Our supporters

Many thanks to our numerous supporters who support us in many different ways.

Support us

As a charity, your financial support enables us to maintain, upgrade and expand our buildings and improve the quality of life for our residents. With your help we can continue delivering excellence in independent living, engage our residents more with their local community and help residents develop their skills and interests. Our three key priorities are:

• Upgrading our existing buildings and facilities to meet or exceed current benchmarks for almshouse accommodation
• Creating more opportunities for residents to live a fully engaged life
• Expanding our facilities to increase the number of flats available to those in need

There are several ways that you can show your support for The French Hospital, please see all the links below:

Make a donation

Donations from our supporters enable The French Hospital to provide a safe and secure home for people in need and build a thriving community too. You can make a donation to The French Hospital in a variety of ways and your support is so appreciated.

Cheque or CAF voucher donations: Please make the cheque or voucher payable to The French Hospital and post to:

The French Hospital
41 La Providence
Rochester
Kent
ME1 1NB

If you’re a UK taxpayer, please complete our Gift Aid Form to help your donation go even further – at no extra cost to you.

Debit or credit card donations: Donating by debit or credit card is quick and easy using our KindLink page to make your donation. Don’t forget to click the Gift Aid box if you’re an UK taxpayer to help us claim an extra 25% of your generous gift from the government.

Standing Orders: Regular gifts help us plan for the future and are an incredible way to show your support for The French and play a vital role in our ability to provide safe and secure homes for those in need. You can set up a regular Standing Order donation by downloading, completing our Standing Order Form and sending to us. We’ll then contact your bank or building society to arrange the Standing Order. You may also be able to set up a Standing Order through your online banking. If you choose to set up a Standing Order in this way, please complete our Standing Order Form and return to us.

Gift Aid: Gift Aid is a simple way to increase the value of your gift to The French Hospital whatever way you give – at no extra cost to you. If you pay tax in the UK we can reclaim the tax on your gift. For example, if you donate £100, it is worth £125 to us. If you are a UK taxpayer, please tick and date the Gift Aid declaration to help us reclaim tax on your donation. You can download and print a Gift Aid Form here. Once completed, please send to:

Fundraising Manager
The French Hospital
41 La Providence
Rochester
Kent
ME1 1NB

If your circumstances change, or you wish to cancel your Gift Aid declaration at any time, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Fundraise for us

Thank you so much for choosing to support The French Hospital and there are so many ways that you can fund raise:

• Join the Friends of The French Hospital: See more on our Friends page
• Take part in a challenge event: Run, cycle and challenge yourself for charity and ask for sponsorship from your friends, family and colleagues.
• Organise your own event: Whether you organise a quiz night, coffee morning, open garden or dinner dance, organising a community fundraising event is a great way to spread awareness The French Hospital and raise funds.
• Have a Collection Pot: If your business or organisation would like to display one of The French Hospital’s collection pots please contact us.
• Charity of the Year: Does your organisation or group want to choose The French Hospital as their charity to fund raise for the year? If so, please get in touch as we would love to support you.
• Schools: Has your school chosen to support The French Hospital for the year or term?
• Volunteering: can you spare some time to help at The French Hospital.
  Legacy: you could consider leaving a legacy in your will, to support the vital work of the charity.

Download our A-Z of Fundraising (coming soon) for more ideas!

Download our Sponsorship Form here.

If you need any help or have any questions regarding fundraising, please contact us using the details on this page.

Community Tree

The Community tree is a bespoke sculpture at The French Hospital where you can have a leaf, pear or dove engraved to celebrate your family name or in memory of a loved one.

Please see full details on the Community Tree Page

Corporate partners

Are you looking for a local charity to support?

We are committed to building strong relationships with the local business community and there are many ways in which your company and staff can support The French Hospital. The fundraising team will be happy to work with you to develop a plan for your company that is both fun for your employees and at the same time meeting your organisation’s business objectives. There are lots of ways your company can get involved with The French Hospital, here are just a few suggestions:

• Employee engagement with staff fundraising through dress down days – such as wear blue or silver.
• Encourage staff to take part in The French Hospital events as a team.
• Payroll giving.
• Volunteering time.
• Donate “Gifts in kind”.

