Campaign gets off to £36,000 flying start

AN INCREDIBLE £36,202 has been raised in just one month by the Evening News-backed Buy a Brick campaign to rebuild St Columba's Hospice.

Since we launched the campaign in late April, our readers and hospice supporters have shown tremendous generosity, making donations in exchange for a "virtual brick" at the campaign site.

These virtual bricks can be dedicated in celebration or memoriam, and each donation will go to help bring the hospice's facilities into the 21st Century.

There is still a long way to go, though. The rebuild will cost 26 million, of which 7m is still to be raised. The Buy a Brick campaign asks our readers to help reach that total.

The project will see the Granton hospice completely overhauled, with new inpatient wards, more single rooms and en suite facilities. Outpatient and therapy areas will be renovated too, with new gardens, kitchens, and a teaching centre.

Nursing and administrative director Margaret Dunbar said: "We have been overwhelmed by the response to our appeal, which so far has raised an amazing 36,202. If you haven't already done so, please do 'Buy a Brick' and help us guarantee that St Columba's Hospice will be here to care for patients and their families for years to come.

"If you've made a gift already, thank you so much and please continue to spread the word."