University of Bolton hosts hospice patrons' lunch as part of major cost of living crisis appeal

An extra £450,000 has been raised as part of a cost of living crisis appeal for Bolton Hospice, it was revealed at a Patrons' Lunch hosted by the University of Bolton.

Judith Bromley, Chair of Bolton Hospice, thanked the people of Bolton and described their response as "overwhelming" following the announcement earlier this year that the hospice expected its running costs to be £1.2 million more than its expected income this financial year.

The appeal was launched in the summer, supported by The Bolton News' 'Save Bolton Hospice' campaign, which aimed to raise a further £100,000 to help sustain vital services.

Judith told invited guests at the University lunch: "I want to say a huge thank you to the team at The Bolton News for their wonderful support, which has helped us to raise a staggering extra £450,000.

"We have been overwhelmed with the incredible kindness, support and generosity of the people of Bolton and beyond and want to say a huge, heartfelt thank you.

"Whilst this is a huge step forward in reducing this year's deficit, which we now anticipate to be in the region of £750,000, this is still clearly unsustainable in the long term.

"We are, of course, desperate to avoid any reduction in our services, so alongside our funding negotiations, we are continuing to do everything possible to grow income even further."

She also thanked the University of Bolton's President and Vice Chancellor, Professor George Holmes DL, "for hosting us today and for all their support of the hospice as Diamond Patrons, and in so many other ways".

The Patrons' Scheme, originally set up 20 years ago, has recently been relaunched, and new Emerald and Diamond levels were introduced for those patrons who are able to contribute at the £2,500 and £10,000 level.

Judith said: "The challenge we're currently facing is unlike any other we've experienced in our 30-year history. But I know that with your support, we can ensure we're here for another 30 years and beyond. We must because the people of Bolton deserve the very best palliative and end-of-life care, and we won't settle for anything less."

Guests were welcomed by Dr Greg Walker, Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic Strategy) of the University of Bolton, and then watched a video highlighting the work of the hospice.

They also heard from the hospice's Creative Therapist, Mary Stubbs, who works in the Wellbeing Hub and inpatient unit, helping patients to live as full a life as possible.

She introduced John Roberts, a multiple myeloma patient living in Bromley Cross.

John graduated from the University of Bolton with a first-class honours degree in Fine Art in 2019. Thanks to collaboration between the University and the hospice, he has achieved his dream of exhibiting his artwork, which is now on display on campus.

Mary said: "John visits the hospice weekly to access the creative services. We discovered that after graduation, John had hoped to exhibit his art, but when Covid-19 struck, the world went into lockdown.

"In February 2022, after a long series of illnesses, John was diagnosed with blood cancer, which also hampered his plans to exhibit his work.

"So we had a conversation with Professor George Holmes, Vice Chancellor of the University, and the idea was born to help John to achieve his dream.

"The collaboration with the University has helped something happen that was very important to John – to finally hold an exhibition of his work, which is here for you all to enjoy today."

John said: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who have made this event possible, especially the Year 2 students of Fine Art."