Coronavirus

Dear friend of Hope

Among the many words I’ve seen describing these times, they include those such as, “challenging, uncertain, turbulent, unprecedented”, and we perhaps should include “reflective”. Reflective of what’s important and what is less so!

These are without doubt unprecedented times; there is no textbook, guidance or flowchart to guide us through this. As a small charity, we are understandably concerned about the impact of this unfolding crisis – on our beneficiaries, our staff and volunteers..

There are almost 180,000 registered charities in the UK and thousands of not-for-profit organisations. Like them, we with your support, will step up to the challenge of providing continued support and assistance to those in great need, even when our own organisations are at risk.

With 80% of registered charities in the UK having an annual turnover of less than £200K, small charities are the very foundations of the sector. It is our mission to make sure we continue to do what’s important to Hope Against Cancer - to be able to fund life-saving cancer research right here in Leicester, so that a particularly vulnerable group of people at this time, continue to receive the very best treatment and therapies that research is continually uncovering.

The public are retrenching in fear, panic-buying, and today we do not have the “Blitz Spirit” we’re told!

Let’s reflect that in wartime Britain, a period of undoubted selflessness and heroism, at the same time, police officers had to be posted outside bombed properties in major cities to stop looters. We should not fall into the trap of doing ourselves down today. Community and charitable spirit are abundant.

Only yesterday I heard a story about a gin distillery in the West Country who were using their considerable skill working with alcohol to make hand-sanitising gel and giving it out free if people brought their own small bottles to fill and correspondingly gave a donation to a Bristol children’s charity. Not a commercial move to exploit a crisis, but a great corporate/charity partnership. Joint branded sticky labels were produced and excellent PR. If there are any local spirit distillers out there who want to innovatively support us, why not rise to that challenge?? (If anyone reading this knows of one, please pass this on to them)!

With your help, when this crisis is over we’ll still be here providing support to local cancer patients the only way we know how, through funding world class research. Even in these uncertain times, we remain tirelessly committed to beating cancer. Undoubtedly, this crisis will have an economic impact on our fundraising and if you would like to enable us to continue our research, please continue to support us. We receive no government support for our research, so we are entirely reliant on the generosity and loyal support of our corporate partners and generous community groups and individuals to support our work.

If you’re looking for ways to support us, visit our donate page: www.hopeagainstcancer.org.uk/ donate

We need our community to be here for us now more than ever and would like thank you in advance for your continued kindness and generosity.

And to begin where I started reflecting, let’s reflect on a favourite quote: "It will all be OK in the end, and if it isn’t OK, it’s probably not the end!"

Wishing you all retention of health.

Nigel

Hope Chief Executive