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<p>Having had both relations and friends cared for by St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds, we want to help raise much needed funds. We are therefore by taking part in the <strong>Sahara Desert Trek and Challenge on 6-13 October 2012.</strong></p>
<p><strong>We need to reach our target by early July - so your help is needed now!</strong></p>
<p>During the trek we will cover 15-20kms per day in temperatures of around 30⁰C, camping out at night under the African skies, accompanied by our local Berber guides, not forgetting of course our ‘porters’ (the camels, to carry our equipment!) and learn how the nomadic people of the Sahara live.</p>
<p>At the end of the trek, we will spend two days helping on a range of tasks at St Gemma's sister hospice in Marrakech, to try and improve the conditions there for both the patients and staff.</p>
<p>Thanks for taking the time to look at our sponsorship page and please dig deep and donate whatever you can to help us to help them to help others. Thank you!</p>
<p><strong>About St Gemma’s Hospice:</strong><br><strong> * </strong>St Gemma's Hospice was opened in 1978 in Moortown, Leeds, and is the largest hospice in Yorkshire and one of the largest in the UK.<br><strong> * </strong>Specialist medical and nursing care is offered to people with life threatening illnesses in the Hospice’s In-Patient Unit, through the community team and via the Day Services. <br><strong>* </strong>Families and carers are also supported by the Hospice’s specialist bereavement workers who provide support to all including children and young people.</p>
<p>The services provided by St Gemma's Hospice are <strong>free to patients</strong>, families and carers, <strong>but are not free to provide</strong>. <br>For example, it costs St Gemma's Hospice:-<br><strong>-</strong> £435 per day to care for one In-Patient<br><strong>-</strong> £245 for a patient to visit St Gemma’s Day Services<br><strong>-</strong> £190 for a St Gemma’s Community Nurse Specialist to visit a patient in their own home<br><strong>-</strong> £110 to provide a specialist bereavement support session<br><strong>-</strong> £50 per group session to provide support to a child experiencing a loved one’s illness and death<br><strong>-</strong> £30 to provide telephone advice and support to an Out-Patient<br><strong>-</strong> £22,700 is the cost of running St Gemma's Hospice for one day</p>
<p><strong>Last Year (2010/11)</strong><br><strong>-</strong> St. Gemma’s Hopsice cared for over 2,500 people, received 1,009 new referrals and had 525 in-patient admissions.<br><strong>-</strong> The St Gemma’s Community Nurse Specialists made 3,219 visits<br><strong>-</strong> There were 1,844 attendances to St Gemma's Day Services.<br><strong>-</strong> The St Gemma's team delivered 1,129 bereavement support sessions to patients' families.</p>
<p>So please dig deep and donate now - thank you!</p>