The Mayor’s Charity Appeal 2025/26

Each Mayor chooses charities to support with the proceeds of fundraising and donations during their year in office. The charities chosen by Cllr Colin Phillimore are St Michael’s Hospice and the Whitchurch Community Swimming Pool.

St Michael’s Hospice

St. Michael’s Hospice is dedicated to supporting anyone in North Hampshire who has a life-limiting illness, is facing the end-of-life, or experiencing bereavement.

They provide free, compassionate, palliative support and specialist care to ensure patients can have the highest possible quality of life, whether as an in-patient or in the comfort of their own home.

Their services are uniquely tailored to each patient, ensuring comfort, dignity, and choice at every stage.

Beyond medical care, the hospice provides physical, emotional, and spiritual support for their patients and their loved ones. This includes therapies, counselling, chaplaincy, and bereavement support. Their Living Well service provides invaluable advice, guidance, and a safe space for individuals to share their struggles one-on-one, or in groups, knowing they are not alone during such a difficult time.

As an independent charity, they need to raise £15,000 a day to continue delivering compassionate care free of charge to people in North Hampshire. This is only possible with the support of the community.

St. Michael’s Hospice (North Hampshire), Basil de Ferranti House, Aldermaston Road, Basingstoke, RG24 9NB

St. Michael’s Hospice (North Hampshire) website

Telephone: 01256 844744

Registered Charity Number: 1002856

Make a donation

Whitchurch Community Swimming Pool

Whitchurch Community Swimming Pool was originally built in 1964 at Whitchurch Secondary Modern, now known as Testbourne Community School. The pool was built with funds raised by the school’s pupils and teachers as well as the local community who celebrated its opening 60 years ago – in 1965 - with a swimming gala.

Following a major refurbishment in 2013 the pool was closed in 2019 due to COVID and has not re-opened since. Local volunteers have worked over the past two years with the Governors at Testbourne Community School, and now have a long-term lease in place to start the process of bringing the pool back to life.

The charity is run entirely by volunteers who are working hard to bring the pool back into operational use for the community. They aim for the pool to be open all year round so that it can be enjoyed by cold water swimmers as well as those who will use it during the warmer months when the pool is heated.

Any funds raised will help towards the extensive renovation work needed and will also help with ongoing running costs. It will also help to fund the training for important roles such as lifeguards, specialist technicians, who are licensed to operate the pool plant and to test the water to ensure that the water quality is of the highest standard, and plant operators.

Whitchurch Community Swimming Pool, Micheldever Road, Whitchurch, RG28 7HH and ///Prefer.Libraries.Prouder

Whitchurch Community Swimming Pool website

Telephone: 01256 592570

Registered Charity Number 1203994

Make a donation to WCSP