Jane Furniss CBE, the Non-Executive Director of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, has raised over £7,500 for our Big Build Appeal by climbing the rigging of the Cutty Sark.
The Cutty Sark, which is in Greenwich, is the last remaining tea clipper ship and was one of the fastest ships of the 19th Century.
Jane, who also chairs our Capital Appeal Board, shared: “As someone who is often asking the community to dig deep, I wanted to take on a challenge for Overgate. In the past I’ve done a fire walk, climbed Ingleborough, and even did a skydive. However, interestingly, at 47 meters tall (compared to heights of 15,000 ft) the Cutty Sark climb was much tougher and scarier than jumping out of a plane! Despite being a misty day, the views were stunning. Thank you to everyone who sponsored me and showed their support for our Hospice.”
Rachel Lumb, Overgate’s Community & Events Fundraising Manager said: “On behalf of everyone at the Hospice, I’d like to thank Jane for going above and beyond with her epic climb. Jane’s support means the world to us, and her quirky fundraising challenges never cease to amaze me!”
Jane’s epic climb has raised over £7,500 for our Big Build Appeal. The Big Build represents a significant milestone for Overgate Hospice, providing an opportunity to expand and enhance its services to better meet the needs of patients and their families throughout Calderdale. The Hospice publicly launched the Big Build Appeal in April 2024. The transformational £12.75 million redevelopment of the Hospice site will entail building a new purpose-built 16-bed Inpatient Unit and significantly expanding and upgrading the Day Hospice facilities.
The funds Jane has raised will play a crucial role in making this vision a reality, ensuring that we can continue to provide compassionate care for future generations.
Jane added: “Thank you so much to everyone who has already shown their support for the Big Build Appeal. Overgate really does belong to the community, they always respond and rally whenever we need them to. We are excited to be able to build the best possible hospice for the future. So much has already been raised but it’s so important that people’s support continues so that we can raise those last few all-important funds.
“The new hospice is being built for the community because we need it. None of us know when we or a loved one is going to need a hospice. The care that Overgate provides is just amazing, but we need a bigger hospice with better facilities. There is such a wide range of people who live in Calderdale, and we want the new hospice to be reflective of this. We want all communities to be accessing Overgate’s care. The Hospice cares for people with any life-limiting illness - not just cancer. Overgate’s care has expanded so much since it was built, so it makes sense that the building is different and reflects the diverse community it cares for.”