City Hospice, Cardiff’s local hospice, held its Christmas Fair and Lighting Ceremony at the weekend and raised £7,000.
The event, sponsored by Pidgeons & Sons, was held at City Hospice (in the grounds of Whitchurch Hospital) and saw supporters and members of the public dropping in to get their festive fix.
There were plenty of Christmas stalls selling homemade cards, crafts, cakes and more. One of the stalls was run by super charity supporters, The KnitWhits, who have raised an incredible £7,732 (since they started four years ago) by making and selling knitted items to raise money for the hospice. In the past, blankets knitted by the group have also been donated to bereaved children to bring them comfort during tough times.
Children visited the Santa’s Grotto, where Father Christmas and his elves made the experience magical for both children and their parents. Zurich Community Trust provided refreshments for visitors, as did The Original Goodfillas Company, who helped out the charity at the very last minute. Memory Lane, Sophia Gardens and Jesamine’s Sweet Treats kindly donated cakes and Wessex Garages and Howells School donated bottles for the charity tombola.
Later in the afternoon, Rechoir, a functions choir based in South Wales, sang festive carols before the Foster family, who have been supported by the hospice, pressed the button to light up the hospice.
Tony Foster, husband to Luan and father to Lara (age 11) and Connor (age 13), sadly died from Melanoma earlier this year. The family started going to see Sarah Bull, Head of Counselling and Bereavement, last year to help them to cope with the sadness of losing Tony. Luan said that the support they’ve received has been incredible. “Even visiting City Hospice, when you hear the word ‘hospice’, I wasn’t sure what to expect the first time we came. It’s not what you expect because it’s a warm, safe place to be. The children have amazed me at how strong they’ve been and how incredible they are. We couldn’t have done it without Sarah.”
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A registered charity based in Cardiff, City Hospice provides medical, nursing and specialist palliative care to patients in their own homes as well as offering counselling (adults and children), welfare benefits advice and day centres with a range of activities.
Daisy Magill, Fundraising Officer, said it was a fantastic day.
“I want to say a special thank you to those who came along, those who volunteered and to our sponsor Pidgeon’s, for their continued support. Over £800 was raised on our Christmas Raffle, which we couldn’t have raised without support from local businesses including Sony, Panasonic, the New Theatre, ASDA Coryton, The Vale Resort, Breakout, Boulders, Escape Rooms, Cardiff City Football Club and of course our amazing group of volunteers who helped sell the tickets!
“I’m overwhelmed with the level of support we received and with the fantastic outcome from our Fair. A big thank you again to everyone who helped us raise over £7,000 which will go towards helping us to continue caring for the people of Cardiff.”
To find out more about City Hospice and future events, visit www.cityhospice.org.uk.
