We’re encouraging you, our community, to make us part of your Christmas this year, as we launch our festive campaign with a heart-warming video.
‘From your moment to theirs’ shows how a small moment of your own this Christmas – buying a raffle ticket, signing up for a festive run or picking up a gift from a Hospice shop – can help create a precious moment for a family in our care.
Our expert teams support around 1,000 patients and their loved ones each year, completely free of charge. As a charity, we rely on the generosity of local people to fund the majority of our services – needing to raise £10.4 million annually.
Jo’s husband, Mike, was only 42 when he died from a brain tumour in our In-Patient Unit on Boxing Day 2007. Inspired by the amazing support she and her two teenage children received, Jo (pictured left with daughter Hannah) became a member of staff on the unit. She feels our care is still just as special and life-changing for local families today.
“We had Christmas Day together and then Mike died on Boxing Day,” says Jo. “Our experience still grounds me now. Willen has changed massively in the last 15 years, but I still think it’s amazing. I’d only been here one afternoon and I thought, ‘Mike’s safe here – they are going to look after him.’ He always felt safe here too.”
Jenny (pictured top) is one of the Lead Nurses in the In-Patient Unit and is proud to feature in the new video, representing our clinical staff. “Christmas is a special time for all those who celebrate it,” says Jenny. “However, it can be particularly tough for the patients and families in our care. We do our best to make Christmas Day feel as normal as possible, with Christmas dinners, decorations and precious family time. The care we provide, not just at Christmas but 365 days a year, simply wouldn’t be possible without the kindness of our community.”
There are plenty of ways you can include us in your Christmas and create your own moments for care. A brand new Christmas Festival on Sunday 13 December will include the much-loved Santa Dash, a new 5K Reindeer Run and Storytime with Santa for little ones, plus a brass band and market stalls.
For those wanting to honour a loved one this Christmas, the free Lights of Love remembrance service will once again take place at the Ridgeway Centre, on Saturday 5 December. There’s also the annual Christmas tree collection in January, as well as the chance to win £3,000 through the Winter Draw*.
For wrapping paper, cards, 2027 calendars and diaries, party outfits and thoughtful low-cost gifts, our high street and online shops have got Christmas covered. Every purchase helps fund vital local care. There’s also a new Christmas pop-up shop opening in Newport Pagnell on Thursday 5 November.
*Over 18s only. See full terms and conditions
