Christmas Jumper Day is coming!

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On Wednesday 9th December, wear a Christmas jumper and donate £1 to Weston’s local Hospice.

Weston Hospicecare challenges you to wear your silliest Christmas jumper with pride on the 9th – to work, to college, or round the supermarket – to raise money for a great cause this Christmas.

Put on your beautiful light-up Santa jumper, or the one your gran hand-knitted you, and then text WHC01 £1 to 70070 to instantly donate £1 to the Hospice. Or you can make your donation at any Weston Hospicecare charity shop.

“Christmas Jumper Day is going to be a lot of fun,” says Hospice Fundraiser Rachel Mansfield, “and it’s a great, simple way to support the Hospice this Christmas. This can be a difficult time of year for the families we care for, and every £1 donation will be appreciated, along with the laughs we’ll all get from seeing people’s Christmas jumpers!

“We would love lots of local businesses and workplaces to get involved, so do let your boss know about it. And when you take part, please send us your photos! Email us, show them off on Facebook, or tweet them using #WHCxmasjumper.”

To find out more about Christmas Jumper Day or fundraising for the Hospice, please contact Rachel on or .

Everything’s £1 at the Aller Parade Hospice shop

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Weston Hospicecare has turned its Aller Parade charity shop in Weston-super-Mare into a £1 shop, offering locals a last chance to buy its donated items for an amazing bargain price.

Linda Kelly, the charity’s Head of Retail, says: “The response has been fantastic – despite everything being £1 or less, our income is significantly higher, meaning we can donate more funds back to the Hospice.

“We decided to convert the Aller Parade shop into a £1 shop following the success of our other £1 shops in the centre of Weston and Clevedon. It’s a way to make our fundraising more efficient. We get great items donated that don’t always sell in the stores they’re donated to. Previously, if they didn’t sell after a few weeks, we were faced with the very difficult decision to recycle or dispose of them, which is the last thing we want to do when people have generously chosen to donate their items to raise money for the Hospice.

“Our £1 shops now act as a last stop for these items instead, allowing people to buy them at highly discounted prices, saving them from recycling, raising funds, and giving local people a great bargain!”

The shop has had a facelift, with new signage and interiors. Since the shop opened as a £1 store, sales have more than doubled, which is good news for the local Hospice.

This is the latest in a line of changes for the charity’s shops which aim to improve efficiency and maximise the profit from the community’s donations.

Weston Hospicecare provides free, expert end-of-life care to 1 in 100 local people, and raises 80% of its running costs through its charity shops, fundraising activities and the generosity of local people and businesses.

Find out more about the Hospice’s shops at westonhospicecaregroup.org.uk/shops or call

The Barn beauty salon rides for Weston Hospicecare

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On Sunday 4th October, the multi-award-winning beauty salon, The Barn, organized a charity bike ride to raise money for Weston Hospicecare.

 “We always like to support charity,” says Kelly Hooper, Creator and Director of The Barn, “but with our busy schedules we couldn’t find an event to suit us, so we organized our own.”

The Barn set up a sponsor bucket in the salon and asked people for a £1 pledge. “Our aim was to get as many people as possible to give us a £1 each,” says Kelly.

Cycling the 25 miles from Cheddar Reservoir to Yatton and back along the Strawberry line, were 15 women and children comprising members of Team Barn, clients and family.

The youngest participant was 9-year-old Charlotte Redman who cheerily lead the team for much of the way. Together with her mum Alex – who works as an acupuncturist and Bowen practitioner at The Barn – she raised £65. Imogen Lawrence, The Barn’s 14-year-old Saturday girl donated £100 in memory of her beloved granddad.

“There are few people who have not been touched by cancer or a terminal illness,” says Kelly. “In Team Barn, we have had family members and friends with terminal illnesses  – and we have also had the honour of treating and comforting terminally-ill clients – some of whom have stayed at Weston Hospicecare. As a local business, we like to support local charity and Weston Hospicecare is very close to all of our hearts.”

Sarah’s Dry September For Weston Hospicecare

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Regardless of the weather, for Sarah Twigg from Weston-super-Mare it’s been a dry September.  Sarah took on the challenge of abstaining from alcohol for the whole month to raise money for her local Hospice and in early October, having successfully achieved this she was able to present cheques totalling £11,000.

