Batley society donates a ‘generous’ £1,000 to the Forget Me Not Children's Hospice

The ‘generous’ donation from the Indian Muslim Welfare Society (IMWS) was presented to the Mayor of Kirklees Coun Masood Ahmed and Alex Chanteleau, regional fundraiser at Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, at the Al-Hikmah Centre on Track Road on Thursday, January 12.

Established in 1957, the IMWS Al-Hikmah Centre has been instrumental in supporting the well-being and development of the Muslim and wider community in Batley.

Well-known for supporting local, national and international projects, the society felt it was ‘important’ to support the Mayor’s chosen charity this term.

Nadeem Raja, general manager at the Al-Hikmah Centre, said: “As a charity we support local and international projects, but with the Hospice being the nominated charity of the Mayor this term we felt it was important to support them.

“We were originally due to donate £500, but because it's such a good charity, It's supported by the Mayor and because of our donation budget, we decided to increase the amount to £1,000.

“The charity is a very good cause and very close to our hearts.”

Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, which is based at Russell House in Huddersfield, supports children with life-shortening conditions and their families across West Yorkshire.

This donation, from the IMWS Al-Hikmah Centre, will allow the charity to continue to provide nursing care, hydrotherapy, creative therapy, days out, memory making, end of life care, bereavement support, counselling and much more.

Speaking on the night, Alex said: “We were delighted to be chosen as the Mayor's charity this term and on behalf of everyone at Forget Me Not we can’t thank the Mayor enough for shining a spotlight on our charity because there are so many worthy causes.

“A massive thank you to the Al-Hikmah Centre for presenting the cheque. It's amazing that places like this and foundations like the IMWS can support us in this way.

“On behalf of Forget Me Not we would also like to thank everyone who supports our charity and donates - we can’t thank everyone enough.”

The Mayor chose Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice as his nominated charity when he started his term in May 2022, to help shine a light on the support they provided to children and families across Kirklees.

Speaking at the Al-Hikmah Centre on Thursday, Coun Ahmed said: “I wanted the communities of Kirklees to know what the Forget Me Not Hospice do and what they are about.

“I also felt that, with the work that they have been doing and the impact that it is having on families and the wider community, that the charity is making a massive difference.

“I would like to thank every single person that has donated so far and who are still donating, it is for a very worthy cause and every penny matters.

“The money goes a long way for the hospice, families, volunteers, staff and everyone who uses the facility.”

To reach his target of £50,000. Coun Ahmed is appealing for community organisations, schools and business to help him in his fundraising efforts.

For more information, or to get involved, email [email protected]