A Hospice worker is encouraging people to sign up for fundraising events to support the charity.

Louise Askew sees first hand just how important fundraising is to St Mary’s Hospice having worked at the hospice for a number of years.

With only one fifth of the charity’s funding coming from the NHS this means that eight out of 10 patients are cared for through money raised within the community, the hospice relies on fundraising events and donations to continue providing care.

Knowing that without the kindness of people fundraising for St Mary’s, Louise dreads to think how we would cope.

This is why she’s encouraging as many people as possible to join events and help raise funds to keep the Hospice going.

Louise said: “It’s so important because the way I look at it, the hospice is only partly funded by the NHS.

“I think about all the people I’ve cared for since working here and where would they be if the service wasn’t available.

“We’re really lucky to have this hospice in the area because not every area has access to something like this.

“I’d encourage people to keep going and save as much for the people in the future that might need the service.”

As well as working for the hospice, Louise has taken part in a number of our events and is encouraging more people to sign up for Blencathra at Night this year.

Having completed the Helvellyn at Night challenge last year, Louise said the events are a must do and the sense of community while taking part was something she couldn’t describe.

She said: “It was amazing, it was so good. Me and my boyfriend both signed up around the same time and we weren’t actually together when we signed up. But then we did it together and it was really good.

“It’s really amazing to see the amount of people that turn up, from those that work there to those in the community and those that take part because they’ve had family members use the services.”

Louise says it is as easy decision to sign up for fundraising events and she’d do anything to help keep the it going due to her love of working at the hospice.

Speaking about working for St Mary’s, Louise said: “It’s amazing, it’s one of the only places I’ve worked at where I’ve not dreaded getting up in the morning to go to work. As soon as I started working here, I just knew it was the place for me.”

Having already signed up to the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, Louise is encouraging as many people as possible to sign up to this and the Blencathra at Night event being held by St Mary’s.  

Events and Challenges Manager, Mel Dixon is encouraging as many people as possible to sign up and take part in the event saying: “We have worked in collaboration with Lakeland Mountain Guides for several years now on our extremely popular night climbs.

“Having the opportunity to safely summit some of the Lake District’s tallest mountains, then be rewarded with a stunning sunrise and a celebratory glass of fizz is a just an added bonus to the breathtaking views.

“We’d love as many people as possible to sign up to this event and help us continue to deliver amazing work within our community.

“We’re always grateful for anyone that supports us and those that are taking part in this event are wonderful. Good luck to everyone taking part.” 

The event takes place on 8 June into the morning of 9 June and there are still places available with coach trasnfers available from Barrow.

By signing up and fundraising for St Mary’s Hospice you’ll also be making a huge, life changing impact on those that benefit from the work of the charity.  

The event is led by experienced and professional leaders from Lakeland Mountain Guides who will help get you through the challenge and ensure you have a great time doing so.

For more information on the Blencathra at Night event being held by St Mary’s visit the sign up page here.