Homeless youngsters to help St Catherine’s

A group of youngsters living at a Preston homeless shelter have organised an innovative fundraising event exploring the meaning of life to support the work of St Catherine’s Hospice.
The group of 16-25 year olds from the Merriweather Shelter in Fishergate set up the ‘Life is’ project, giving people the opportunity to write what life means to them on a leaf which is then placed on a tree, in return for a donation to the hospice.
Jack Vickers, one of the residents at Merriweather homeless shelter, said: “I suggested we support St Catherine’s Hospice as they cared for my grandma a few years ago when she had been diagnosed with lung cancer.
“She spent the last two months of her life in St Catherine’s and they were absolutely brilliant, it’s really not the sort of place that I imagined it to be.
“I feel like I have to give back and say thank you for everything they did for my grandma, the staff were amazing and they didn’t just care for her, they were a huge support for my entire family.”
The fundraiser has been set up as part of the Big Lottery’s ‘Reaching Communities’ project. This aims to give young people the opportunity to develop a local charity fundraising event, community based campaign or develop self-awareness – allowing them to develop skills at the same time as benefiting the local community.
The event takes place on Saturday 6 April 2013 from 9am to 5pm at the Guild Hall Shopping Arcade units 19 to 21 and is the culmination of a nine-week project for the group. The young residents are urging people to come along and show their support for a local cause.
Norman Cutler, Senior Fundraiser at St Catherine’s Hospice, said: “We’re really proud of the group for coming up with such an innovative fundraising idea.
“It’s great to see young people so enthusiastic about working on a project like this which is supporting a local and worthy cause.
“Funds raised from the day will be a real cash boost for St Catherine’s Hospice, and will allow us to continue delivering our specialised care to people in the local community who are living with conditions that can be treated but not cured.”
Michala Leyland, Project Manager at Youth On the Up, which has worked with the youngsters to organise the event, added: “The YOU project gives young people who are out of work or education a chance to develop their skills and confidence, whilst helping others.
“It has been a pleasure to see this fantastic group work together to develop such an exciting fundraiser for St Catherine’s Hospice.”
If you are unable to make it on the day but wish to participate you can write on a leaf and make a donation to St Catherine’s Hospice by visiting www.mylifeis.org.uk.

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