Banbridge artist’s charity cards raise over £2,200 for hospice
A BANBRIDGE artist has raised over £2,200 for the Southern Area Hospice from the sale of his beautiful hand-painted Christmas cards.
This was the third year that Mark Douglas embarked on the festive fundraising venture for the charity.
The Newry hospice is especially close to Mark’s heart as his mum, Margaret, passed away there in November 2013.
A spokesperson for the hospice said: “We would like to sincerely thank Mark for supporting us again this year with his beautiful Christmas cards.
“Mark raised a fantastic £2,202 through Christmas card sales and donated the proceeds to our hospice.
“Mark has raised over £5,000 for the Southern Area Hospice over the past three years.
“This is deeply personal for Mark, as he paints these cards in loving memory of his mother, who was cared for by our hospice.
“Thank you Mark and everyone who has supported him over the past three years.”
Mark also wished to thank all those who purchased his charity cards or made a donation.
“Thank you so much to everyone involved in helping raise this amount.
“It is truly appreciated.”
Southern Area Hospice Services (SAHS) provides invaluable support and care to people living within the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area.
The hospice aims to provide the highest standard of specialist palliative care to individuals with complex life-limiting conditions, irrespective of their condition or place of care.
All services are provided free of charge and the hospice relies heavily on voluntary donations to continue providing its special care.
This year SAHS needs to fundraise £3.6 million, which is approximately £300,000 per month, £69,230 per week, £9,863 per day, £410 per hour, in order to continue to provide care and support to patients and their families.