Author: bsa_mar

It’s that very changeable time of the year, the weather is changing, the clocks will soon be changing and even the Monster March is changing! Yes, the Monster March is now the Willow Wood MONSTER MASH!

We’ve taken the decision to drop the sponsored walk and just have the world’s best Halloween Party! For some reason, we couldn’t scare up enough volunteer marshals to accompany the walkers, and as safety is paramount have decided to concentrate on our fancy dress party.

Held in the imposing surroundings of the Jubilee Suite at Dukinfield Town Hall on Saturday 27 October the Monster Mash is open to everyone – so long as you’re suitably dressed in your Halloween finest. There will be cash prizes of £50, £30 and £10 for the best dressed so let your imagination run riot. It’s family friendly, starting at 4.30pm and ending at 9.30pm, and the price of £8 for adults and just £4 for under 16s includes a hotpot supper – or veggie alternative – and cake. Incredible value – especially as under 2s are free!

This year there’s also a full licensed bar available, so as Chris Hayden, event organiser said, “It’s ideal to get groups of friends into the Halloween spirit, before they head off into town. Have a couple of drinks, supper and a dance to the great mix of music that will be played including, of course, the Monster Mash by Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett and the Crypt Kickers.”

Numbers at the party are limited to 250 so register now!

Dedications are now coming in thick and fast for Willow Wood’s annual Light Up A Life campaign where we join with our community to celebrate the lives of those no longer with us.

Open to everyone, whether or not you have been touched by Hospice Care, this year we have an online Book of Memories where, for the first time, you can leave a personal message to remember loved ones. This Book will remain on our website throughout the coming year, with dedications available for viewing on your special days.

A printed copy will be placed in our multi-faith prayer room to coincide with our Winter Fete on 17 November and will be updated as further dedications are received. An ideal opportunity to peruse these would be during one of our Garden of 1,000 Lights open evenings every Tuesday and Thursday from this date until 20 December. The Book of Memories will also be available at our two celebration carol services.

As Willow Wood chaplain Eddy Inglis said: “Every year people come to me to say just how much it means to them and how much comfort they get from our services. Like Willow Wood itself, Light Up A Life is for everyone”. The Glossop service, on 4 December and the Tameside service, on 9 December both feature a brass band, children’s choir, carols and, of course, the dedication of the Tree of Lights and are always emotional yet uplifting and joyous.

Chris Hayden, event organiser said: “We’d like to give as many people as possible the opportunity to dedicate a light to remember loved ones, it really is a wonderful way to honour their memory. To help us reach those who may not have heard of Light Up A Life, we’d be so grateful for help in taking information out to our community. If you could place some information leaflets and a poster at your community group, your place of worship, work or social group it could really help bring people together to find some solace at this very special time of year”.

If you could help in this way, please contact Chris on 0161 330 7788 or chris.hayden@willowwood.org.uk. If you would like to make a dedication this can be done here or alternatively collect a dedication leaflet from our shops or reception.

Most of us dream of what we would do with an unexpected windfall – exotic holidays, home improvements or treats for your family. Willow Wood will help make those dreams a reality this year, when we draw the £5,000 winning ticket from our end of year raffle on Thursday 20 December. And there are 12 other cash prizes up for grabs as well.

If you’d like tickets sending out to you please contact Diane Austin-Hughes, our lottery manager. Diane explains; “There was a bit of a hiccup with our mailing this year when a small percentage of the tickets were sent out with incorrect address details and we’re so sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. If you haven’t received your tickets please get in touch with me and we’ll make sure to send them to you without delay.

“Or you can always buy them online here. It only takes a minute, it’s easy and it’s secure.

As well as providing a great prize at this very expensive time of the year, the Christmas Draw brings in much needed income for Willow Wood. This year our costs are £2.5million, and every raffle ticket purchased helps us to continue and develop our care. Care like our growing Dementia service, which has been running very successfully over the past few years providing end-of-life care for Dementia patients, and support for their families, in their own home. There’s also the very successful Dementia Café, held on the second and fourth Friday of every month at the Hospice, providing advice, support, entertainment and relaxation in a warm and friendly environment. The café is open to anyone living with dementia and their carers – you don’t have to be an existing patient to drop in for fun and friendship. Take a look at our website for full information.

Diane also said; “We’d be really appreciative if you could help us with the draw. Could you sell some to colleagues or customers? Or do you go to a community or social group where your friends would enjoy taking part? Just contact me on on 0161 330 1133 or lottery@willowwood.org.uk for tickets on a sale or return basis. Every penny raised from the draw will come straight back to Willow Wood to enable us to continue our care for the future.”

Willow Wood has wonderful support with community fundraisers undertaking all different kinds of activities to raise much-needed funds. We’ve recently had two wonderful donations from two diverse activities – a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro and a Bike Show and Rock Night.

John Murrie and fellow members of the Wild Geese Motor Cycle Club brought in a wonderful donation of £900 from their event in August at the Junction Inn, Turner Lane.They had a great day with stalls, a tombola and a raffle, two rock groups and the support of other motorcycle clubs.The Junction’s manager, Lee Chadderton also brought his own steam engine along and provided children’s rides.Well done to everyone involved.

