A new name has appeared on Colchester’s retail landscape and by shopping, donating or volunteering there you will supporting the care of young adults in our area living with terminal and progressive illnesses.
Zest, which can be found at number 1 St Nicholas Passage, is part of the St Elizabeth Hospice family.
It is a new concept in charity retail – with a fresh approach, to helping St Elizabeth Hospice secure support for those young adults across east Anglia who need their care. Zest not only looks to support young adults but also to engage other young adults in helping them provide that support either through donations, volunteering or shopping.
Helen Finlinson, young adult care and transition lead for St Elizabeth told us “It is not widely known that St Elizabeth Hospice already offers care for young adults in Suffolk from the age of 14 and through Zest we are looking to expand our care options to include, in the first instance, supported weekend breaks – a service that is not currently widely available in our region. We are already a centre of excellence in the subject of young adult care and currently share our experience and expertise with other health professionals around the country.”
Rachel Backshall, director of income generation and marketing, added “The needs of these young people are complex and not totally understood because in many cases the challenges their care presents are new; but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t rise to the challenge. By raising financial support through Zest we will be looking for the first time to offer hospice care for this age group beyond our traditional hospice geographic boundaries, offering an east Anglian solution. To do this we will also be fundraising further afield. The Colchester hop is our second and we will be looking to open more next year”
Rachel continued “The vibrant Zest brand will not only supports the vital work of the hospice but also help us explain to a new audience about what the hospice does. Yes we do help people at the end of life but the majority of our work is about ensuring that people are able to maximise the life they have left available to them- this can often be over a number of years. As we say we “don’t let death kill life
If the good people of Essex would like to support the care of young adults who desperately need our help they can shop donate or volunteer at our new store or keep an eye out for Zest events that we will be launching”
To find out more visit wearezest.org.uk.