Supporters take to new heights to raise cash for St Catherine’s Hospice

A group of 70 intrepid supporters scaled new heights in their quest to raise funds for St Catherine’s Hospice when they took part in a sponsored abseil from the top of the Preston Holiday Inn.
The total amount pledged in sponsorship is more than £10,000 – a great boost for the charity, which relies on charitable efforts to raise £3.7m of the £5m it costs to run its services each year.

Among those taking part was St Catherine’s Hospice Chief Executive Stephen Greenhalgh, who was persuaded to dress up as Batman for the occasion!
He also took the Count Me In! pledge – an initiative set up as part of Hospice Care Week which runs until Sunday (October 13) – from 120ft up in the air, promising to tell five people during the week why hospice care counts.

Stephen said: “Thank you to the Holiday Inn and everyone who took on this challenge in aid of St Catherine’s – the amount pledged in sponsorship is fantastic and I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did.
“The abseil was a great way to kick off Hospice Care Week 2013 – which this year focuses on the giteming need for the type of specialised care hospices like St Catherine’s provide.
“I hope taking the pledge in fancy dress from a very eye-catching location has helped spread the word about the vital work that St Catherine’s and other hospices around the country carry out every day to help people facing incurable conditions have quality of life and, when the time approaches, dignity in death.
“We’re also asking our supporters to join in by taking their own pledge during the week – committing to telling their friends, family and neighbours why hospice care counts so much.”
Anne-Marie Crighton from Farington faced her fear of heights to take part in the abseil and raised more than £100.

The 32-year-old, who sported a Bat Woman costume, said: “I wanted to do something to challenge myself, whilst raising money for an amazing charity which does such brilliant work. It’s so important that we support local charities like St Catherine’s, who rely so heavily on the public to raise the funds they need to deliver their services.
“I was really nervous beforehand – and it was so scary when I had to step back over the edge! But I’m really pleased I did it and grateful to have had the opportunity.”
Susan Heaton from Preston Job Centre was taking part with 15 of her colleagues – many of whom turned up dressed in onesies!

Susan said: “As the job centre serving Preston, we were really keen to be involved and show our support for a local Preston charity.
“We’ve raised in excess of £500 which is brilliant, and we’ve had a great time taking part together as a team – it was a really fun day.”
Steven Robinson, branch manager of the Preston branch of Yorkshire Building Society, took part with his colleague Robbie Marshall.
Steven said: “A lot of our customers have been touched by the amazing work of St Catherine’s – it’s a charity which is close to their hearts so we wanted to do something to show our support.
“It was pretty scary but we both feel really good that we’ve done it.”
Daniel Rich, manager of the Preston Holiday Inn, where the event was held, said they were delighted to be involved.
He added: “It’s important to us to work with our local community and supporting such a well-loved and important charity as St Catherine’s is a great way to do this.”
Check out more photos from the day here.
To download a Count Me In! pledge card click here and email your photos to sarah.dunn@stcatherines.co.uk. You can also take the pledge here.

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