Sarah was motivated to help after a close friend passed away at the Hospice in Uphill.   She said “The care my friend received was just amazing – she was shown so much kindness, compassion and love by the wonderful nurses on the In-patient Unit that it made me determined to do something to help.  Many of our friends agreed to sponsor me and some of my husband David’s close business colleagues made an unbelievably significant contribution.  I have been overwhelmed by the support I received.  The total raised is much more than I could ever have hoped for and I feel great after my dry September.”

Sally Davis from the Hospice said “Sarah’s personal achievement and fundraising success are fantastic. Eleven thousand pounds will pay for our team of eight Community Palliative Care Nurse Specialists for a whole week caring for almost 350 patients and their families in their own homes.  The difference this will make to those people is invaluable and Sarah can be very proud of what she has achieved”

Walking group’s tough challenge raises thousands for Hospice

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A walking group for people with health conditions has raised an impressive £1,800 for Weston Hospicecare. The Carlton Ramblers were sponsored to complete the Mendip Challenge, a walk of up to 30 miles along the West Mendip Way.

There are around 12 members of the Carlton Ramblers, who all have mental or physical health conidtions. The walking group was the brainchild of staff at the Carlton Centre in Weston-super-Mare, who thought it would make a good health activity for the people who used the Centre’s various partner services.

Several years on, the group has taken on a life of its own, and the Carlton Ramblers now organise their own meetings every Tuesday to support one another while taking a six to eight-mile hike around the local area.

For the last six years, the Ramblers have taken on the Mendip Challenge to raise money for Weston Hospicecare. Nick, one of the group’s members, explained that the Challenge provides them with a great motivation and focus:

“The walking group has really helped us to improve and sustain our health and wellbeing.  As people who know first-hand how important it is to be supported, we wanted to be able to give something back to others.

“Taking part in the Mendip Challenge every year is a great personal challenge for all of us, and the satisfaction of being able to give something back through fundraising for the Hospice is really important to us.”

The Mendip Challenge is an annual sponsored event for people who would like to have fun outdoors, challenge themselves and raise money for Weston Hospicecare. There are 10, 20 and 30 mile routes along the West Mendip Way in the Somerset hills – or a five mile fancy dress route along the beach! You can walk or run, on your own, with a team or with your family and the dog, and there’s food, drink and music to enjoy at the finish line.

Over six years of doing the Mendip Challenge, the Carlton Ramblers have raised over £5,000 for the Hospice. And most impressively, most of the group now complete the 10 or 20 mile challenge distances – one member has even completed 30 miles. This huge achievement has made a big difference to the Ramblers’ health, as well as to Weston Hospicecare and all the local people who rely on their services.

If you’d be interested in joining the Carlton Ramblers, they would love to hear from you. Please get in touch via the Carlton Centre. They would also recommend the Mendip Challenge to other walking groups. To find out about taking part in the 2016 Mendip Challenge, please visit www.westonhospicecare.org.uk/challenge-hospice or call the Hospice on .

Model train enthusiasts put on an impressive show

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Each year, model train enthusiasts put on an impressive show in Weston-super-Mare, showing off their engines and layouts in aid of charity.

This year was the first time that Keith and Joyce Price and the team have run an extra show in September, and it was a big hit with almost 800 visitors and £1,800 raised for the Hospice.

Over the past six years, the model train show has raised a total of around £27,000 for the Hospice! We are very grateful to organisers Keith and Joyce and to Weston’s train fans of all ages!

On their website, Keith says:

 “A BIG thank you to our sponsor, to the enthusiasts who bought in their layouts from far and wide, the traders who backed the show – without all these, there would not be a show! The army of volunteers giving their time and effort free of charge. The advertisers who in turn paid for the show guide, and not forgetting the staff at the campus who looked after us so well. Thank you all! We’ll be doing it all over again on Sunday the 10th of January, 2016, see you then!”

Have a look at some photos from the event here: http://www.westonsupermaretrainshow.com/wsm-september-2015.html

A party for Jeanette and the hospice that cared for her

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Keeping a promise they made 12 months ago, Jeanette Eastman’s husband Marcus and her son Steve held a special celebration evening at The Commodore Hotel on 13th September, raising £1,500 for Weston Hospicecare. The party marked Marcus’s 84th birthday and what would have been his and Jeanette’s Diamond Wedding Anniversary.

Jeanette passed away at Weston Hospicecare in 2014 and the family have been passionate fundraisers for the hospice ever since – organising events and holding car boot sales which have raised over £5,000 in vital funds so far.

