Sturminster Rotary Club donates £1000 to CLIC Sargent

The Rotary Club of Sturminster Newton donate £1000 for new “haven” for young people with cancer. 

At the meeting on Tuesday 16th October, the Sturminster Newton Rotary Club were delighted to present Liz Blunt, CLIC Sargent Fundraising and Engagement Manager for Dorset, a cheque for £1000 that was raised by the Rotary Ladies' Tombola stall at the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival in September.

The funds went directly towards a new “Home from Home” for families to stay in whilst their child is receiving cancer treatment at Southampton Hospital.

The Rotary Club, who have been supporting CLIC Sargent since 2008, were inspired to donate after hearing about the appeal from CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, who are transforming a former Shirley B&B into a new ‘Home from Home’, called 'Jean’s House', in Southampton. 

The home, due to be opened soon, will provide vital free accommodation for young patients and their families whilst undergoing cancer treatment at nearby specialist Southampton Hospital to where most young cancer patients from Dorset have to travel.

Jean’s House will have seven en-suite family bedrooms, (sleeping up to four people), two open plan kitchen/diners, two lounges and a teenagers’ space, to help families spend more time together and avoid often debilitating travel and accommodation costs. 

The new home will replace the charity’s existing Home from Home at CLIC Haven, which opened in the grounds of Southampton Hospital in 1991, and has supported thousands of families.  In 2017/18 there were 113 family stays of an average length of three weeks. Jean’s House has been specially designed to be bigger and better, offering more space and comfort for families.

Peter Gauntlett, President of the Rotary Club said: “We know that local Dorset families use CLIC Haven and will be using Jean’s House when it opens. We are delighted to donate £1000 towards the new Home from Home that will help local families.”

Liz Blunt, CLIC Sargent Fundraising and Engagement Manager for Dorset said: “We really appreciate the generous donation from The Rotary Club of Sturminster Newton and also their continuous support at the CLIC Sargent Fun Day at Henstridge Airfield. We don’t receive government funding, so are incredibly grateful to the club for supporting our Home from Home, which is a real lifeline for families, when many miles from home. I hope that other local people and companies are inspired by their amazing generosity to help us house even more families in desperate need, saving them hundreds of pounds and bringing crucial home comforts in a time of great turmoil.”

To make a donation, please go to  www.clicsargent.org.uk/movinghomesouthampton