Sisters bake up a treat for charity

With the help of a friend whose sister received end of life care at the hospice, the group raised £1089.88 for the hospice charity.

Nicola Child and Rachel Skittrall saw the pleasure their dad was getting from his weekly visits to the Day Therapy Unit and so they got stuck the kettle on and baked up some tasty treats.

Father Tony Skitterall, from Marlborough has PSP, a degenerative neurological condition that means he relies on his family for a lot of everyday tasks.

Being able to go to Prospect Hospice once a week has made him more independent and boosted his confidence by socialising with other people.

The tea party raised over £1,000 as part of the Make a Brew, Make a Difference campaign run by the hospice to raise valuable funds providing end of life care for people across Wiltshire.

Mrs Child explained: “A weekly visit to Prospect Hospice is so important to Dad. It gives him a greater sense of independence and identity, and means that there are things that he can do without having his family around him.

"It gives him time away from being in the house, and he enjoys the company of the other patients and the staff and volunteers there. Prospect Hospice has felt like a lifeline for us all, and we have raised these funds as a way of saying thank you to everyone there for all that they do for Dad.”

Among the money was a £450 donation from Preshute Primary School, which raised the money during an end of year six drama production. Teacher Helen Kennedy produced and directed the play and the funds are going to the charity in memory of her sister, Anne.

Prospect Hospice’s Marlborough Community Fundraiser, Mike Kennedy said: “We are really grateful to all the family for their efforts in raising funds for Prospect Hospice, so that more people can access facilities like our Day Therapy Unit, which Tony visits each week.

“We would like to thank the family and everyone who helped them to raise this money for us.”