Gideon Amos MP calls for hospice support

Gideon Amos MP has pledged his support for St Margaret’s Hospice after visiting its headquarters in Taunton.

He was given a tour of the facilities by the Clinical Director, Clare Barton, before a meeting to hear about the challenges faced by the charity.

Mr Amos was told the hospice, which also operates out of Yeovil, costs £15million a year to run but only receives £3million in government funding – leaving it needing to raise the remaining £12million.

“I found my tour of the hospice absolutely fascinating,” he said afterward. “St Margaret’s obviously does an amazing job, helping something like 5,000 people every year.

“It’s extremely worrying that it does not receive more funding and it’s only thanks to our wonderful community that it is able to provide its essential services.

“I raised the plight of our hospices in Parliament before Christmas and will keep banging the drum on their behalf.

“In the meantime, I implore everyone in Taunton and Wellington to do everything they can to support St Margaret’s so that it can carry on its fantastic work.”

Clare Barton said afterwards: “We appreciate Mr Amos taking time to visit our hospice.

“Having a voice in Parliament advocating the value of high-quality palliative care and the need for increased support for hospices is invaluable.

"For 45 years, we have been providing free care to individuals with life-limiting illnesses, and we rely on this continued support to ensure we can remain able to provide high quality, safe palliative care now, for the next 45 years and beyond."

You can find out more about St Margaret’s Hospice by visiting its website: https://www.st-margarets-hospice.org.uk/

You can donate to the hospice via this link: https://www.st-margarets-hospice.org.uk/donate-now