A LEAD nurse has praised her fundraising colleagues for keeping the ‘wonderful’ Dorset charity she works for afloat.

Jane Pople witnessed the effort and determination of the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust’s fundraising team while volunteering at this year’s Midnight Walk along Weymouth Esplanade.

Her experience of just one event highlighted the differences across the country whereby some specialist palliative care services receive Government funding while others are dependant on charitable donations.

Only 30 per cent of Weldmar’s funding comes from the NHS while the remaining 70 per cent is dependent upon charitable donations and fundraising – the opposite to the situation in East Dorset.

Jane, who is lead nurse for the charity’s north community team, covering Sherborne, Shaftesbury and Gillingham, said: “It wasn’t until I helped as a volunteer on the evening of the Midnight Walk that I realised how much effort it takes to organise just one function.

“The co-ordination and commitment of the fundraisers to what they’re doing, what it’s for and what it represents struck home and made me think about where I work and the difficulties of running a charity – and that’s just one event.

“It’s just the realisation of how difficult it is to raise funds.”

Jane lives in Sydling St Nicholas and has worked in specialist palliative care services for 25 years.

Before joining Weldmar in November 2007, she worked at The Wisdom Hospice in Rochester, Kent, which is funded the other way around – 70 per cent NHS and 30 per cent charity.

Jane said:“It’s a constant process to be able to keep this place running, especially when our ongoing aim is to improve services all the time.

“We work very closely and collaborate with the Primary Care Trust and GPs, district nurses. We’re guests within primary care and we have to be invited in.

“Although we’re doing clinical practice, providing expert advice and symptom control, one of the biggest aspects of our role is educating other health care professionals and our colleagues out in the community.”

She added: “We can have 200 to 300 patients at any one time out in the community.

“In the past, palliative care tended to focus predominantly on cancer patients and perhaps those with Motor Neurone Disease, which could have been regarded as an elitist group receiving this wonderful service.

“Now we’re trying to ensure everybody has access to the special services they need.”

How you can help

KIND-HEARTED Echo readers have so far helped the Show Them You Care campaign to raise £5,072.20.

But there is a long way to go to hit the target needed for Weldmar to pay for a community nurse for a year plus all of their support and expenses.

Donate online at www.justgiving. com/weldmarnurse or send cheques payable to ‘The Weldmar Hospicecare Trust’ to the Dorset Echo offices at Fleet House, Hampshire Road, Weymouth, DT4 9XD. We would also like to hear your stories of how Weldmar has helped you.

Call Laura Kitching on 01305 830984.