A FUND-RAISING fanatic who has secured nearly £5,000 for a charity who cared for his sister prior to her death says he has no plans to stop.
Martin Wright, from Winshill, has devoted much of his time dreaming up fund-raising events for St Giles Hospice since his sister Alison passed away as a result of cancer five years ago.
The self-employed 53-year-old, whose company is sponsored by Plumbing Trade Supplies (PTS) in Burton, openly admits that he was unaware of the work the hospice did until he found that he needed their help, and as the charity prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary later this year, Mr Wright wants to keep spreading the word about the good work the charity does.
He said “My sister was cared for at St Giles before she passed away, so I got to know many of the nurses and volunteers there. Everyone at the hospice made a real difference to Alison’s wellbeing during the final days of her life. Before then I had never realised how important their work is.
“St Giles Hospice is a marvellous place and nothing is ever too much trouble for the staff. It wasn’t just Alison who benefited from being there, because they took care of her loved ones too.
“About a year after Alison had passed away, I decided to do some fund-raising for the hospice to show my support for their work – and it’s kept going from there.”
Mr Wright’s fund-raising events have included spending a year growing his hair and beard, organising a Christmas disco and a golf day, while some of the events have proved beneficial to Mr Wright himself, with a sponsored slim seeing him shift two stone.
He said: “The first thing I did was a sponsored slim. Soon after this, Plumbing Trade Supplies (PTS) in Burton upon Trent entered St Giles’ Dragon Boat Challenge on my behalf. I’ve constantly got some fund-raiser going on or being planned.
“St Giles means a lot to this community, which is why my friends, family and colleagues contribute to my events. They know that the hospice relies upon fund-raising to provide care for seriously-ill local people and their families.”
