NBS Hands Up for Hospice 2024 a big success!

NBS Hands Up for Hospice was a month-long appeal held in May, reaching into the community to ask for help so Nelson Tasman Hospice can continue to support more than 210 local patients diagnosed with life-limiting illnesses and their families, every month. Community groups, local businesses, schools, retirement villages and individuals all came together to help raise over $115,000* for Nelson Tasman Hospice. We are very thankful for the support of our compassionate community.

A variety of lifestyle and retirement villages came on board to support, hosting raffles, silent auctions or High Teas and encouraging their residents to engage with Nelson Tasman Hospice. This included Summerset Richmond Ranges, Abbeyfield Motueka, Stillwater Village, Coastal View Lifestyle Village and Arvida The Wood.

Community groups such as book clubs, sports groups, Fabric-a-Brac, Cultural Conversations, Sioux Line Dancers, Textile ResQ, and BNI Hive-Minds Connections, helped raise over $15,000, including various fundraisers hosted by businesses such as Stoke Medical Centre, Smart Business Centre, Bidfood, Nelson College for Girls, Waimea Intermediate and NBS branches.

Highlights included Olive Estate Lifestyle Village and Paragon Eatery raising $30,000 through various public and private events including a silent auction, fashion show, craft market, bingo and a quiz night, among many more.

Many local businesses donated a portion of their sales to ‘Raise’ for Hospice during the month of May, including Alioke, Nelson Classic Car Museum, Nelson Marine Centre, Cultural Conversations’ ‘Headbands for Hospice’, the Rutherford Hotel, Rust Kitchen, Eat Italy, Tāhuna Breakfast Club and more.

The final event of the appeal, MoreFM Heave for Hospice, finished the appeal with a bang at 4pm on the 31st of May at the top of Trafalgar Street. 21 teams, including the Tasman Mako, NBS Nelson Giants and a team of children under 14 years of age engaged in a friendly tug-of-war. The event raised over $18,000 and provided an evening of entertainment for the whole family. Businesses at the top of Trafalgar Street also hosted a ‘Hospice Happy Hour’ during the event, where they donated $1 of each drink sold to Nelson Tasman Hospice.

Providing free specialist palliative care to 685 patients and whānau annually is no small task, and our $3.5 million annual shortfall in funding means that the future of our services are not guaranteed. Please continue to support Nelson Tasman Hospice throughout the year so that we can continue to be there for locals diagnosed with life-limiting illnesses, their whānau and carers, through illness, death and bereavement.

A special thank you to NBS our champion sponsor for Hands Up for Hospice, Publik Agency for their marketing support. MoreFM for sponsoring and promoting the Heave for Hospice and TSM for their media support.

*Totals not finalised at time of print