A small team of fundraisers from West Cumbria have raised thousands of pounds for various charities including local charity Hospice at Home West Cumbria.

Maria Jolly and a group of volunteers have been raising money since lockdown 2020 when they originally set up the team to help charities through a difficult time.

Maria Jolly said: “Raising money for charities is something that we all enjoy, we understand during the current times people don’t have as much to give but the services Hospice at Home West Cumbria provide are vital to our community so we like to help where we can, and our plan is to present them with another £5,000 cheque by the end of 2024.’’

They have continued to fundraise raising thousands of pounds over the years and donating it to various charities, including The British Heart Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Society and Hospice at Home West Cumbria who have received over £8,000 in total since 2021.

The team have once again set their sights high on raising £15,000 by the end of 2024, which will then be split between various charities with Hospice at Home receiving £5,000.

To help them reach their target they have taken on various fundraising activities, including charity nights in the Trades Hall in Workington, bingo nights every other week in The Crafty Workshop in Workington – which attracts over 40 individuals, and having stalls at local community events.

They most recently attended Workington’s ‘Party in the Park’ on Saturday July 27, which was held in Vulcans Park in Workington where they raised £1,000 to go towards their target for Hospice at Home West Cumbria.

They did this with the generous help from ETL Gym, who kindly donated a bike for the team to use throughout the day, where they gained sponsorship for riding the bike for the duration of the event. 

Maria added: “I would like to say a huge thank you to Lesley Edmondson from The Crafty Workshop in Workington, Howard Sandham, W Gourley Pharmacy, Haigh’s Butchers, Carla and Michael Quirk from ETL, my niece Lily McGlasson who is only 7 years old and loves to help out, and every individual and business who has helped and supported the team to raise the funds, we couldn’t have done it without you all.’’ 

Gemma Bell, Income Generation Team Leader, at Hospice at Home West Cumbria said: “We are so grateful to Maria, the fundraisers and everyone in the community who gets involved and helps to raise funds for our charity.

“Speaking to Maria over the past few years her passion to make a difference is so inspiring and the team really are making a difference, every penny raised helps to support families and patients in West Cumbria when they are going through the most difficult of times. Thank you.”

Hospice at Home West Cumbria provides palliative and end of life care to patients and their families across West Cumbria.

The Hospice needs to raise over £1.5 million each year to deliver these vital services which are provided free of charge to those who need them.

For more information on the services the Hospice provides or how to donate head to their website here.