Bereaved families raise more than £100,000 for Eastbourne charity

Grieving families who have entrusted their loved ones’ funerals to Sussex-based Payne & Sons Funeral Directors have set up tribute pages on online donation platform MuchLoved, helping to raise £105,000 for St Wilfrid’s Hospice.

The funeral directors, which has branches in Eastbourne and Hampden Park, is part of the Funeral Partners network – the UK’s third largest funeral business.

The funds raised will play a key role in the continuation of a range of vital services offered by the hospice, which relies on donations from the local community for 70% of its funding.

The charity provides end of life care to adults with life-limiting illnesses, whilst also supporting their families and carers. This takes place at their hospice building on Broadwater Way in Eastbourne and in homes and care homes across Eastbourne, Hailsham, Seaford, Heathfield and Uckfield.

The pages allow families and friends to celebrate the life of the person they have lost through the sharing of stories, photos, music and videos, and can be used to raise funds for charitable causes in honour of the person they wish to remember.

Since the partnership with MuchLoved began in 2015, local families who have participated in the service have made 1,690 online donations for St Wilfrid’s Hospice.

Speaking on behalf of the charity, In memory Co-Ordinator Jenna Stringer said: “It costs over £19,000 a day to provide care and support to local people at the end of their life, and most of that comes from our local community.

"We are so very grateful to those who have taken the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others during their own most challenging times.”