Guinness World Record holder and the first Scot to receive a double hand transplant, Cor Hutton, has joined St. Vincent’s Hospice today to celebrate the grand reopening of their charity shop in Lochwinnoch.
Cor, who has made headlines all across the globe with her inspirational accomplishments, is a long-time supporter of the Hospice and was delighted to join with members of the Change Lochwinnoch Project and Hospice staff to mark the culmination of months of hard work, fundraising and renovation to the village store.
Cor said: “I’m so delighted to be here to celebrate the opening of St. Vincent’s Hospice. Charity and community are two things extremely close to my heart and this is a celebration of both. I’m certain the shop will be a success because of the fantastic locals and I’ll be popping in whenever I can.”
The Change Lochwinnoch project was launched by a group of volunteers in the local community who have close ties to the life changing work of St. Vincent’s Hospice and the importance that donations to their charity shop make to their services.
After months of extensive fundraising efforts and generous contributions from supporters and businesses, renovation works began at the start of March to completely transform the shop, creating a modern and warm environment for the community to enjoy while continuing to raise vital funds for the charity.
One of the organisers of the project, Christine Midgley, said: “It seems like the whole village has supported the Hospice shop refurbishment! There are far too many people to name, but we want to thank everyone who has given their time, services, materials, money or even just dropped in with snacks or well wishes to keep us going.
“Special thanks has to go to Eric Whitfield. The entire refurbishment was his idea, and he ran with it, planning, organising and managing the whole thing – begging, borrowing and chasing support from anyone we could get to make this a reality. He is our hero.”
St. Vincent’s Hospice is a specialist provider of palliative and Hospice care for individuals and families affected by life-limiting conditions from across Renfrewshire.
Chief Executive of St. Vincent’s, Kate Lennon, commented on the project, saying: “We cannot put into words how much this means to everyone at the Hospice and the people who rely on our care. The time, dedication and efforts of the community in Lochwinnoch to make this shop renovation a reality has been absolutely unbelievable.
“The Group involved in our shop renovation have worked tirelessly for months on end to raise the funds, liaise with organisations, contractors and supporters to get the support and materials necessary. Many of them even went that step further, taking up tools to physically help with the construction work. Every year our Hospice shops raise more than £400,000 towards our services and the renovation of Lochwinnoch will make such a positive difference to so many people in the community. On behalf of all of us, from the bottom of our heart, thank you!”
Every year, the Hospice shops raise more than £400,000 towards the life changing work of the Hospice. Please, drop in and visit the Lochwinnoch store, or find your nearest St. Vincent’s shop by visiting: www.SVH.co.uk.