St Columba’s Hospice in Edinburgh has today launched its new fundraising appeal – A Summer to Remember.

The appeal will raise money for the Hospice, to enable it to reach out further in to the community and support more people across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Members of the public are invited to make a donation and complete a piece of bunting with the name of their loved one and a special memory. The Hospice will collate all of the pieces of bunting and display it at a special event in Lomond Park, Trinity on Sunday 20 August.

The Hospice currently cares for more than 1,000 people every year in the community and at the Hospice. However, for a myriad of reasons, many people across the region who could benefit from palliative care are not receiving support that could enhance their quality of life with a terminal illness.

Over 500 patients are looked after by the Hospice’s specialist community nursing team each year, and through the funds raised from this appeal, the Hospice hopes to increase the number of people who are given its specialist care and support.

The services people can access include medical and nursing care, counselling, bereavement support, social work, chaplaincy, art therapy, complementary therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

All the Hospice’s services are provided free of charge to patients and families, and the Hospice relies on the support of the public to generate most of its annual running cost of £8.6 million.

Jon Heggie, director of fundraising at the Hospice, said: “Let’s make this a summer to remember by dedicating a piece of bunting to a loved one and supporting the Hospice. The more donations and pieces of bunting we receive, the more people we can hope to support in our community, whether that be near the Hospice in Trinity and Granton or further afield in East Lothian.”

People who wish to support the appeal can make a donation and fill in their bunting online at www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk/summer, or by calling the Hospice’s fundraising team on 0131 551 1381.