SEVEN Essex hospices have joined forces to launch a website in a bid to raise funds collectively and become financially stronger together.
The website was launched on Friday (May 9) at Farleigh Hospice in Chelmsford as part of Dying Matters Week.
Running until Sunday, the week aims to get people talking about death and bereavement and raise awareness of creating and having-up-to-date wills and leaving legacies so hospices can keep providing their services.
The site, which is called Legacies for Essex Hospices, is the joint project of St Clare, Farleigh, Saint Francis, Havens, St Helena, The J's and St Luke's.
It will also act as a signpost to each of the hospices' individual websites and their Make a Will week, which will be held in June.
"We have a [finite] amount of money to spend on advertising – we're not a national charity," said Cheryl Bunkle of Farleigh Hospice, which needs £7,750 per day to keep running.
"Now we have the website we can use our money to do advertising and by coming together and working together we are all neighbours and we have areas that cross over.
"It's better together as we can have a bigger pot. We always share as hospices – we're non-competitive. This website is just a continuation of that. We would want to do some more promoting in the future with a TV campaign.
"At the end of the day, leaving a legacy to your local hospice is a great way to leave something in the community in the future.
"The majority of our funding comes from leaving wills and it's something to think about."
Leaving a legacy to a hospice could include personal belongings such as jewellery or house contents, to a sum of cash.
Charitable legacies are also exempt from Inheritance Tax so the full value of the gift will go towards the comfort and care of patients and their families into the future.
Antonia Bunnin, director of hospice support and development at national hospice care charity Help the Hospices, added: "This is a great initiative and it is exciting to see hospices teaming up to run a joint legacy campaign.
"Working together enables us to share resources and expertise and reach out to more people to encourage them to support hospice care through gifts in wills."
For more information visit legaciesforessexhospices.org
