Mansfield Building Society helps deserving charity get back on the road

The Mansfield-based society’s charitable trust has donated £30,283 to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, to purchase a new van.

The hospice, based in North Anston, near Worksop, is a charity focused on helping families with children with life-limiting illnesses.

All its services are provided free of charge.

However, with only 15 per cent of its funding coming from the Government, it must raise £14,000 every day to keep their services running – and the coronavirus pandemic has had a ‘catastrophic effect on the hospice, robbing the team of the chance to get out and pull in the vital funds’.

And as restrictions lifted, and the team began to step up its events calendar, its ‘tired’ van finally became unusable, putting a halt to a number of fundraising opportunities.

Legacy

Jason Gossop, hospice regional fundraiser, said: “By helping us to purchase a new van, the trust will be creating a legacy which, we anticipate, will last for the next 15 years.

“As well as transporting our fundraising equipment, the van will also be used to deliver vital personal protective equipment, to keep our care team staff safe and able to do the amazing work they do every day.”

Vickie Preston, head of human resources at the building society, which is based at Regent House, Regent Street, in Mansfield town centre, said: “Bluebell Wood is the epitome of why the building society puts so much into the trust each year.

“The hospice works tirelessly all year round, year after year, providing such vital care to so many in our local community.

“I can’t begin to fathom having to experience what so many families go through, but the amazing services the hospice provides for the entire family is exceptional, and without doubt, essential.

“We wanted to provide the hospice with the funds to purchase a new van, so they can get back on their feet with their planned calendar of fundraising events and start bringing the donations in ready for 2022 and many years to come.”

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