The Barn beauty salon rides for Weston Hospicecare

/in /by

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

/in /by

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

/in /by

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

/in /by

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