Generous guests at a charity race day supported by Wynyard Park have helped to raise over £50k for Hartlepool’s Alice House Hospice.
The event, held at Sedgefield Racecourse in early September, was hosted by the developer of the upmarket housing scheme between Hartlepool and Stockton in support of the hospice and to celebrate the life of Joe Musgrave, a founder director of Wynyard Park.
Joe, who died in 2016, was also a founding patron of Alice House Hospice and his widow Mary said that he would have been delighted with the day and the final proceeds it raised for a cause so close to his heart.
“Joe was an avid racegoer who had many wonderful memories of the Sedgefield Racecourse and the day was a perfect memorial to his life.
“Alice House Hospice is a jewel in the crown of Hartlepool, due to the wonderful work it performs in caring for the seriously ill and he would have been very grateful for the support shown.
She added: “Joe was the love of my life – a true gentleman, who lives on through our children, Lynn, Lesley and Chris, with all being a great comfort to me since his passing.
“Joe would not have wished for sadness at the event so it was important to his memory that everyone enjoyed themselves and it is absolutely wonderful how much the day ended up raising for Alice House.”
Alice House Hospice is a vital resource to the communities of Hartlepool, East Durham and Stockton in providing a range of services and support to patients and their families who experience life limiting and terminal illnesses.
The Hospice’s main aim is the relief of suffering and to support people to live their lives to the full for as long as possible and to support families after their loved ones have gone.
Tracy Woodall from Alice House Hospice said: “Many people think that a hospice is a sad dark place where people go to die but this could not be further from the reality of a bright, happy uplifting place where patients and their families receive love, respect and dignity and are able to make their own choices with support from a range of professionals.
“Over the last 10 years, with the support of our communities, local businesses and people like Chris and Mary Musgrave, we have been able to expand our services and provide more care in the place where people want it for example, their own home or the long term unit.”
Chris and Mary Musgrave have recently funded the conversion of two more bedrooms on the long term unit and work is underway now to complete this conversion.
Tracy added: “This generous gift will ensure that many more people will benefit from the love and care we give for years to come and will provide a financial return of over £40,000 every year so Chris and Mary’s legacy will impact on the lives of many families.
“The long term unit is unique and, as far as we can establish, it is the only one in the country. This unit enables people to receive fantastic care from highly committed staff for as long as they need it.
“We cannot thank Chris and Mary enough for their generosity and commitment to the Hospice and we aim to ensure that the memory of Joe lives on through these rooms.”