The Palace Hotel & Casino has chosen Hospice Isle of Man as its charity for 2011, with several fundraising events lined up for the year. The main event will be a black-tie Summer Ball, planned for Friday, July 15 in the Cushag Suite. Tickets for this are priced at ?45 and the night will include live music and a raffle. The first fundraising event of the year is a car wash on Sunday, April 3 in the Palace car park between 11.00am and 3.00pm. Then in June, Palace Hotel & Casino Conference and Banqueting Manager Gareth Capper will take on the challenge of the Parish Walk and on Saturday, September 10 two staff – Rochelle D’Souza and Julia Lawrence - will step out on the Midnight Walk, an event organised by Hospice. The year’s events will draw to a close on Friday, October 28 the Palace Hotel & Casino will play host to a spook-tacular Halloween Party. Please call 682776 for bookings and more details about this event. Collection boxes will be placed around Sefton Group venues throughout the year. Last year Palace Hotel & Casino staff and customers raised ?2,600 for the British Heart Foundation. Palace Hotel & Casino Managing Director Adrian Brockhouse said: ‘Hospice is such an important organisation and I’m really pleased that our fundraising committee has chosen the charity as its main focus for the coming year. ‘Our staff are always happy to get involved and really enter into the spirit of the events we organise, and our customers have more than matched them in the past in terms of giving generously. ‘I’m sure that infectious enthusiasm will be matched again this year for such a worthwhile cause.’ Hospice Isle of Man, formerly known as St Bridget’s Hospice, was created in 1983 and now cares for more than 350 patents each year, at a cost of more than ?3.5 million. The charity receives a cash grant for ?600,000 from the Department of Health, but has to raise the balance of funds itself. All Hospice services are provided free to patients and their families, and 83% of income is spent directly on patients’ care. In addition, Hospice at Home provides nearly 1,000 hours a year for adult patients, allowing them to be nursed at home, and 5,000 hours for children, to help parents have a break from caring. Hospice PR and Marketing Manager Mary Doyle said: ‘We’re delighted, and very thankful, for everyone within the Palace Hotel & Casino for choosing Hospice Isle of Man as their fundraising focus for 2011. ‘The Hospice has to raise ?3.5 million a year to provide the services it does, and that is only possible with the support and hard work of businesses such as the Palace Hotel & Casino. We hope the events planned for the coming months are a huge success and that everyone taking part has a fantastic time.’ - Ends -