Care Home Transforms Into A Circus For Hospice Appeal

Residents at a Winchester care home donned red noses and comedy bow ties for their latest fundraiser for the city’s Hospice appeal.

Colten Care’s Abbotts Barton in Worthy Road is halfway through a year of joint fundraising for the new Hospice with its sister home St Catherines View in Stanmore Lane.

Residents, their families, friends and carers enjoyed an afternoon of circus-themed events, music and games, along with a delicious barbeque – raising £154 and bringing the fundraising total to date to £1,326.50.

Abbotts Barton manager Dee Lovewell said: “Support for the Winchester Hospice is tremendously strong amongst everyone at Abbotts Barton and St Catherines.

“Our residents and their families love a good party and we hold events throughout the year, so we are confident of raising a really nice sum of money for the Hospice by the end of 2019.”

Patients and their families are currently forced to travel to Southampton, Basingstoke or Andover for their nearest hospice care.

But the Winchester Hospice appeal aims to transform Burrell House in the grounds of the Royal Hampshire County Hospital into a state of the art end of life facility.

Around £3m is needed for the renovation of Burrell House.

Approximately £2.3m is already in place to build the hospice. But the project cannot be completed until the remaining £700,000 is raised.

Sabrina Marsden from the Winchester Hospice appeal attended the Abbotts Barton barbeque and even donned a circus ringmaster’s outfit for the occasion.

She said: “We were thrilled to learn that both Abbotts Barton and St Catherines View are supporting us through all their fantastic events this year.

“When it is built, the Winchester Hospice will be a testament to the hard work and determination of people of all ages from right across the area, including these lovely residents and their families and carers. We are extremely grateful to Colten Care and its homes for their support.”