Hooves 4 Hospice instrumental in fundraising for Midlands Hospice

One of the organisations which has been instrumental in fundraising for the hospice in the Midlands is Tullamore Lions Club which took the decision in July 2019 to spearhead a novel fundraising campaign called Hooves 4 Hospice.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent this week, Chair of the project, Kilbeggan-based farmer and businessman, Pat Lalor expressed his delight at the €20 million funding allocation for a Midlands Hospice. He also paid fulsome tribute to all the Lions Clubs across the Midlands who came on board to support the Hooves 4 Hospice campaign from the outset.

“When we launched the fundraiser we had two aims, to raise awareness about the urgent need for a hospice service in the Midlands, and to raise €1 million towards the project,” said Pat, who added that, to date, they have raised in the region of €600,000 through the rearing and sale of animals on farms right across the Midlands.

“The real heroes of Hooves 4 Hospice have been the farming community, because they got behind it from the very start, and we have also had schools, individuals and organisations who have supported it as well,” he said, “and I think you could also say that part of the success of the Lions Club fundraiser was the planning and professionalism that went into the campaign for the six month period from when the decision was first made to when it was launched in January 2020.”

Pat Lalor said the Hooves 4 Hospice committee will meet “in the coming weeks” to review their campaign in light of this week’s funding announcement, but added that they will continue with their fundraising until they reach their €1 million target. “There is not a hospice in the country that doesn’t have ongoing funding needs, so in ten or twenty years there will probably still be a need for fundraising for the Midlands Hospice.” he added.