New Calpe House appeal needs ‘your help’

The Calpe House Trust is to launch a new building appeal 'Calpe House Needs Your Help’ on Friday.

The Appeal will be launched with a presentation of the plans in front of Parliament on Main Street on the Charity’s Flag Day at midday.

All the approvals are now in place for planning permission to convert the Grade II listed buildings into apartments with a total of 38 en suite rooms for patients at a cost of a further £5M.

The building which will be the new Calpe House is located adjacent to the gardens in Norfolk Square and will boast a lighter, brighter environment and crucially a large common room where residents may socialise.

In order to meet the financial commitment of this new massive undertaking and its plans for the new Calpe House the charity now needs to embark on a huge fundraising campaign. The Calpe House Trust would like to see everyone in Gibraltar getting involved in the appeal.

Vice president of the Calpe House Trust, Albert Poggio, told the Chronicle that this was a hugely important appeal which would run for quite some time.

“The commitment on behalf of the people of Gibraltar, which the Trust has undertaken, will reach £15million on completion,” he said.

The completion date for the new Calpe House at its new address in Norfolk Square is expected in March 2017.

Mr Poggio said that the Calpe House Trust “would be sitting on an important asset in the current building” which would eliminate a good proportion of the £15 million but, he emphasised, there was still a lot of money to be raised.

The appeal itself will be in two stages.

Friday sees the launch of the first part of the appeal which is the “appeal to the public”.

Then early in the New Year the second part of the appeal would get off the ground and concentrate on the corporate and business sectors.

On Friday the Calpe House Trust has invited senior members of the Rock’s political parties who have been involved with the organisation over the years to speak at the launch of their new building appeal 'Calpe House Needs Your Help’. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo will also be present.

Earlier this year the Calpe House Trust purchased three new buildings to meet the demand for accommodation of the GHA sponsored patients receiving treatment in London, at a cost of £8.5M.

The trust is now urging everyone in Gibraltar to get behind this appeal, said Mr Poggio.

The aim is to build a bigger Calpe House for people needing treatment in London.

People will be able to donate £2 a month to help raise the money needed.