Peter Kelsey, managing director and owner of Chesterfield-based Designer Contracts, has donated £50,000 to the Ashgate Hospice ‘Save a Precious Bed’ appeal. 

It represents a significant contribution towards the hospice’s aim of raising £244,000 to keep two beds open for six months, helping around 25 patients.

Peter said: “We have long supported Ashgate Hospice which is currently facing an acute financial crisis following a £2.6m shortfall in NHS funding. The hospice provides a vital service to the whole of the North Derbyshire area and relies heavily on donations and fundraising.” 

Ashgate recently announced proposals to reduce inpatient beds further and make changes to services and team structures because of the scale of its funding gap. The appeal aims to protect specialist inpatient care at a time when the hospice is having to consider the most difficult decisions in its history.

Jack Wood, director of income generation for Ashgate, said: “At a time that has been the hardest in Ashgate’s history, Peter Kelsey’s incredible £50,000 pledge to our appeal is a truly remarkable act of generosity. 

“Alongside the support from so many other people and organisations, it is helping us protect the specialist inpatient care that thousands of people across North Derbyshire rely on.

For more information about the Ashgate Hospice appeal, click here.