Woking & Sam Beare Hospice hosted an evening for representatives from the Muslim community on 16 January to celebrate the launch of their campaign to raise awareness of their services and their acceptance of charitable donations as Sadaqah.

Sadaqah is voluntary charity which can be financial, but it can also be as simple as offering a smile. An act of kindness freely given.

In terms of the hospice, it could be a voluntary donation or spreading the word about what the hospice does to raise awareness in their community.

It costs just over £7million a year to run the clinical services at the hospice and just 31 per cent of this is funded by the NHS. The rest of the money has to be raised by the generosity of the local community.

Hospice trustee Nuweed Razaq led the evening with an inspiring talk about how valuable the hospice is in the community.

The amazing reality of what it has become was further reinforced with the introduction of hospice founder Rhod Lofting and his wife Elizabeth.

It was their dream that set the wheels in motion to launch an appeal in 1990 to raise £1.4million to build a hospice in Woking and provide the first year’s running costs.

The local community got behind them then, and they still do to this day, something the hospice are hugely grateful for.

“It is so important to us to raise awareness of what we can do for our Muslim community,” said Nuweed.

“A lot of people don’t realise that 70 per cent of hospice care takes place out in the community in people’s homes. The hospice staff aren’t there to take over from the family caring for their loved one, they are there to support them and help the patient to live the best life they can in the time they have left.”

Those attending the evening experienced first-hand the remarkable facilities that the hospice has in Goldsworth Park as they were taken on a tour that included the inpatient unit and the wellbeing centre.

Staff were able to explain their roles in providing care, comfort and support to families when they need them the most. The community team also explained how they care for not just patients but their families too as they visit them at home.

One attendee said: “I’m so glad I could be here tonight to hear about the work the hospice does. They really are remarkable in what they do and as a Muslim it is important to me to support a charity like this.

“I will certainly be spreading the word amongst my community.”

The hospice cares for some 1,500 adults of all ages each year. Its services, assisted by more than 650 volunteers, are free of charge.

The hospice staff are exceptionally proud of their place of work and welcome visits from all members of the community.

To know more about their work and how you can support them, contact [email protected] or call 01483 881750.