Foundations Appeal makes a third of its target in two months

The Foundations Appeal aims to raise £287,000 towards putting in place the foundations of the new hospice building on its site in Granton.

The charity’s fundraising team is appealing to residents of the Capital and beyond to dig deep and help them build state-of-the-art new facilities.

And the campaign is offering supporters a way of capturing their own memories of the hospice and those who have passed away there, by preserving them on the site after the building is demolished and rebuilt.

In exchange for making a donation, people can write their thoughts, memories or dedications on a specially-designed blue card dove and return it to the hospice.

All the doves will then be collected together and placed in a box– designed by local craftsman Eugenio Paolozzi – which will be laid in the foundations of the new building in August.

Organisers hope that this will enable people who have lost relatives at the hospice to continue to feel a part of St Columba’s even when it is transformed.

Campaign fundraising manager Martin Lawlor said the response since the appeal was launched at the end of January had been incredible.

“There have been a lot of donations, and a couple of large donations in there too – there’s been a £5000 donation and a £10,000 donation from individuals,” he said. “People have been very generous.”

The money will go towards the overall cost of the rebuild, which is expected to be £26 million in all.

The project will see the site at Granton completely redeveloped. New inpatient wards will be built, with fresh facilities for alternative therapies and for the families of patients, along with new gardens.

The first phase of the rebuild, the creation of a new education centre on land next to the hospice, has already been completed.

The money already raised includes more than £350,000 of donations made through the Evening News-backed Buy a Brick campaign. In all, the hospice already banked £20.8 million towards the project, but still needs to bring in a further £5.2 million.

The Foundations Appeal is aimed at raising cash specifically for the initial stages of the build. Mr Lawlor said: “The target for this appeal is £287,000 so there’s still a way to go – that’s what we need to raise to put the foundations down. So £100,000 is great – that’s more than a third of the way there after about seven weeks, but it’s still really important for as many people to get involved as possible.”

To make a donation, visit www.bluedove.org.uk or call the hospice on 0131-551 1381.