Charity ball for three North Derbyshire hospices raises a huge £170,000

The Challenge Derbyshire event - attended by nearly 500 guests - takes the total raised for Ashgate Hospicecare, Blythe House Hospicecare and Helen’s Trust to over £750,000.

Held at Buxton’s Devonshire Dome, the ball included a four-course dinner and live music from band Function Fever.

It also featured a performance from Derbyshire children’s choir Perfect Pitch who have also raised more than £10,000 for the cause.

Caroline Morgan, whose husband Dean was cared for at Ashgate Hospicecare and Blythe House Hospice, gave an emotional speech.

She told guests: “People think of a hospice as a place of palliative care and death - I think of it as a place that gives life to those left behind.

“Your support is so vital - not just for the person with the illness or life limiting condition but also for families like mine and for children left to cope with life after loss.”

David Hopkins, co-founder of Challenge Derbyshire, said on the night: “Excellent end-of-life care provided by our three charities should not be a ‘nice to have’.

“With all three of our charities receiving barely 30 per cent of the funds they need from government it is essential that as local business owners and employers we play our part in helping to bridge that shortfall.”

If you are a business with links to Derbyshire and can help the cause, phone Jennifer McBain on 01298 72021.