difference regular giving can make. The visits offered an opportunity to share more about the care the Charity provides for people living with advancing serious illness and those needing palliative and end-of-life care.

Michelle Woollard, Fundraising Officer at Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, who coordinates the Friends programme, said:

“It has been wonderful to see Friends of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity grow over the past year. Every regular gift, whatever the amount, helps us plan ahead and be there for patients and families when they need us most. Visiting our shops gave us the chance to say thank you, answer questions and welcome new people into our Friends community.”

We know that behind every regular gift is a personal reason for giving. To mark this special first anniversary, we spoke with some of the Charity’s  newest Friends to understand what inspired them to join FOARHC. Their stories reflect the many different ways our care touches lives — and the shared desire to ensure that comfort, dignity and support are there for others when they are needed most.

‘Friend’ Neil Costello’s twin brother, Alan, died in 2022. Neil said:

“My passion is that people should know about palliative care and that’s why I support as a Friend of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity. I feel sad that my brother didn’t know about Hospice services in his area, earlier. If Alan had been in a hospice and had a proper statement of his wishes for his care, his end might have been less stressful.”

Many supporters have a personal connection to the Charity, and their regular donations are often a route for them to share their thanks after they have experienced the Charity’s care first-hand. While other supporters simply want to help ensure comfort, dignity and care is available for local families in the future, during a period of funding uncertainty, where sustainable funding is more important than ever. Together, these gifts provide steady, dependable income that helps protect vital services and makes every moment count.

Mandy Thornton’s father, Lewis Stone, was cared for by the Hospice at Home Team before he died in 2014. She shared:

“It was an incredibly tough time and I remember thinking that I didn’t know how we’d manage. I absolutely couldn’t have done it without the help of the Arthur Rank Hospice at Home team. It was so utterly overwhelming and I would fall apart at the smallest thing – so I can’t imagine doing it without their help.”

She added:

“To anyone considering donating to Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, I would say ‘Do it! You never know when you, a friend or a loved one is going to need them. When we are going through this last phase of our life – which I believe is as important as our birth – we want to know that we or our loved ones are going to get the very best of care and Arthur Rank Hospice Charity is the place that can provide it.”

As the ‘Friends’ enters its second year, the Charity is preparing a Thank-a-thon to connect with supporters and show how grateful we are for their ongoing kindness.

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If you would like to become a Friend and support Arthur Rank Hospice Charity with a regular monthly gift, helping patients and families receive expert care and reassurance when it matters most, please visit arhc.org.uk/FOARHC