Select gifts EV to hospice
14/02/2025
A respected hospice has thanked Select Car Leasing after being gifted a brand-new electric vehicle to help doctors and nurses care for patients.
St Michael’s Hospice is a ten-bed inpatient unit in Basingstoke that supports people across North Hampshire who have a life-limiting illness, who are facing end-of-life care, or who are experiencing bereavement.
For Chris Griffiths, Operations Director, the ethos is for the hospice to be like a “hotel” - and “as far from a hospital as possible.” The hospice works with people who are living with complex conditions.
Symptoms are brought under control by the hospice’s expert palliative care team before the patient can, if they wish to and it is possible, return home and be supported by the ‘Hospice at Home’ team. This is where the new EV - a Volkswagen ID.3 - handed-over by Select Car Leasing will be put to work.
Chris said, “We’re extremely grateful to receive such incredible support from Select Car Leasing. The new VW ID.3 really is a game-changer for our doctors, nurses and support staff.
Select Car Leasing, headquartered in Reading, Berks, has supported St Michael’s Hospice since 2021 when it first donated the use of another car - a Vauxhall Grandland X - to Chris and his team.
The hospice costs £15,000 each day to run, and St Michael’s receives less than 16% of that funding from the NHS. St Michael’s instead relies on charitable donations and generates revenue via its ten charity shops located across North Hampshire.
The hospice’s National Insurance burden has increased by £100,000 this year, stemming from changes announced in the Autumn Budget. While Chris is optimistic for the future, the hospice’s reserves are not bottomless and St Michael’s welcomes additional financial help.
If you’d like to fundraise or offer financial support to St Michael’s Hospice, Basingstoke, click here or email fundraising@stmichaelshospice.org.uk.
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