Charity of the Year

Why not make The French Hospital your company’s charity of the year, supporting people in your local community. For more information please contact us using the details on this page.

Trusts & foundations

The French Hospital would like to say a huge thank you to all the trusts and foundations that have supported us. This funding makes a huge difference to the support, care, advice and facilities that we can provide to older residents.

Here are some of the activities and areas that we need funding for to ensure we can continue to keep our services running.

• Specific equipment and projects
• Upgrading facilities
• Arts, Health and Well being activities

How to support us

If you are a trustee of such an organisation or know of anyone that may be able to assist us to raise valuable funds please contact us using the details on this page.

How to donate raised funds

Thank you so much for fundraising for The French Hospital. We are very grateful for your support.

So now, how do get the funds to us that you have raised?

• Cheque presentation: Contact Fundraising via the contact details on this page and one of us will be happy to attend a presentation to accept the cheque and of course say a big thank you to all involved!
• By Post: Send a cheque, postal order of CAF voucher made payable to: The French Hospital. Address: 41 La Providence, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1NB or drop it to the office.
• By credit/debit card: Donations can be accepted over the phone by calling 01634 844874
• Online Fundraising: The easiest way to manage your fundraising donations is via online websites. They are safe and come directly to the French Hospital. Please visit: www.justgiving.com or www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com

Get involved

It’s really simple to organise a fundraising event in support of The French Hospital. It may be your gift of baking that entices your loved ones to your door; or that all important coffee morning, giving you a chance to catch up with friends; or a delicious dinner party.

Whatever you choose to do, our friendly Fundraising Manager is here to support you all the way. To find out more about organising your own event, please contact us using the details on this page.

Leave a legacy in your will

Leaving a gift in your Will is a special way of ensuring we’ll be here for future generations of Huguenots in need. Legacy gifts can play a significant part in the support we provide for people in need. These gifts make the long-term future of The French Hospital possible, leading to improved facilities, quality of life and engagement opportunities for our Residents, as well as helping us meet the growing demands of an ageing population.

A Will is an uniquely personal document which gives you peace of mind in knowing that your final wishes will be carried out. A Will ensures that those you love and care about are provided for in the future, and it is an opportunity for you to help causes that you have supported during your lifetime. Just 1% of your estate could make a real difference to our important work. Your gift to The French Hospital will cost you nothing today, and yet, it will make a world of difference to the Huguenots of tomorrow.

Including a gift to The French Hospital in your Will is something you can arrange very simply once you have decided how you wish to make a gift. We recommend using a solicitor or professional Will writer to draft your Will. To make sure your wishes are carried out, it’s important to include our full name, address and registered charity number:

The French Hospital
41 La Providence
Rochester
Kent
ME1 1NB

Registered charity number 219318

There are different ways of leaving a gift in your Will:

A residuary legacy is a way of leaving a proportion of your estate (the total value of all property and assets), once all gifts to loved ones have been made. It will not lose its value over time, and if you leave a proportion to us, you can still ensure your family and friends are taken care of first.

A pecuniary legacy is a gift of a fixed sum of money. It is worth remembering though, that it will lose value over time due to inflation, unless you review your Will regularly, or link the sum with inflation.

A specific legacy is the gift of a tangible item, such as a valuable possession, house or shares.

For more information on leaving a gift to The French Hospital in your Will, or to request your free Legacy Pack, please contact us using the details on this page.

If you have already written The French Hospital into your Will, please do let us know of your intentions so that we can thank you for your support.

Volunteer your time

We occasionally seek volunteers at our head office in Rochester to support our activities. Opportunities vary from helping with mailings, data entry, fundraising support and expert advice or support in specific areas.

If you’re interested in volunteering at The French Hospital, please contact us using the details on this page.

Join our Friends group