As part of its ongoing commitment to charitable initiatives and community support, Lloyds TSB on the Isle of Man has announced its long-term engagement with the Island based organisation, Hospice at Home.
First established in 1998, the Isle of Man’s Hospice at Home Service is a joint scheme provided by Hospice Isle of Man and is supported by the Diana Princess of Wales Care at Home Trust – an Isle of Man registered charity which aims to provide high-quality care to patients, carers and support workers in cases where the patient has elected to remain at home. Hospice at Home aims to provide the same vital services, enabling patients with life-limiting, life-threatening or debilitating illnesses to be administered with regular general or palliative care from the comfort of their own home and by registered nurses and experienced health-care professionals.
The organisation also offers a range of related courtesies and has provided comfort, access volunteer services, teaching, pain management and bereavement counselling to thousands of sufferers and carers over the years. In the past two years alone, Hospice at Home Isle of Man has received 96 referrals from patients wishing to receive care remotely, with a total of 1,751 hours being dedicated to providing care by a multi-disciplinary team of volunteers and experts. The majority of its funding is raised through charitably donations and fund-raising events, however, in order to sustain its excellent standards of service, the Hospice needs to raise millions annually.
Lloyds TSB has encouraged employees to donate their time as well as their money to a series of events which are to take place throughout the coming year, the most recent being a charity quiz night at Bar George hosted last month by Guest Quizmaster Stuart Baggs of TV’s The Apprentice fame, which raised £2,000. Forthcoming events include cake bakes and charity auction dinners, an annual Golf Day, which last year raised £2,040, and a colleague baton race between Lloyds TSB branches. Colleagues Jo Wright, Scott Beecroft and Jamie Hayes also took part in this year’s Good Friday Race on 6th April, a grueling 10 kilometer run which sees hundreds of competitors test themselves on Port Erin and Port St. Mary’s notoriously hilly roads.
Trevor Kirk – Senior Manager of Corporate Banking at Lloyds TSB commented on the bank’s decision, “We are all very proud to have chosen Hospice at Home and of our colleagues’ unerring commitment to such a worthy cause. Hospice at Home’s dedicated volunteers and nurses provide untold comfort to those suffering from these debilitating illnesses and we are happy to offer our support wherever we can.”
Lloyds Banking Group was the UK’s biggest corporate investor in 2010 and last year invested a total of £85 million in communities across the country, including support for financial inclusion, sponsorship for the provision of sporting equipment and tutoring for young persons, and support to the banking group’s growing portfolio of Charitable Foundations. This year and with the support of branches nationwide they hope to raise even more, dedicating thousands of man-hours and pounds in order to make a real and tangible difference to local communities and organisations.
