Our chair, Cathy Ellis, was delighted to accept a cheque for £5,000 from Councillor Richard Bowers, chair of Glenfield Parish Council on Friday 24 January. The parish council has made this generous donation to the Beacon Appeal, which is fundraising for specialist sensory and sporting equipment to enhance inpatient care at the new mental health facility for young people in Leicester which is due to open in the early Autumn.
The new £8m purpose-built facility will have 15 mental health beds, including for young people requiring specialist inpatient care for eating disorders. The name, ‘The Beacon’, was chosen by service users, families and clinical staff to reflect both its Leicester location as well as hope for a brighter future. The Beacon Appeal was launched to raise funds to pay for specialist sensory lighting and sporting equipment that will improve the inpatient experience for young people.
In presenting the cheque, Councillor Bowers, who was accompanied by other members of the parish council, said: “It’s brilliant that we will have this new inpatient facility for young people in the heart of Leicester. On behalf of Glenfield Parish Council, I’m honoured to be able to make a donation to such an important local cause.”
Cathy Ellis said: “It’s really exciting to see this building coming together. Its design centres on a clinical model put together with staff and young people so that the facility will really feel like a ‘home from home’. The sensory lighting and sporting equipment that we are fundraising for through the Beacon Appeal will positively impact the mental wellbeing of our young inpatients, so on behalf of LPT I’d like to extend heartfelt thanks to Councillor Bowers and Glenfield Parish Council for their incredible generosity.”
More information about the appeal is available at www.raisinghealth.org.uk/beaconappeal, and you can get updates on the progression of the building work here.