David Counsell ticked a personal challenge off his bucket list, and raised the incredible amount of £5,000 when he trekked to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.He presented the cheque to events organiser Elaine McConnell who said ‘We can’t thank our supporters enough for all they do for us.It will take £2.5million to run Willow Wood this year – that’s over £285 each hour.We just couldn’t do it without the commitment and support of people like John and David. Thank you,’

Ladies – why not start the festive season off in style with the Willow Wood Winter Wonderland ladies lunch?Treat yourself to a bit of ‘me time’ with an early Christmas present to yourself, or if you can’t think what to buy for your favourite girlfriend – problem solved!

Join us at noon on Wednesday 12 December for a glass of Prosecco in the lovely surroundings of Oaklands Hall, Hyde, before a leisurely (and delicious!) three course lunch.

There’ll be entertainment, a raffle and you’ll also have the opportunity to browse and buy from a gorgeous selection of clothes, handbags and accessories plus Body Shop toiletries. You could finalise all your Christmas shopping while indulging in a sophisticated and fun afternoon with your girlfriends. What could be nicer?

Elaine McConnell, event organiser said; ‘Let’s face it, we all deserve some relaxation, especially at such a hectic time of the year. Taking a day out of the

pre-Christmas whirl of shopping, cleaning, decorating and organising will really help get you ready for a wonderful festive season.And at just £32 per head it’s a very affordable treat!’

Full menu details are available on the Willow Wood website, where you can also book online easily, quickly and securely.Alternatively, contact Elaine on 0160 330 7788 or at elaine.mcconnell@willowwood.org.uk.

The seasons seem to be flying by faster every year, and before we know it Christmas will be upon us.A great place to start shopping for gifts (or just to treat yourself!) is the Willow Wood Winter Fete on Saturday 17 November.

Open between 11am and 5pm there’ll be handcrafted gifts, cards, jewellery, bags, scarves, toys and more.Hot food will be available both from chef Mark’s barbeque and from our highly regarded restaurant, and if you just want a quick pick-me-up, how about a slice of delicious cake and an Irish Coffee?

If you’re bringing the children along, not only is entry free for under 12s, but they’ll be able to pay their first visit of the year to Santa’s Grotto, so make sure they have their Christmas lists ready. Entry for adults and older children is just £2.

Entertainment will be provided by the Willow Wood Hospice Choir and the Happy Ukukele Band, and plenty of free parking will be available at Ashton Sixth Form College, with a free shuttle bus to take you back and forth.

Whatever you decide, Willow Wood looks forward to welcoming you through its doors for the 2018 Winter Fete.

Willow Wood has to raise £2.5million to maintain and develop our services and we have a wide-ranging calendar of fundraising events. Two very different events being held in the next couple of weeks are our Kids Com Car Boot Sale and the Festival of Christmas Music.

Sunday 25 November sees our last indoor car boot sale of the year at Astley Sports Centre. All pitches are already sold out, and it’s the ideal place to pick up a pre-loved bargain – just in time for Christmas! As the name suggests, it’s aimed at children of all ages, and there will be books, toys, dvds, clothes and more, all at bargain prices.

The following Sunday, 2 December sees the ever-popular Festival of Christmas Music, in the impressive surroundings of the Albion Church, Ashton. Organised by a committed team of volunteers, this will feature the Accord Choir and the Ashton-under-Lyne Brass Band. Admission is by programme, available at the Willow Wood reception and both the Ashton and Stalybridge Hospice shops. At just £5 including a cup of tea or coffee and a mince pie it’s a wonderful way to start the festive season.

Full details of these, and our other fundraising events are available by visiting our events diary.

Willow Wood’s Light Up A Life dedication services bring comfort to many in our community as we celebrate the lives of loved ones with carols, readings, brass bands and choirs. It is also a wonderful opportunity to view the dedications in our Book of Memories.

However, so many people attend and want to view the Book that you may not feel you have long enough to take it in. If you would like to spend a little more time with your memories, then visit our multi-faith prayer room where the Book of Memories will stay throughout the Christmas period and then for the whole of 2019.

Our Light Up A Life stars, inscribed with your dedication, will be proudly displayed on the two trees in our prayer room from 17 November until Twelfth Night. Please be assured that if you have chosen our online Book our staff and volunteers will write and hang the stars to ensure that every single dedication is in place. You may come along to Willow Wood at any time to view these.

However, as we transform our lovely gardens into our magical Garden of 1,000 Lights from 20 November, why not take advantage of our open evenings every Tuesday and Thursday until 20 December. There will be festive refreshments available, and as well as perusing your dedication you will be able to walk round the beautifully illuminated gardens and enjoy a hot chocolate or winter cocktail along with a delicious home-made mince pie.

For further information on Light Up A Life or the Garden of 1,000 Lights, please visit our events diary.

There are just a couple of tables left for the Willow Wood ladies only Winter Wonderland lunch on Wednesday 12 December, so if you’d like to treat your mum, sister or best friend to an early Christmas present don’t leave it too long to book.

It’s going to be a fabulous occasion, and the imposing surroundings of Oaklands Hall, Hyde will make a suitably grand backdrop for your best party dress. The afternoon starts in style with a glass of Prosecco, followed by a delicious three course lunch. To really get you in the party mood, there’s some wonderful entertainment – it really is going to be a lovely afternoon.

Event organiser Elaine McConnell said: “You might even be able to finish off your Christmas shopping as we’ve arranged for a pop-up shop stocked with gorgeous clothes, handbags and accessories plus indulgent Body Shop toiletries.”

Tickets are just £32 each and you can book online, quickly, easily and securely. Alternatively, ring our fundraising office on 0161 330 7788 or drop us a line at fundraising@willowwood.org.uk. We look forward to seeing you there!