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March for Martlets!
Community asked to March for Martlets
Martlets is asking people in the community to connect with hospice care and get moving during the month of March with its fundraising activity, March for Martlets
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Martlets is encouraging everyone – young and old – to take a step in the right direction to raise money for their local hospice. Martlets has kept caring day and night for over 2,200 patients with life-limiting illnesses and supporting their loved ones across the community during the Covid-19 pandemic.
March for Martlets will be the charity’s first event of 2021 and, due to Covid restrictions, people are encouraged to sign up and pledge to raise sponsorship for their own personal walking, running or marching target. Martlets cares for local people across an area of 34 square miles of Sussex, taking in Brighton & Hove, from Portslade in the west to Newhaven in the east. The charity is hoping people will be inspired by that distance, so whether it’s a 3.4km walk per day, 34 times up and down the stairs every morning, or 34 miles in total, everyone can make a difference – sign up at www.martlets.org.uk/take-part
Over the past 12 months, Martlets’ charity shops have had to close during lockdown and all fundraising events have been cancelled, while the need for hospice care and support is greater than ever.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Martlets has seen a 25% rise in calls to its phone hub, which offers expert advice and support to patients, families, carers and other professionals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During April to September 2020, Martlets’ phone hub handled 7,456 calls from community patients and their families, and 7,891 from healthcare professionals. In many cases, crisis callers were only one call away from ringing 999.
Martlets supports people living with a terminal illness across the city and beyond. These people need pain management, symptom relief, emotional support and mobility care. Due to the impact of Covid-19 and social distancing measures, many people with a terminal illness are having to cope with long periods of isolation. They may also have decided not to go to hospital for treatment or visit their GP as often. This means the team at Martlets is working harder than ever to reach and support many more people with complex needs.
Martlets is hoping that it can encourage people to remember its hard-working doctors, nurses and wider healthcare teams, and show their support by virtually walking alongside them. Signing up to March for Martlets to raise a donation, no matter how large or small, will help Martlets to keep caring.
Imelda Glackin, Martlets chief executive, said:
“We’re looking to the future and doing everything we can to hold strong through the pandemic. We’re doing our best to provide the best care for patients and their families and avoid hospital admissions. However, working through Covid has felt relentless and support from our community at this time would mean so much to everyone as we need to make sure we can keep on doing what we do as we move forward.
Imelda Glackin
“As a charity in the heart of our community, I’m so proud of the commitment our team has shown and how we’ve kept connecting with patients and their families. We really hope our community will connect with us and March for Martlets.”
