Give Us Five … Ways to Help Naomi House

Naomi House Children’s Hospice is throwing open its doors this September to give people a peek behind the scenes and find out how it helps around 200 life-limited youngsters and their families every year.

Visitors will be able to see the hydrotherapy suite, multi-sensory room and play areas, which all help to enhance short lives by enabling youngsters to take part in activities not accessible to them elsewhere. The open weekend, from 22 to 24 September, coincides with this year’s Children’s Hospice Week, a national awareness event being held from 16-23 September.

“Naomi House is very much part of the community and was built and funded by local people for local families to use free of charge,” explains Chief Executive Ray Kipling. “From pennies to pounds, we value every donation we receive. There are so many ways to help us but for inspiration this autumn we’ve put together our top five – one for each day of Children’s Hospice Week.”

Naomi House’s Top Five Tips for Fab Fundraising

1.      Have we got your number?

One of the easiest ways to support us is by joining our new lottery which has a weekly jackpot of £1,000; not only is it a great way to show you care, but it will provide a regular and important source of income to help us plan for the future.

2.      Charity begins at home

Clearing out your clutter can uncover a treasure trove of items that are perfect to for us to sell in our shops. We’re always looking for good quality clothing, bric-a-brac, toys and games. Simply drop them off at our outlets in Andover, Boscombe, Cosham, Eastleigh, Fareham, Shirley or Winchester.

3.      Show your community spirit

Why not join one of our existing fundraising committees? Covering Andover to Windsor, Bridport to Trowbridge and everywhere in between, they are a great way to meet new people, have fun and help raise funds for our work. You could even team up with friends to form a new committee of your own – don’t forget our Community Fundraisers are always on hand to offer help and advice.

4.      Come up and see us sometime

Around 400 people volunteer for Naomi House; in the gardens, kitchens and play team, at our fundraising offices and warehouse in Winnall or in the community spreading the word. Volunteering at Naomi House is always varied and we offer training and induction – it’s a great way to use existing skills or gain new ones.

5.      Be our friend

A friend of Naomi House is someone who commits to supporting us regularly by setting up a standing order or direct debit. This regular commitment is so important to us because it means that we can plan for our future.  

Doors open from 10am until 5pm on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 September and from 11am to 4pm on Sunday 24 September for this year’s Open Weekend. Family fun entertainment and refreshments will be provided on Saturday and Sunday, thanks to our friends at Foresters , an international financial services organisation which measures its success not only by financial strength, but also by the positive impact it has on its members’ communities. 

• Sporty swimmers can also take part in a swimathon organised by the Association of Children’s Hospices (ACH - of which Naomi House is a member) and sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). High street supermarket, Somerfield, which adopted ACH as its charity of the year for 2006, is also supporting swimathon events nationwide. For a swimathon pack visit http://www.butterflyswim.co.uk/, call 0845 634 2197 or pick up a flyer from any Somerfield store.