Charity wishes Gainsborough a very ‘Marie’ Christmas after giving residents help to smash £500k fundraising target

The society’s Hour of Need campaign was launched in 2014 with the aim of raising £500,000 by December 2016 – enough to support over 25,000 hours of nursing care for people with a terminal illness and their families across the UK.

Thanks to the strength of support for the campaign, the fundraising target has been reached a year early with the current total standing at more than £700,000.

Every £20 raised funds one hour of care and customers and colleagues at the Yorkshire Building Society branch in Gainsborough have contributed £866 to the campaign, the equivalent of 43 hours of Marie Curie nursing care.

To celebrate, the branch, on Market Place, will be hosting a Christmas themed thank you event on Monday, December 14 where people can enjoy some festive treats from the society.

People can also show their support for Marie Curie and spread a little festive cheer by buying a set of the charity’s stylish Christmas tree decorations with all proceeds supporting the Hour of Need campaign.

Lola Rowe, a Marie Curie Hospice nurse, said: “Thank you to everybody who has contributed to the Hour of Need fundraising campaign for Marie Curie.

“It is an amazing amount of money that has been donated to date and is allowing myself and my colleagues to provide even more support to people in their hour of need.”

Meena Singh, manager of the Gainsborough branch of Yorkshire Building Society, said: “We’re so proud that our customers in Gainsborough have helped us to make this the society’s most successful ever national fundraising campaign.

“We hope our customers will call in so we can give them some Christmas treats to say thank you.

“The Hour of Need campaign is having a real impact on terminally ill people and their families and we will continue to raise even more money over the next 12 months.”

Dr Jane Collins, chief executive of Marie Curie, said: “We’d like to say a huge congratulations and thank you to all the Yorkshire Building Society staff and customers who have supported the Hour of Need campaign so far and made it such an overwhelming success.

“Raising more than £500,000 with more than a year left of the campaign is truly amazing and will make a real difference to people with a terminal illness and their loved ones across the UK.”