More than 100 friends and family came to the celebration at The Commodore. They were treated to an evening of entertainment by a line-up of talented local performers including Dave “Elvis” Stevens, Jordan Evans, country girl Julie Sketchley, Chris Rainbow, Jo Hopson and Steve himself – who also hosted the evening – making a late night appearance as the Weston Wurzel.

Among the guests was Gwen Harding, Hospice Community Palliative Care Nurse Specialist, who cared for Jeanette at home throughout her illness.

“It was a fantastic night and I was so pleased that Gwen came,” said Marcus. “She gave us such comfort and care when Jeanette was  ill –  Jeanette thought she was like  a guardian angel – she was just wonderful. The care all the family received from the hospice was fantastic and we are so pleased to be able to give something back.”

The Commodore provided the venue free of charge and many local traders provided prizes for a grand raffle.  Steve said, “We are grateful to everyone who supported us with the evening and it was lovely to be able to continue to benefit the hospice which means such a lot to our family.”

If you would like to support the hospice too, please call or visit westonhospicecaregroup.org.uk/support-us

Weston Hospicecare is Charity of the Year for Sainsbury’s Worle

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Weston Hospicecare is very pleased to have been chosen by Sainsbury’s in Worle as the store’s Charity of the Year for the second year running.

The store will run a monthly programme of fundraising activities and events that raise awareness for the hospice, getting colleagues, customers and the general public involved.

Last year, Sainsbury’s Worle raised over £6,270 for the hospice and they are hoping to do even better this year.

In fact, the store has already raised over £1,000 this year by participating in the charity’s Nifty Fifty fundraising challenge. Their enterprising team won the challenge by making the most money out of £50 in fifty days. And there’s much more planned.

Simon Lufflam, Store Manager,  said: “We’re delighted to be supporting Weston Hospicecare again – a local charity which has touched the lives and hearts of many colleagues, family and friends and one which is so vitally important to all in our community.”

Weston Hospicecare is looking forward to working in partnership with the Worle store again. Sally Davis from the charity said: “We are really honoured to have been chosen as Sainsbury’s Charity of the Year for the second year running. The support we receive from the store is amazing – the staff are great supporters and passionate fundraisers.”

If your business or organisation is interested in supporting Weston Hospicecare, please call us on  or visit westonhospicecaregroup.org.uk/support-us/business-partnerships

Runners hit the streets to give something back to Weston hospice

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Three runners took on the challenge of the Bristol Half Marathon to raise funds for a Weston charity.

Gemma Griffiths, Miriam Ford and Natasha Sealey all completed the 13.1 mile course on 13 September in aid of Weston Hospicecare.

Natasha has raised around £500. She said:

“I ran the Bristol Half Marathon for Weston Hospicecare because they looked after my Nan in her final weeks. They did such an amazing job of not only looking after my Nan but my family too. The staff at Weston Hospicecare were so accommodating and nothing was too much trouble.

“The race was one of the most challenging things I have ever done but crossing the finish line felt amazing!”

Instead of running the race, Miriam Ford completed the course as a Nordic walk. When asked about her walking poles, she explained:

“My husband Steve was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in 2012.

“Steve became very poorly very quickly towards the end of his illness and spent his last three days at Weston Hospicecare. The care provided by the hospice to both Steve and myself was truly amazing.

“I wanted to support the hospice so that they can continue to help others like they helped me and Steve.

“Steve and I had enjoyed running together and had both previously completed 10 half marathons each, the first in 2004. I had not been able to run during Steve’s illness, but I promised him that I would complete the Bristol Half Marathon for him and for the hospice.

“When Steve became ill and was no longer able to run, he took up Nordic walking and this kept him going when things got tough. Earlier in the year I had been unable to train due to an injury and it seemed appropriate then to Nordic walk this half marathon as a way of combining two things that he really loved. It was an emotional day but I had so much fun, with tears of joy and sadness.

“Together with my niece Sophie Wood, who ran the Bristol Half for the first time, we have collected in the region of £1,000, but donations are still being received.”

For Gemma Griffiths, the Bristol Half was the fifth of several challenges she is completing in aid of the hospice this year. “The 13.1 miles of tarmac pounding was definitely the hardest challenge I have done yet,” she said. She has raised around £200 so far.

She’s now gearing up for the gruelling Tough Mudder London South challenge on 26 September.

The Bristol Half Marathon loops through the historic harbourside and Avon Gorge, passing twice under the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The race has been held each year since 1989.

To take on your own challenge for the hospice, please call or visit westonhospicecaregroup.org.uk/challenge-hospice/