Duchess of Kent House Trust

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Introduction

In 2001 the Duchess of Kent House Trust charity was registered with the Charity Commission to fundraise for the Duchess of Kent House. Called simply the Duchess of Kent House Trust (Charity Commission's registration number: 1085912), its objectives are to provide a new focus for all fundraising associated with Palliative care in our area and to build on the excellent work done since 1992 and before. All new donations should now be made payable to Duchess of Kent House Trust.

Trustees include Irene Dallas (chair), an international corporate solicitor; Maureen Mosley, an accountant with BDO Stoy Hayward; Julian Walker of AB Walker & Son Ltd; and Fiona Greenhalf, recently retired as the Family Support Co-ordinator at the House. The charity appointed George Solly as the full-time fundraising manager. George has a broad fundraising, commercial, education and not-for-profit background. Particular areas of interest include schools, associations, affinity groups, local businesses and institutions, grant-making trusts, and mediums to large firms based in the Thames Valley.

{{}}== Background to the Trust ==

The new Trust was founded in March 2001 to provide a point of focus for all the fundraising activities, both existing and planned, that are needed to support Duchess of Kent House. The Trust's legal status is also defined as 'a Company Limited by Guarantee: registered in England, number 4032552.'

¿== Aims ==

The aim of the Trust is to raise sufficient funds to:

1. Continue the provision of specialist services and facilities not paid for by statuary funding. Services available for funding include psychologists, aromatherapists, dieticians, chaplains, patient transports, gardeners, bereavement services, patient outings and so on. These services cost £1200 per day to run, and the Trust is entirely dependent on kind donations to ensure that they continue to the benefit of day and in-patients.

2. Re-open beds previously available but not now open due to funding and staffing shortfalls. Duchess of Kent House originally had 22 beds available, but the number of beds was reduced to 18 in order to provide a much needed family suite for patients and their close relatives. In 2000 the number of available beds was reduced to 14 temporarily. By January 2003, the Trustees of the new Duchess of Kent House Trust announced that they would fund a further two beds at a cost of £100,000 each per annum, bringing the number up to 16 beds.

Other ways to support Duchess of Kent House will be considered by the Trustees, within the terms of the charity's Memorandum of Association, see following.

Mission Statement

To support the Duchess of Kent House serving west and central Berkshire in its provision of holistic and multi-disciplinary specialist palliative care, focusing on quality of life and the alleviation of distressing symptoms and to provide counselling for the bereaved families of patients who have received such care.

Memorandum of Association

The objects of the charity are to relieve sick and infirm persons, to offer bereavement aid, to provide palliative care and associated services and facilities for the relief of patients with the West Berkshire Priority Care Service NHS Trust and successors to the said Trust, and to provide or assist in the provision of counselling for the bereaved families of patients who have received such care.

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