2020
2020 was a tough year for most of the world. Covid-19 presented profound challenges in the personal and professional lives of everyone. For many charities, this most acutely affected the ability to fundraise; the Pepper Foundation was not immune to this. So more than ever we relied on our community for help. We are proud to say that we were amazed by the response.
Even with the hurdles presented by last year, our creative supporters participated in all manner of unique fundraising activities. We were bowled over by the generosity of our corporate and funding partners. And our volunteers continued to play an indispensable part, putting in hundreds of hours of work in support of the charity.
This amazing support enabled the Pepper Foundation to continue funding the nursing service, despite the difficult circumstances.
A note from our Chair
Pat Daley is the Chair of the Pepper Foundation and plays an important part in managing the strategic direction of the charity.
“I am proud that the children’s nursing service that Pepper funds continued to operate despite all the challenges that 2020 brought. The nursing service adapted to work, within official guidelines, with children and families receiving more of their care by telephone and Zoom.
All of our fundraising events, including the annual Pepper Show, were cancelled because of Covid-19 leaving a massive hole in our fundraising income. I would like to thank all of our generous personal and corporate donors and supporters who helped us enormously. In combination with a one-off legacy and other unexpected grants, we were able to achieve many of our fundraising targets against all the odds. This means that the Pepper Foundation is able to continue its financial support for the nursing service into 2021.”
– Pat Daley, Pepper Foundation Chair
Nursing Service
The purpose of the Pepper Foundation is to give children with complex health needs access to care at home. This is achieved by raising money as the Pepper Foundation and funding the children’s hospice at home service, which is provided by Rennie Grove Hospice Care.
Covid-19 created difficulties for any charity that provides in-person support. To ensure that we could continue to provide services, the hospice at home service adapted.
The Rennie Grove nurses provide flexible and responsive support tailored to the needs of each child, enabling the children and their families to live as fulfilling a life as possible. The nurses also provide essential support and respite for the parents, siblings, and carers of the child patients.
The Children’s Hospice at Home team worked solidly through lockdown, providing a 24/7 service to families in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Last year, the team cared for a total of 62 children with life-limiting conditions. They provided vital clinical care for children day and night, carrying out 344 visits and making 1,792 phone calls.
Fantastic Fundraising
The endorsement we received from corporate and funding partners during 2020 was nothing short of amazing. We received donations from small local businesses to large international organisations, and everything in between.
We are proud to have been involved with Global Radio’s Make Some Noise Emergency Appeal, which made major contributions to the Pepper Foundation in terms of donations and exposure. Read more about our involvement with Make Some Noise here.
We couldn’t talk about 2020 without mentioning our supporters. They went above and beyond in 2020. Their fundraising efforts made sure that the Pepper Foundation could continue funding the children’s Hospice at Home nursing service. Read all about some of the fundraising achievements of our supporters and volunteers here.
Family Events
As well as funding the nurses, the Pepper Foundation organises events for families we’re helping. We offer children and their families a bit of normality, no matter how short.
In a normal year, we would be running family events all year round. Unfortunately, in 2020 we were only able to run one event. However, that event – a trip to Willows Activity Farm – provided a great day out for 12 families. Being unable to provide a normal calendar of events for the year really highlighted just how important it will be for us to be able to offer family events again, as soon as it is safe to do so.
“The family events organised by Pepper allow us to have days out together at places we wouldn’t normally be able to afford. I have made some really great friends along the way, so thank you!”
The Pepper Show
One of the 2020 fundraising losses was the annual Pepper Show. This year would have been the 32nd year of the show. Behind the scenes, the Pepper Show cast and crew tried their best to recreate the show in a digital format, but unfortunately, it was not possible due to the restrictions in place at the time. When all of our 2020 events were canceled – including the Pepper Show – we were left with a huge hole in our annual funding. But we were really moved by the generosity of Pepper Show patrons, with many people donating the amount that they would have spent on their show ticket.
Hope for 2021 and beyond
Despite the optimistic news that a Covid-19 vaccine brings, it is still difficult to know how 2021 will progress. The good news for the Pepper Foundation is that 2020 gave us the confidence and experience to know that we will be able to both fundraise and ensure the nursing service continues, no matter what the year throws at us.
We hope that the Pepper Show will be able to return this year; as a major part of our fundraising, and a great way of raising the visibility of the Pepper Foundation. We also hope that we will be able to begin running family events again at some point; these are an important emotional outlet for the families the hospice at home service helps.
We genuinely hope that the Pepper Foundation will reach the mid-point of 2021 and be looking at a more positive end to the year for everyone. But in the meantime, we are committed to ensuring that the hospice at home nursing service is fully funded and able to help children and families that need it most.
The care services we help to fund are provided are at no cost to patients or their families. The Pepper Foundation relies on donations to help Rennie Grove provide this vital supportive care.
Donate to The Pepper Foundation.