St Elizabeth Hospice is thanking the Felixstowe community for helping its Christmas campaign, Be a Star, raise £77,000.

From Felixstowe and Ipswich through to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, supporters rallied round the independent Suffolk charity by supporting its Be a Star appeal.

Given the current restrictions, the appeal encouraged the communities of Norfolk and Suffolk to support the hospice over the festive period by hosting their own socially distanced fundraising activities or through donating directly to the hospice.

Of the total raised, £13,000 was donated by businesses, across the region, as part of a Matched Giving scheme. A week long fundraiser which saw businesses, including Energy Power Resources, Escape Ipswich and George Baker Shipping, match every £1 donated by the community to the Be a Star appeal.

Pauline Donkin, Head of Individual Giving and Supporter Care at St Elizabeth Hospice, said: "We are so grateful for the fantastic response we have received for Be a Star.

"With the ongoing pandemic putting a halt to our usual fundraising streams, including our retail shops and events such as the Christmas Day Dip, the generosity of the public and local businesses has been so important in helping us to continue our care and services.

"Christmas is a special time for everyone but especially for the families and patients we care for. Illness doesn't stop during the festive season and via our Ipswich inpatient unit, our nurses in the community and six specialist palliative care beds in Beccles we supported hundreds of patients and their families this Christmas. A service we would not be able to provide without the continued support we receive from local communities."

Every Christmas, St Elizabeth Hospice provides vital care for people living with progressive and life-limiting illnesses and their families across East Suffolk, Great Yarmouth and Waveney, for many of whom it is their last Christmas spent together.

This year's fantastic total surpassed the hospice's 2019 Care at Christmas campaign and helped St Elizabeth Hospice care for more than 850 patients and their families across Suffolk.

Ian Mundford, Financial Director at Bauder, who were one of a number of local companies supporting the Be a Star appeal, said: "As a long term supporter of the hospice, which means so much to many of our Ipswich based employees, we had no hesitation in stepping forward and supporting this brilliant campaign at the end of such a challenging year in terms of fundraising and increased demands upon the invaluable services it provides in our community.

"Everyone at Bauder was delighted to be able to play a part in the success of the campaign!"

St Elizabeth Hospice is an independent Suffolk charity providing free services to improve life for people living with a progressive or life limiting illness throughout East Suffolk, Great Yarmouth and Waveney.

Centred on an individual's needs, the hospice provides specialist support, whenever and wherever it is needed, whether at home, in the community or at the hospice.

To find out more about St Elizabeth Hospice call 01473 727776 or visit [L]https://www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk[L+]www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk[.L+]