Leading Wiltshire law firm Goughs Solicitors is delighted to announce that its Charity of the Year for 2016 is Julia’s House. Julia’s House is a children’s hospice dedicated to helping life-limited children and their families across Wiltshire and Dorset. They aim to open a new hospice in Devizes in Autumn 2017.
Every year Goughs considers a number of extremely worthwhile local charities and this year Julia’s House was chosen because of the life-changing support the charity offers to children and their families.
A team of nurses and carers offer year round assistance not only within the hospice, but also in the family’s home. They are able to provide a wide range of invaluable services such as frequent respite, complementary therapies, end-of-life care, emotional help and practical support.
The new Julia’s House Wiltshire service has received tremendous high-profile support from celebrities including Guy Ritchie, Michael McIntyre, Martin Clunes and Robert Downey Jr. And Goughs has become one of the first businesses to support this landmark project by pledging to raise £10,000 for the charity during 2016 through a variety of fundraising activities which include participation in the Chippenham Dragon Boat Race, the Corsham 10K run and the annual Goughs Charity Golf Day at Cumberwell Park Golf Club, Bradford-on-Avon. Goughs employees have already begun their support of the charity by signing up to the Julia’s House lottery.
Emma Taylor, a Partner at Goughs who oversaw the Charity of the Year selection process, commented: “It was a fascinating and very rewarding process to be involved in. There really are a large number of local charities that provide essential advice and support to so many people in the local community and as such it became very difficult to select only one.”
“But as a new mum myself I can only imagine how hard it must be for parents of a life-limited child and I think this resonated with everyone within the firm. We are dedicated to raising these essential funds to enable Julia’s House to continue to provide such incredible levels of care and support, not only for the child, but for the whole family.”
Ian Wadley, Wiltshire Fundraising Manager for Julia’s House, said: “We are delighted and very grateful that Goughs decided to support us and wish them luck in their fundraising attempts during 2016. We receive just 5% of our total annual funding from government, so support from local businesses and the wider community is absolutely crucial to our care.”
“Having access to frequent, free respite care, in our new hospice and also in the community and their own homes, will make such a huge difference to local families providing round-the-clock care to a seriously ill child. The new hospice will enable us to reach out to every family in Wiltshire that needs our support, no matter where they live.”
