Support St Catherine’s to ‘bag’ funding from Tesco to develop wheelchair-friendly woodland walk

St Catherine’s Hospice is in with a chance of ‘bagging’ a £12,000 boost from Tesco to create a woodland walk in its Lostock Hall grounds – but the charity needs support from the local community to make it happen!

The hospice has been shortlisted to receive funding under the supermarket’s ‘Bags of Help’ scheme, which sees money raised by customers through the 5p bag charge go directly back into the local community.

Customers at Leyland’s Tesco Extra store are being encouraged to vote for one of three causes – including St Catherine’s – to be in with a chance of claiming an £8,000, £10,000 or £12,000 grant. Voting is open from 31^st October to 13^th November.

Parts of the hospice grounds are in need of refurbishing following damage caused by the Boxing Day floods last year. The wetland and woodland area and footbridge particularly require upgrading, and it is proposed to create a wheelchair-friendly woodland walk and wildlife haven within St Catherine’s Park.

Lorraine Charlesworth, director of community and income at St Catherine’s, said: “Earlier this year we opened up our grounds to the public as we unveiled St Catherine’s Park, which features our sensory garden, bluebell wood, The Mill café and more.

“Our patients, their families, and visitors to St Catherine’s have told us time and again that one of the most uplifting aspects of their time with us is having access to our beautiful gardens, as we strive to offer people with life-shortening illnesses a good quality of life.

“The opening of The Mill in 2014 followed by St Catherine’s Park enables us to welcome members of the community to enjoy our grounds, and also helps reduce stigmas and anxieties which sometimes exist around hospice care as St Catherine’s becomes a more familiar and reassuring place for the general public.

“We’re keen to develop that further and make all aspects of our site pleasant and peaceful for people to enjoy walking around and exploring. Our wetland and woodland area could benefit from an upgrade to welcome back birds and other wildlife, and we envisage creating a lovely woodland walk next to the river.

“The river bank was damaged in the December floods so we’re really keen to see that repaired. With the £8,000 grant, we will be able to make a good start on the project and improve pathways and part of the river bank, as well as the footbridge.

“If we’re successful in being awarded the larger pot of funding, we will be able to clean out the wetland area and make it a real haven of wildlife again, promoting biodiversity and providing a focal point for people to stop and admire as they make their way around the pathways, which are already well stocked with benches and resting points.”

Lorraine added: “We know what a difference it makes to our patients to have St Catherine’s Park here, and we hope people show their support by voting for St Catherine’s when they visit Leyland’s Tesco Extra store over the next two weeks.

“It’s something our communities can enjoy as well as those who access our care, so it affects a lot of local people.”

To find out more about the Bags of Help initiative, visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp.

Share with your friends!