Government awards Myton Hospice more than half a million

Myton Hospice has received more than half a million pounds of Government funding.

Pictured: Jo Pemberton, Kate Lee (CEO), Margot Emery & Bernie McGarvey. — Myton Hospice has received more than half a million pounds of Government funding. Pictured: Jo Pemberton, Kate Lee (CEO), Margot Emery & Bernie McGarvey.

The Department of Health has agreed to award £442,000 to the charity to spend on improving counselling facilities and relative accommodation at its Warwick site, as well as a further £90,000 to make improvements at its hospice in Rugby.

Chief executive Kate Lee said: “We are delighted to have received these grants.

“The money will make huge difference to the patients and families we look after.”

Although Myton had requested £132,000 from the Government for its Rugby site, Ms Lee said: “The £90,000 won’t cover everything, but it is still a huge sum of money.

“The money for Warwick is also less than we had bid for, but it is still enough for us to create a nicer space for families who need to stay over and make more room for our counselling and psychology teams to work privately with patients.”

She added: “It is an exciting time, but we need lots more consultation about how we can achieve both of these projects successfully and within the budget we now have.

“These grants are fantastic, but they can only be used for capital projects, not running costs and the criteria which are very tight.

“We are always amazed at the level of loyalty and support we receive from the local community and will be relying on them to help us raise the £7.5 million we need to run our services this year.”

The grant is part of a £60 million package the Department of Health in November committed to spending on improving hospice buildings in the UK.

The money can only be used for specific projects and cannot be used towards the running costs of the organisation or services.

The Myton Hospices, a registered charity, has three hospices in Warwick, Coventry and Rugby and provides care and support for terminally ill patients and their families.

As well as donating to or volunteering for the charity, people can help raise funds by taking part in this year’s Walk for Myton, which offers participants a choice of three routes all starting at the Warwick hospice on Sunday May 19, or the Myton Cycle Challenge, which also offers three routes and takes place on Sunday August 18.

Braver souls can also do a skydive for Myton in July or October or take part in the charity’s night-time Moonlight Walk in September.

To find out more about the charity and all fundraising events, call 492518 or go online.