Some of our guests

"A Celebration Of Fundraising Achievements" took place at Tring Park Cricket Club on Friday 4th April 2003. Its purpose is to give the Iain Rennie Hospice At Home a chance to say 'thank you' to the people who have raised money for us over the last year. Our "celebration" also gives us a great opportunity to showcase the imagination and ingenuity of our growing army of supporters and to celebrate their achievements and the seemingly limitless ideas they have for raising funds for us.

The guest list included people in three broad categories.

• Firstly, we paid tribute to those people who organised or took part in some sort of fundraising event for us. At Iain Rennie, we value everyone's support and it's not about how much money was raised. What is important is the effort and imagination that people put in to raising money for us. Those guests received a special achievement badge on arrival. Those unable to attend were sent their badges by post.
  
  
• Secondly, the evening was an opportunity to thank a number of grant making organisations, clubs and groups and the amazing fundraising groups who have supported us on a regular basis.
  
  
• Finally, we also invited along some of the people who were preparing to do something special for us: our Flora London Marathon team, for example. Hopefully, the experience of others spurred them on!

Tring Park Cricket Club: Friday 4th April 2003

The Iain Rennie Hospice at Home relies on fundraising and donations for most of its income. Each year we spend the best part of £2million on making sure that people in the Chilterns area of Herts and Bucks have the choice to be nursed at home during the final stages of a terminal illness. Fundraising activities contribute around £1.2million to this and if people stopped raising money for us, we simply wouldn't be able to continue. Everyone present helped us to achieve this by doing something to raise money. And as you'll find out, there really is no limit to the imagination, enthusiasm and commitment of Iain Rennie supporters.

Some of our guests

So this is our opportunity to say a sincere and heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who has played a part in keeping the Iain Rennie nurses on the road, caring for patients and supporting families. We also hope that, by illustrating the amazing ways that people have raised money, others may feel inspired to try their hand at something new, or maybe twist someone's else's arm and get them to do something to raise money.

We are proud to have awarded over 90 new Fundraising Achievement badges to people who have supported us over the last year. We hope they will wear their badges with pride and, when asked about it, perhaps use the opportunity to say a bit about Iain Rennie. Who knows, they might decide to get involved and we could be presenting them with a badge next year.

Before looking at some of the amazing fundraising that has been done over the last year, we'd like to tell you how we've spent the money you've raised. At the Iain Rennie Hospice At Home, we're totally focussed on doing just one thing: and that's providing care for our patients and their families.

We now employ over 50 nurses working right across the Chilterns area of Herts and Bucks. They care for patients of any age with any life-threatening diagnosis. We make no charge for the specialist nursing service we provide on an on-call basis, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

This year, with your help, our nurses have cared for around 750 patients. That's up around 20% on the previous year, and this has been done without taking on extra nursing staff.

It costs £4,700 a day to keep the service going, but as we keep our overheads to an absolute minimum, the average cost of providing care is still about £2,200 which reinforces our belief that caring for people at home makes enormous sense.

We're always being told by patients and families that the combination of practical, hands-on nursing care and a 24 hour on-call service that we offer is an absolute lifeline. We know that the service is valued and appreciated from the hundreds of letters we receive thanking us for the care we have provided.

So it's really important that we pass on the gratitude of our patients and their families to the people who help to make it possible. When we say "thank you" it's really on behalf of those patients and those families out there in the communities we serve.

Fundraising Groups

Janet and John Watson (left) and John and Doreen Batchelor (above): our Aston Clinton fundraisers

We're very fortunate to have a number of very successful Groups organising events large and small throughout the year. In some ways, they provide the foundation for much of our fundraising so we are extremely grateful to every member of our groups in High Wycombe & Amersham, Beaconsfield, Aston Clinton, Coleshill, Hemel Hempstead, the Speen Supporters Group and The Farnhams for their tireless support. This year they will have raised over £120,000.

Norman Stanley and Richard Nisbet from the High Wycombe and Amersham Fundraising Group

	Flora London Marathon Team 2002 Thank you to our 2002 team which raised over £25,000: Christine Forman (left); Jamie Chapman; Sue Bell: Sabrina Driver; Dejan Katavic: Robert Miles: Chris Pritchard: Pars Purewal; Christine Redmond; Bernadette Thomas; David and sons Jamie and John Walker; Martin Warden; John Fifield (Previous Award Winner); Mark Olsen (Previous Award Winner)

Grant Making Trusts

For many people, the work of Grant Making Trusts goes largely unnoticed, but for many charities (and particularly the IRHH) income from trusts is invaluable. Over the last year we have had exceptional support from trusts which have made grants totalling more than £112,000. We value special relationships with a number of trusts, many of whom have been introduced to us by supporters such as yourselves.

We also gratefully acknowledge support from many Masonic Lodges and other societies who make regular donations.

