We did it! Dorothy House Champions raise over £350,000 in 36 hours for Bridge the Gap

At 10am on 3 November, we launched our ambitious ‘Bridge the Gap Appeal’; a 36-hour fundraising super sprint, aimed at raising £350,000 for local care across our 800 square mile service areas.

The Bridge the Gap Appeal

Using a pioneering crowdfunding platform, over 230 amazing Champions came together to raise this incredible amount, each one sending out messages asking for support for Dorothy House to their networks of friends, family and colleagues.

Every single donation made was doubled thanks to a group of compassionate individuals, companies and trusts who had pledged over £175,000 in matched funding towards the appeal.

The passion and drive from Champions reaching out to family and friends to support Hospice care resulted in over 3,180 donations in the 36 hour window, totaling a staggering £370,000.

Don Kennedy, Head of Fundraising at Dorothy House said;

“Sometimes you are part of something that leaves you speechless. The kindness and generosity of our community, our matched funders, our amazing Champions, and those that answered their call. We simply cannot thank our community enough. The difference this will make for countless patients and families is immeasurable.”

The challenges hospice care faces

With no additional funding yet offered to Dorothy House, the National Insurance changes announced in the budget will cost us an additional £422,000 per year. Rising costs over several years have meant hospices across the UK, including Dorothy House, are facing growing financial pressure. With only 30% of care funding provided by the government, and not keeping pace with rising costs and changing need, generous local communities are unable to meet the shortfall.

To meet the challenges facing their community, we continue to innovate, ensuring we are doing all we can to provide more care for more patients and families. This innovation extends to our fundraising programme, with a new Bath City Zipline planned for spring 2025.

Thank you!

We would like to thank everyone who participated in making our Bridge the Gap Appeal a huge success, including our amazing Champions, our Ambassadors, our matched funders, our very hardworking Fundraising Team, and of course, the amazing supporters who donated.

If you haven’t yet donated to the Bridge the Gap Appeal and would like to, please click here.