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“True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. ” ― Martin Luther King Jr. People who need end of life care should not be reliant upon the generosity of others in order for it to be provided- in a caring society it is our responsibility to ensure we ALL contribute to such an essential service. On average just 32% of hospice care is funded through taxation and shockingly for children's end of life care it is even less (http://www.helpthehospices.org.uk/our-services/running-your-hospice/policy/hospice-funding/). This is clearly a page to ensure that St Luke's meets it's annual fund-raising burden of £4 million, so by all means DO donate. However, the real purpose is to encourage YOU to pressure your MP to fight to secure FULL government funding for palliative care services in this country, so instead of heroic efforts to raise daunting amounts of money for sick and dying people the staff at St Luke's and other hospices across the country can get on with what they do best- providing first-class end of life care. If we don't work to secure government funding, another terminally ill person will back here next year or in five years time doing the same thing. As Martin Luther King says, we need to restructure the edifice that creates the beggar, not just throw a coin. So please follow these simple steps. <ol> <li> Find your MP by putting your post-code on this site <a href="http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/">http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/</a> And write them a letter or email requesting that they fight to secure full government funding for hospice services across the country. Make sure it's polite, reasonably short and includes the following “On average just 32% of hospice care is funded through taxation and shockingly for children's end of life care it is even less (<a href="http://www.helpthehospices.org.uk/our-services/running-your-hospice/policy/hospice-funding/">http://www.helpthehospices.org.uk/our-services/running-your-hospice/policy/hospice-funding/</a>).” </li> <li> Donate. St Luke's still have to raise £4 million every year to keep the doors open. </li> <li> Share this with family and friends. Talk about it. If people are so reliant on charity for end of life care why do we pay taxes? In these times of 'austerity' how can the government afford to reduce tax for those earning over £150,000 per year and reduce corporation tax by 4%? How can we subsidise tax cuts for the wealthiest corporations and individuals and expect those who are dying to rely on the generosity of others? </li> </ol>   For some background on the why I'm doing this and what it's for please read the following article:   <a href="http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/health/gerry-s-race-for-legacy-1-4421959">http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/health/gerry-s-race-for-legacy-1-4421959</a>     Information on the walk itself:   <a href="http://www.stlukeshospice.org.uk/events/Starlight+Walk+2012">http://www.stlukeshospice.org.uk/events/Starlight+Walk+2012</a>   Thank you so much for your support. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity. So please dig deep and donate now.

Gerry's Race for Legacy

Gerry's Race for Legacy

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