Over £17,000 Raised for Hospice in Harpenden Colour Dash

Living Magazines Harpenden Colour Dash

Over 250 people came together in Rothamsted Park, Harpenden, on Sunday 25 June for the Keech Hospice Care Colour Dash. People of all ages walked or jogged the 5km route while being showered in coloured powder paint by bystanding ‘paint bandits’.

The event raised over £17,000 for Keech Hospice Care, which provides specialist care for adults in Luton and south Bedfordshire, and for children in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes living with a life-limiting illness. Care is provided from the hospice site and also in patients’ own homes, hospitals, schools and wherever support is needed the most.

Liz Searle, CEO of Keech Hospice Care, said: ‘It was fantastic to see so many people taking part in the Colour Dash, having fun and getting into the spirit. We really do rely on the generosity of the community to raise enough funds to keep Keech Hospice Care going. We simply could not do our work without them, as the vast majority of our funding comes from donations.

‘The Colour Dash was the perfect way to raise funds as well as providing an inclusive event that people could enjoy with friends and family, and remember forever. Events like this wouldn’t happen without the support from sponsors and volunteers, and we just can’t thank them enough. A big thank you goes especially to the team from St Hilda’s School, Harpenden, and the teams from Amazon – they were all amazing!’

Anya Walker from Harpenden took part in the Colour Dash with her family. She said: ‘Our whole family had such a great time taking part in the Colour Dash on Sunday. The kids particularly enjoyed throwing the colours at each other (and us!). How often are they allowed to get that mucky! It was such a fun atmosphere as we ran round the course together and all of us were on a high for the rest of the day. We will definitely sign up for next year and hopefully can help raise some more money for Keech.’

Daniel Sayers, Headteacher at St Hilda’s School, Harpenden said: ‘St Hilda’s have been fundraising for Keech Children’s Hospice all year so we were thrilled to sponsor the red station at the Colour Dash in Harpenden. Many St Hilda’s families joined in the action, raising over £1700. We were delighted to be a part of this fantastic local event for such a wonderful cause.’

Fundraising Facts

Every year, Keech Hospice Care must raise £6.3 million (that’s £17,000 per day) to continue providing their specialist care for children and adults, and their families.

Examples of where donations may go:

  • £65 provides bereavement care to help a family with their loss
  • £37 pays for one hour of nursing care
  • £26 funds a therapy session to help a patient come to terms with a diagnosis

A small thing you can do to help right now

The NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant provides crucial funding to children’s hospices in England. However hospices have been told by the NHS that this will be the final year of the grant. This will lead to cuts in crucial services like end of life care, short breaks and respite, and hospice at home services that hospices like Keech provide. Please sign the petition today to help save the £25 million Children’s Hospice Grant in England.