Derry shoppers back record-breaking NI Hospice fundraiser

PICTURED ABOVE: Pamela McNeill, Community Fundraising Coordinator at Northern Ireland Hospice, Janine Southhall Store Manager at Tesco Northcott, Community Champion Joanne Young (Tesco Northcott) and Michael Nugent, Community Outreach Manager at Northern Ireland Hospice.

Shoppers in Derry have played their part in a record-breaking Northern Ireland-wide fundraising drive, helping to raise a massive £52,421 for the Northern Ireland Hospice.

In Derry, bucket collections held at the Lisnagelvin and Strand Road Tesco stores contributed a combined total of £584.44 to the final tally.

The record-breaking total was raised during a single weekend of bucket collections. Community spirit was at the heart of the campaign, with Tesco Community Champions, local community groups, and Northern Ireland Hospice volunteers joining forces across 30 stores.

The funds will support Northern Ireland Hospice in continuing its vital work, helping 4,000 infants, children and adults each year through specialist respite, symptom management and end-of-life palliative care.

READ NEXT: Rain fails to dampen spirits at Derry’s St Patrick’s Day parade

Horizon House, the charity’s dedicated children’s in-patient unit in Newtownabbey, is the only facility of its kind in Northern Ireland. It provides essential care for children with life-limiting conditions, while also supporting families through some of the most difficult times in their lives.

Tesco Community Champions gathered at Tesco Extra Northcott, also in Newtownabbey, to celebrate the campaign’s most successful result to date. The store raised an outstanding £2,471.23. The store’s Community Champion Joanne Young said: “It’s amazing to see our community come together to make such a meaningful difference for a charity that means so much to so many people across Northern Ireland.”

Michael Nugent, Community Outreach Manager at Northern Ireland Hospice, commented: “We are incredibly grateful to Tesco and its customers for this fantastic achievement. It is a wonderful example of the support the public continues to show for the Hospice, and this generous donation will make a real and tangible difference. It will help Northern Ireland Hospice continue to provide vital palliative care to children and adults across our community.

“It is thanks to partnerships like this that we can be there for families when they need us most.”

To support Northern Ireland Hospice or make a donation, visit www.nihospice.org/donation.