IRHH Home & Shop Boxes Scheme

In 2002/3 IRHH Home Boxes produced £7,600 and Shop Boxes produced £11,500.
Special thanks to the following whose boxes have raised huge amounts over the last few years:

Sport Colin Rees and Clive Cohen from Tring Running Club

Special thanks to Rob Brown, Clive Cohen (Previous Award Winner) and Colin Rees from Tring Running Club for organising the Tring Midsummer Fun Runs which take place in June each year. Last year they raised over £3500 Rod Harvey of Handy Cross Indoor Bowls club which raised £3,400. Norman & Frances Grundon whose St George's Day Shoot raised over £25,000 Tring Squash Club who ran an All Night Squash Tournament raising £1500. Organisers were Dave Kerr and Geoff & Roxanne Ransley

Christine Smethurst and Fay Green representing Chesham Bowling Club which organised a Bowlathon which raised £1600	Sue Littler from Tring who took part in the Iron Man Challenge in Lanzarote and raised £1500

Events Many people organise fundraising events in aid of the IRHH. We wish to thank the following: Gordon Rolfe and friends for organising a Jazz Night in Bovingdon which raised £1144 John Howard Fun Day in Hemel Hempstead. Organisers: Loretta Anderson, Martin Crowhurst, Maureen Flint Antiques Valuation Day in Tring. Thanks to IRHH patron, John Bly Open Gardens. Thanks to Virginia Bly Ball held at Breakspear's, Hemel Hempstead. Thanks to Diane Chambers and Helen Harwood Jubilee Street Party in Tring. Thanks to Linda Donaldson Betty Longhurst organised a Bridge Drive at Tring Squash Club Constance Mullins allowed us to benefit from her recent 80th Birthday Party and her trip to Las Vegas 40th Birthday Celebrations: Ian and Amanda Miscampbell For Pure Pleasure, represented by Valerie Woodford. An organisation which allows IRHH to benefit from many of the trips and events it organises Mabel Fletcher who organised a Quiz Night in Potten End

John Rowland for organising "A 'P' Themed Evening" which raised £1286 Peggy Bainbridge (pictured with the Mayor of Tring, Cllr Helen Armstrong) organises an annual Book Browse in Tring. Last year it raised £445

Hazel Connor (pictured with the Mayor of Tring, Cllr Helen Armstrong) organises an annual Ploughman's Lunch in Marsworth	Robin and Patsy Kemp allowed IRHH to benefit from their Ruby Wedding Celebrations

Pubs

Special thanks to:

Sponsored Events

BP Beaujolais Champagne Challenge A fantastically successful event which raised £28,000 in 2002. We record our special thanks to organisers Tony Newman, Ted Green, Mac Challis and Chris McHenry (pictured with his wife Lynne). More…

	Wine Tastings Thanks to the following for holding Wine Tastings in support of the BP Beaujolais Champagne Challenge: Tom & Helen Getley (left) Askett Informals: Carolyn Woodbridge

Golf Events

Golf events raise an increasingly large amount of money for us. We wish to thank the following:

Mayors' Appeals Cllr Helen Armstrong, Mayor of Tring Cllr Ian & Mrs Sarah McEnnis, current Mayor and Mayoress of High Wycombe Cllr Derek & Mrs Janet Townsend, previous Mayor and Mayoress of the Borough of Dacorum raised £44,000 (picture right)

Service Clubs

We receive terrific support, from Lions, Round Table, Ladies' Circle, 41 Club, Tangent, Rotary, Inner Wheel each year.

Special thanks to Wendover & District Round Table for organising an on-line Sports Memorabilia Auction and Quiz which raised over £4000. Organisers: Mervyn Ramsey, David Mead, Phil Reid.

Young People

Thanks to:

• Simon Dwight, Tring School who organised a Football Tournament which raised £101
  
  
• Emma Elborn (age 10) of Kings Langley who raised £130 by running a Half Marathon
  
  
• Jessica Hudson (age 10) of Tring who raised £17.70 through a sale
  
  
• Lewis Sheller of Thame who raised £50.00 through Community Service for his Duke of Edinburgh Award

Emma Elborn	Jessica Hudson

Other Ideas Our thanks go to the following: The Christmas Festivity Draw at Tring Farmers' Market raised £900. Thanks to Janet Stupples and Johnny Watherston John Fox and Margaret Barnard (pictured) recorded a CD with Ken Harratt entitled "Cameo" Cynthia Skingley has been sending us the proceeds of her Cake Sales for many years Kate Smith (pictured) raises money for us through Fashion Sales The Wendel Singers' popular concerts organised by John Fryer raise funds for us Joyce Bailey and Irene Cammegh write and mark the IRHH Annual Quiz which raised over £1000 this year

John Fox and Margaret Barnard Kate Smith

Local Media

At Iain Rennie, we believe that fundraising success is directly linked to public awareness about our work. If we could somehow tell everyone in our catchment area about the service we offer to patients and families, the struggle to raise funds might not be quite so tough. Iain Rennie's success in raising public awareness would not have been possible without the backing of the local press and radio. And we're not only talking about the newspapers, we owe a lot to the parish and village magazines too.

We would like to publicly thank the editors and reporters from:

• The Gazette
  
  
• The Bucks Free Press
  
  
• The Buckinghamshire Advertiser
  
  
• The Bucks Herald
  
  
• Swan FM
  
  
• Mix 96
  
  
• Editors and contributors to all the local and parish magazines

Chris Langford of Langford and Company made a donation to the IRHH instead of sending Christmas cards	Maud and Archy Eager provide the IRHH with tremendous support by producing many of our leaflets and publications