Mayo companies and workers encouraged to donate time and salary to good cause

A hospitality group is urging companies in Mayo to join them in a huge fundraising drive for hospices nationwide after the ‘phenomenal hospice care’ a colleague’s father received.

Organisers Together for Hospice hope it will spark a nationwide workplace charity initiative involving more than 100 companies collectively raising funds in April across Ireland.

Every cent raised by companies and staff in Mayo will be directed to the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation.

Seán Graham’s dad, Brendan (87), passed away under the care of staff at St. Francis Hospice in Dublin’s Blanchardstown.

Now Seán’s employers, hospitality multinational Prem Group, is backing the first ever ‘Your Finest Hour for Hospice’ drive, asking employees to donate an hour of their salary in return for an hour of downtime from employers.

“Unless people witness it, they don’t know how unbelievable hospice is,” said Seán, chief information officer with the Dublin-based group, which owns, leases and manages 32 properties across Europe.

“It is a phenomenal organisation,” he continued. “None of the care is means tested, there’s no cost – they simply take the pressure off grieving families.”

The father-of-two from Clane, Co. Kildare, told how former Guinness worker Brendan, from Dublin’s Ashtown, entered St. Francis in 2021 after a cancer diagnosis. He died there in September of that year.

“My last words to dad were: “Thank you so much for everything you ever did for us.” I feel tremendously lucky to have had that experience.

“The dignity that they showed to a man in his final hours... The three words I constantly use in relation to hospice are love, dignity and respect.“Nothing was too much and no detail was overlooked.”

Prem Group, which controls 10 properties in Ireland, is the first major firm to row in behind the Your Finest Hour for Hospice campaign, spurred on by data which shows that hospices nationwide need to raise around €20 million annually to continue operating.

With the population over 65 set to triple over the next 30 years, demand for services continues to grow and in 2023 alone, hospice and specialist palliative homecare providers cared for over 14,000 patients and made over 87,000 homecare visits.

In return for employees donating an hour of their salary in April, employers are asked to reward them by treating staff to an office takeaway, giving them a wellbeing hour, or simply them an hour off work.

Companies and employees, either in partnership or separately, are asked to register to support the initiative at www.finesthour.ie.

Registered firms will be given a digital information pack and every cent raised in local firms goes to local hospices.

“I would encourage as many companies and individuals as possible to jump on board,” said Seán. “We take so much for granted in life. The hospice teams around Ireland are a gift in people’s final hours.”