• Wine Auction cancellation puts Cranford Hospice services "at risk"

Wine Auction cancellation puts Cranford Hospice services "at risk"

Cranford Hospice says the cancellation of its biggest annual fundraiser puts "serious financial pressure on their services".

The Hawke's Bay Wine Auction organisers announced the event would be cancelled due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. 

Cranford Hospice Chief Executive Janice Byford-Jones said that while she wanted to assure people their whānau and friends were being well cared for, they needed to take action now to avoid a financial crisis due to Covid-19.

They are calling on the community to help ensure its services can survive, with $300,000 in lost income due to the event's cancellation.

“The decision was not made lightly by the hard-working Wine Auction committee however their priority is to keep all involved healthy and safe and work within Covid-19 restrictions, which I fully
support,” Byford-Jones said.

“That said, we are now facing difficult decisions around our services.”

It will cost $6.9m to provide specialist palliative care services to the Hawke’s Bay community this year. After Hawke’s Bay District Health Board funding, Cranford Hospice still needs to raise the remaining $3.4million from the community which will include income from community fundraising events, retail stores, bequests, and grant funding.

While fundraising events continue to be cancelled due to Covid-19 the demand for Cranford Hospice services is on the increase. In the last financial year, the number of contacts staff made concerning
the care and support of patients and their whānau increased by 25 per cent. All services are provided at no cost to the patient or their family. 

“We acknowledge that we are not the only ones facing financial difficulty, however, the bleak reality is that Cranford Hospice’s essential services are at stake,” says Byford-Jones.

“We are calling on the support of our community. We know how much hospice means to the people of Hawke’s Bay and we want to ensure we can continue to meet the emotional, spiritual, social and
physical needs of people through specialist palliative care."

Donate to Cranford Hospice today at www.cranfordhospice.org.nz or phone 06 878 7047.

“I urge the community to donate what they can and help us by encouraging others to do so as well. This is a service that our whole community needs” pleads the Chief Executive.
Donating will supporting people in the community like Aimee whose dad was under the care of Cranford Hospice this time last year.
Aimee speaks fondly about the nurses who cared for her dad in his home and the relief that 24/7 support provided to the whole family.

“Before we knew it, the nurses were visiting home often to help with dad’s pain and meds. The nurses are honestly such amazing people and dad developed a lovely relationship with many of
them,” said Aimee.

“There was so much comfort in knowing that you could call the hospice anytime and they would be there to talk you through any concerns,” reflects Aimee, “It was honestly such a relief to have all of
the medical pressure off our shoulders because it meant we just got to spend these moments with dad”.

Aimee was also able to access counselling and appreciates the lessons she learned to help make her grief process healthier.

“I’m so thankful that they helped me bring the best version of myself that I could to this blimen hard roller coaster. I’m so grateful for their support that helped get me through.”

Donate to Cranford Hospice today at www.cranfordhospice.org.nz or phone 06 878 7047.

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