Huddersfield children's hospice shuts after electrical fire

A Huddersfield children's hospice is appealing for donations after an electrical fire has forced it to shut for over two weeks.

Forget Me Not hospice has had to temporarily close its doors to the 170 families it supported

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The fire, on January 12, spread quickly - affecting the main power supply, meaning that the whole building needs rewiring, redecorating and re-furnishing.

Children staying at the hospice with their families had to be evacuated - but the hospice is continuing to provide care for them at their own homes.

And they are asking for help from the public to help them get back on their feet. While most of the costs will be covered by Forget Me Not’s insurance, the fire has lost the charity about £140,000 as its fundraising HQ is out of action.

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People wishing to support the hospice are asked to take part in the #ForgetMeNotSwap – replacing their Friday treats, whether a coffee, glass of wine, or bar of chocolate, with a donation to the charity.

CEO Peter Branson said: “This has been a real setback for us at a time when we have children and families being referred to us weekly. We are always humbled by the support we receive from businesses and the community, but we need that support more than ever to help us recover from this and to keep caring for children and families who so desperately need us

“We appreciate that there are so many great causes out there who need support but would be so grateful if our supporters, local residents and businesses in and around West Yorkshire could get behind our #ForgetMeNotSwap on Friday and donate as much as they can to help us get back on our feet and recoup some of the vital funds we have lost over the past few weeks.”

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The cost of running Forget Me Not totals £10,410 per day, and with just 6% of its funding coming from the government, the charity must raise over £3.8m each year to ensure it’s able to provide the appropriate care and support to the children and their families.

The hospice opened in 2012.