Trucking for Willow Burn Hospice

Elddis Transport raises money for Willow Burn Hospice.

 

Here at Elddis Transport we take our corporate social responsibilities very seriously and we believe all companies should contribute to the community that supports them.
We have supported our local hospice, Willow Burn, for many years but we decided in 2007 to take our support one step further in order to boost its profile.
We allocated our 250th Mercedes-Benz Actros to Willow Burn, and had the vehicle sprayed with its own unique livery and accompanied with its own private number plate W111OWH.
Not only does the striking design capture the public’s attention and provides an excellent form of advertising for the hospice’s vital work, we have also pledged to donate £0.15p for every mile the vehicle travels. Our aim was to raise £50,000 over the next three years. As of June 2010 the money raised was £57,500.
Our staff are also very keen to get involved in raising money and 15 recently took part in the Great Northern Run on behalf of Willow Burn.

 

Why is trucking4willowburn so important?
A recent publication by the National Council for Palliative Care, recorded that County Durham has the 28th highest need for end of life care in England, yet out of 152 Primary Care Trusts Derwentside ranks 16th in terms of deprivation.  Therefore it has a significantly higher than average need for end of life care, combined with a higher than average annual incidence of deaths.  
As the only adult Hospice in Derwentside, the Hospice provides a vital range of services that enable people to make the most out of life. Each year hundreds of local patients and carers benefit from our services which include an In-patient unit, Day Hospice, Hospice at Home services and specialist clinics, all of these services are provided are free of charge.
Susan Jones of Willow Burn Hospice says: "Trucking4willowburn has launched the Hospice and opened doors for ongoing corporate discussions and support. It highlights not only Willow Burn but the Hospice movement.  Trucking4willowburn helps us to offer the care our patients need and we are enormously grateful.”

 

About Willow Burn Hospice
Willow Burn opened in 1989 as a result of two remarkable women, Irene Mortimer and Valerie Davison, who identified a local gap in the service of Hospice care and with the support of a very obliging Secretary of State set up Day Hospice Care with the help, in the early days, from Macmillan funding.   The Day Hospice service was expanded in 1991 to include In-patient services and, up until 2006, these were the only beds available in Durham.
Until 2009 only 30% of Willow Burn Hospice income came from government grants, the remainder of its income came from the goodwill of the people of Derwentside.  The Hospice has the unwavering support of our community, groups and individuals. It provides care and support for the community in Derwentside.