Metal recycling money given through cremation scheme.
Milton Keynes City Council has stepped in to ensure a local hospice is receiving a £12,500 boost thanks to a national scheme which recycles metal left behind after cremations.
Willen Hospice is the latest recipient of funding raised through the scheme, after the council nominated the charity. The hospice supports the families of end-of-life patients with bereavement and emotional care as well as caring for people in the local community who have life-shortening illnesses.
When a bereaved family gives permission, the city council works with the ICCM (Institute of Cemetery and Cremation Management) to raise funds from the sale of metals recovered after cremations at Crownhill Crematorium. The metals come from items such as medical implants and artificial joints.
It brings the total donated to local charities through metal recycling to more than £65,000 since 2014.
“We’re enormously grateful to the city council for our nomination of funds and ICCM,” said Nikki Poole, Community and Events Fundraising Manager at Willen Hospice. “We provide free expert care and support for local people with a life-limiting illness, and their loved ones, at what may be the toughest time of their lives. But as one of the most poorly funded hospices in the country, we rely on the generosity of our community to raise vital income for us. Events like this really do help us continue supporting patients and their families across Milton Keynes.”
“Thanks to the kindness of those families who give us their permission, this fund-raising scheme has enabled us to provide a boost to Willen Hospice who do so much to support the local community,” said Councillor Mick Legg, Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services. “Their compassionate care makes an enormous difference to those living with a life-limiting conditions and their families.”
In the past year, more than 1000 people have been supported in their own homes or cared for in the In-Patient Unit at Willen Hospice.
To learn more about Willen Hospice visit: https://willen-hospice.org.uk.
