An urgent appeal launched by Garden House Hospice Care has seen the Letchworth-based organisation bridge the gap – however, there’s still a £355,000 shortfall.

In April, the hospice put out an urgent funding appeal as it was losing £25,000 a week in income due to the coronavirus lockdown.

This money is usually raised through a calendar of fundraising events and its 12 charity shops – two vital income streams which came to an abrupt pause.

Collectively, over the past four months, staff at the hospice say our community has made a huge difference.

A spokeswoman for the hospice said: “To every single person who has responded with generosity, fundraised on our behalf or kindly donated to our urgent appeal, we thank you.

“Every penny you have donated will help us to protect the future of the hospice. The importance of hospice care was also recognised by the government, which supported us with a grant to assist with an increased demand for our care at a time when income was plummeting – they have made a significant contribution to keeping our hospice safe and we are extremely grateful.

“Despite our shops now being open, income is down and with restrictions on fundraising events continuing, the deficit of £1.3 million has not changed.

This means, despite the incredible response from our community so far, we still have a fundraising gap of £335,000 to cover our costs this year.

“We will openly admit that we are worried about next year too. This feels far from over.

“At the moment, we cannot say what this means for our future. As you would expect, we spend money very carefully at the hospice. We will always protect our services and put our patients first. But if we cannot find the money, we may see a devastating effect on our services.

“We are determined not to be beaten by this. We are here to provide the very best end of life care for local people. We refuse to give up. You have supported us in so many ways.

“We understand times are very, very hard for lots of you too. We are grateful for every gesture of support. Thank you.”

To continue to help the hospice, you can become a regular giver at www.ghhospicecare.org.uk/support-us/regular-giving-gift, or by visiting one of its shops across Herts.

You can also make a donation at ghhospicecare.org.uk/support-us/donate.