Hospice launches £3,000 draw for Emerald Anniversary

St. Joseph’s Hospice in Thornton has launched a special £3,000 bumper draw to mark 55 years since Father Frances O’Leary founded the St. Joseph’s Hospice Association.

In 1962, while working as a young priest of the Mill Hill Mission in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Fr O’Leary decided that some kind of care facility for terminally ill people was urgently needed so he began to raise money to build a hospice.

The hospice in Rawalpindi was opened just two years later, in 1964. In 1972, the charity bought its UK site in Thornton, Merseyside, which opened on 19 March 1974. It was christened San Jose to reflect the charity’s Latin American links. The Merseyside hospice was later extended, in 1984 and 1988, to provide even more rooms for patients.

Penny Hamer, Director of Income Generation at the hospice, said; “During our Emerald Anniversary year, we want to celebrate the achievements of Fr O’Leary and create a legacy to make sure that we can continue helping patients and families from across our community for the next 55 years.

“To celebrate, we have launched a 55th Anniversary Bumper Draw with a massive £3,000 jackpot plus £1,000 and £500 prizes. You can buy Bumper Draw tickets for just £1 from any of our charity shops or from the hospice in Thornton. Why not get a supply of Bumper Draw tickets from the hospice’s Lottery Office and sell them to all your family and friends?

“Your £1 will go directly to supporting the work of St. Joseph’s Hospice, providing long-term, specialised end of life care for patients with a wide range of life-limiting conditions.

“Better still, why not join our weekly St. Joseph’s Hospice Lottery. For just £1 a week you will be in with a chance of winning our weekly jackpot of £1,000!”

Please note: All players must be aged 16 or over. All weekly lottery players will be automatically entered in to our 55th Anniversary Bumper Draw.

To join our weekly lottery, simply fill in the lottery form online or contact the Lottery Office on 0151 932 6025 / lottery-office@jospice.org.uk.