Home Bargains pledges £2.5mn to help keep Zoe’s Place hospice open
Melanie May | 30 October 2024 | News
Liverpool-based retailer T.J Morris Ltd, which trades as Home Bargains, has pledged £2.5 million to children’s hospice charity Zoe’s Place to try and keep its Liverpool hospice from closure.
The pledge covers half of the £5 million funding gap Zoe’s Place needs to secure the future of the hospice and ensure continued support for the children and families it serves. The charity also has hospices in Middlesbrough and Coventry.
The hospice charity had announced earlier this month that, with a lease set to expire in nine months, Zoe’s Place Liverpool had been hoping to build a new hospice near to its current location. However, a lengthy planning permission process coupled with a significant rise in the projected costs and the challenge of raising funding in the current economic climate, meant there were insufficient funds and time available to relocate to a new home elsewhere. This means that the Liverpool hospice would therefore have to close at the end of 2024 unless the charity can raise enough money by 9 November to build a new facility.
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Outpouring of support
However, the news prompted an outpouring of support, with everything from a rave, to a streaming event being held in recent weeks to raise funds. Celebrities, businesses and schools have also been fundraising, and the local MP Ian Byrne MP has shown his support with an offer to lead a £5 million fundraising drive to help keep the Liverpool hospice open. The total so far raised includes almost £36k from The Redmen TV, over £80k from the Hot Water Comedy Club, more than £86k from Next Energy, and £108k from Montirex Ltd, in addition to the Home Bargains pledge.
The charity’s appeal on JustGiving has now reached over £5.48mn, although this includes fundraising since the beginning of its capital appeal project, and around £3.8mn is pledged, restricted funding.
Speaking about Home Bargains’ pledge, Joan Stainsby, Executive Trustee of Zoe’s Place, said:
“This generous commitment reflects the overwhelming support we are receiving from the Liverpool community and beyond. We are immensely grateful to Home Bargains for standing with us in our time of need.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.