Rennie Grove Hospice Care is encouraging people in and around St Albans to donate to the Grove House Appeal in lieu of spending money on Easter eggs for friends and family this year as part of its Brick by Brick campaign. And with the lockdown in full swing, there’s no better time to give a virtual gift instead of a physical one.

Work has already begun on the transformation of the charity’s day services building, Grove House, opposite the city hospital. The redevelopment work will transform the existing building into a thriving community hub providing support for local people diagnosed with a life-limiting illness.

By trebling the amount of usable internal space, the project will enable Rennie Grove to expand its range of services for patients, families and carers.

The upgraded facilities will also mean that services for children and young adults can be offered at Grove House for the first time.

Rennie Grove hopes that generous supporters will ditch the chocolate eggs this year and instead give a gift to their loved ones that will make a difference to families in the local community.

Tracey Hancock, director of fundraising at Rennie Grove said: “While we are all at home with restricted access to shopping, please consider buying a virtual brick as a gift this Easter for friends and family.

“By purchasing an individual brick for £10 or a block of bricks for £50 you will be helping us to raise the funds we so desperately need to complete this project and being able to continue to provide services from Grove House.

“Each brick bought will take us a step closer to transforming Grove House into a community hub for people living with life-limiting illnesses.

“So far we have raised almost £520,000, which is fantastic, but there is still a very long way to go to reach our final target of £1 million.

“We are facing a very challenging time financially due to the spread of COVID-19, with all our community fundraising activity stopped and our retail shops closed, but this is a great way to give from home, and will really make a difference.

“We need support now more than ever.”

Please help Rennie Grove reach its £1 million target this Easter. Visit renniegrove.org/brickbybrick for full details.