Bedhampton care home raises funds for mental health at black-tie charity auction
Portsdown View care home in Bedhampton recently joined forces with two of its sister homes in Chichester and Swindon for a special community charity auction, which collectively raised more than £5,500 for local causes.
The black-tie fundraising event saw Portsdown View, Waterhaven Place and Willowbrook View come together to support charities hand-picked by their residents. Portsdown View’s residents chose Mind, a national mental health charity which provides information, advice and support to people across England and Wales, while campaigning for better services and greater public understanding.
Held at Portsdown View, the evening brought together residents, families and members of the wider community, with auction lots ranging from pamper sessions and afternoon teas to weekend breaks, large-screen TVs, artwork and wine.
Pippa Mafunga, General Manager at Portsdown View, said: “Our goal with this auction was organise an event which brings the community together while also supporting a cause that matters to our residents. Mental health issues can affect anyone, at any stage of life, so we wanted to send a simple but important message: you are not alone. Every bid and every donation helped us make a real difference, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who supported the evening”.
The auction comes at a challenging time for mental health in the UK. Mind estimates that around one in four people in England experience a mental health problem each year, while NHS England’s Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey found that one in five adults had experienced a common mental health condition in the previous week.
These challenges can be particularly acute in later life, where bereavement, loneliness, health problems and loss of independence can all affect wellbeing. Mind estimates that 75% of people aged 65 and over have experienced significant anxiety or low mood since turning 65, while one in ten experience these feelings frequently or all the time.
For Portsdown View, the auction therefore gave residents and staff a practical way to support a national issue which has a direct impact on people’s lives, while strengthening the home’s ties with the wider community.
Pippa added: “Looking after someone’s wellbeing is about much more than their physical health. It’s about making sure people feel listened to, valued and connected. Our residents know how important those things are, and so it was truly heartwarming to see them throw themselves into the auction and help extend that same sense of care and kindness beyond the walls of the home.”
Willowbrook View and Waterhaven Place also used the evening to raise funds for their residents’ chosen charities, including Prospect Hospice and My Charity Hospitals Sussex, which supports NHS hospitals and patients across the region.
Portsdown View is part of the Connaught Care Collection, a provider of luxury care homes with six locations across the country. Recently, the home was rated Overall Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in its first ever inspection, with inspectors praising the home’s “exceptional” kindness, empathy and compassion.
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