Pendleside Hospice and Marsden Heights Community College have announced further details of their annual Iftar event during Ramadan.

The celebration will take place on Wednesday, March 20, at Marsden Heights Community College.

The free event, is open to all pupils, staff and the wider community and aims to  raise awareness of the work of the hospice.

The partnership between Pendleside Hospice and Marsden Heights Community College was sparked by an initiative led by the school's staff and pupils.

Before Christmas, the school organised a 'non-uniform' fundraiser, raising more than £1,000 in support of the hospice.

Teacher and head of drama at Marsden Heights Community College, Maria Burnett, shared her personal connection to Pendleside, expressing gratitude for the exceptional care her late husband, Peter, received during his time on IPU at the Hospice in October, 2023.

The support provided to Peter inspired Maria to spearhead efforts to give something back to Pendleside.

Similarly, the school mourned the loss of Sue Haworth, a member of the pastoral care team and governor at Marsden Heights Community College, who received care at Pendleside Hospice during her battle with cancer. 

Lancashire Telegraph:

Youth and community support worker at Marsden Heights, Jenefa Begum, said, "Sue was like a mother figure to many of us at the school - she was meticulous, lovely and put her life into her work.

"Family was important to Sue and she would always talk about her sweet granddaughter.

"Knowing she received the best care at Pendleside in her final weeks means a great deal to us all.

"We have always been aware of Pendleside Hospice and the incredible work that they do, but over the last few months, our connection has strengthened and I'm excited for both organisations to be joining forces for the upcoming Iftar event.

"We hosted an Iftar event last year, which was a real success, but this year, we can make it bigger and better by working together.

"At Marsden Heights, our focus is on educating and inspiring our pupils. The event is a great moment for us to highlight and make noise about the wonderful work of our local charity."

Community engagement officer at Pendleside Hospice, Leah Hooper, added, "The young people of our community are our future.

"We were blown away by the amount raised from Marsden Heights' ‘non-uniform’ fundraiser and we can't thank them enough for their generosity.

"We want to raise as much awareness about the hospice as we can, while forming close relationships with schools and other local organisations.

"The Iftar event is an opportunity to highlight what the hospice can do to help families within our area, while embracing culture and celebrating a momentous religious event.

"I would encourage anyone of all backgrounds to come along. Do something new, make friends and let's work together as a community.

"This will be Pendleside's third Iftar event, but this will be our first collaborative event with another organisation. 

"It really is a spectacular evening. Last year, staff members at the hospice fasted for the day, to gain some insight and appreciation as to what it's like. The feast at the end is, of course, amazing."

Leah recently received an award at last year's Hospice UK National Conference Awards for her outstanding contributions to our community and for her exemplary work in raising awareness of Pendleside’s services among ethnic minorities within our Burnley and Pendle communities.

Leah thanked her colleagues and other organisations for supporting her along the way, including the NK Foundation, whose founder, Amir Saeed, is now on the board of trustees at the Hospice, and will be in attendance with the Foundation at the Iftar celebrations.

To attend the Iftar event from 5pm on Wednesday, March 20,  you can visit tickettailor.com/events/marsdenheightscommunitycollege/1173248 or
contact Leah Hooper at leah.hooper@pendleside.org.uk