Category: Fundraisers

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Place of Welcome has a cracking time supporting Willow Wood

There were smiles all around as a self-funded community group in Ashton-under-Lyne helped to raise over £400 for Willow Wood Hospice this Easter.

Based at St Gabriel’s Church, Place of Welcome is a friendly, welcoming group that meets every Monday, offering a vital space for companionship and connection.

Since it started in November 2018, it has grown steadily and is run by around 20 dedicated volunteers, welcoming an average of 45 people each week from around Tameside.

“We wanted to try to help people who are socially isolated and lonely – we’ve been going ever since,” said volunteer Sandra Kiy. “On the third Monday of every month, we have a theme and provide a free two-course lunch and some entertainment to make it fun.

“A lot of people who come live alone or they are carers for somebody so we want them to have something to look forward to and remember when they go back to their empty homes. We try to get out into our Community Garden as much as we can too, weather permitting.”

With Easter Monday (21st April) falling on one of their themed days, it was the perfect opportunity to do something special – and meaningful.

Everyone had plenty of Easter fun while supporting the Hospice.

The group marked the occasion in style – not only celebrating together, but also raising funds for patients with life-limiting illnesses from the local community in our care.

“We decided that we wanted to do something for charities in the area. The people who come to us are very generous and it’s nice to give to a good cause which does a lot for the community,” Sandra continued.

“Mandy, Julie and I all sing in the Hospice Choir, so we had a connection already to Willow Wood. We said we would like to support the Hospice because it’s something that’s close to everybody’s hearts. Everyone knows someone that’s either been there or visited.”

Sandra reached out to our Fundraising team after reading about our Bunny Hop campaign, which inspired their own Easter-themed challenge. Although not everyone in the group could hop, that didn’t stop the fun – or the fundraising!

On the day, around 50 people packed into the church’s community room, donning bunny ears and full of Easter cheer.

They enjoyed a repertoire from the Willow Wood Hospice Choir and a visit from our mascot Woody the Bear, before the winners of their Easter bonnet and cake competitions were announced.

Members of the Willow Wood Hospice Choir performing.

After a delicious lunch, there was a packed programme of Easter activities, for which they were sponsored to complete – from ‘pin the nose on the bunny’ to a game tossing eggs into a basket.

Of course, no Easter celebration would be complete without chocolate – and everyone got Crème Eggs to take home!

“We all had lots of fun and we’re delighted to support Willow Wood – we hope the money we’ve helped to raise makes a difference,” said Sandra.

Tracey Schofield, who leads on our Bunny Hop campaign, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Place of Welcome volunteers and attendees for supporting the Hospice as part of their Easter celebrations.

“It’s heartwarming to see everyone come together and that our Bunny Hop campaign inspired them to raise vital funds. We rely on the generosity of our community to support patients and those closest to them from Tameside and Glossop when they need us most.”

Keep an eye out soon across our platforms to see how much this year’s Bunny Hop campaign has raised.

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Swimming the Channel (in Tameside) for Willow Wood

A Tameside resident is embarking on a journey in the heart of her local community to raise funds for a much-loved charity.

Natalie Drabble has pledged to swim the equivalent length of the English Channel to raise awareness for Willow Wood Hospice, a cause close to her heart.

Natalie’s challenge involves swimming a staggering 1,352 lengths of her local pool at the Wellness Centre in Denton. Spread over four weeks, she will hit the pool three times a week from June to July.

The challenge is not about fitness, but is a heartfelt tribute to her late mother, Angela, who received compassionate care from Willow Wood Hospice.

Angela’s memory has been a driving force for Natalie, who, despite a 17-year hiatus from competitive swimming, recently demonstrated incredible stamina by completing 102 lengths in just 1.5 hours.

Her return to swimming was inspired by fond memories of her time on a swimming team years ago.

Tameside Wellness Centre has thrown its full support behind Natalie’s fundraiser, providing practical assistance such as a dedicated lifeguard to count each length.

Willow Wood Hospice, based in Ashton-under-Lyne, provides vital care and support to individuals with life-limiting illnesses and their families across Tameside and beyond. Their services include in-patient care, community outreach, and support for families, all delivered with compassion and dedication.

For more information on how to support Natalie’s challenge and contribute to Willow Wood Hospice, visit her JustGiving page.

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Dukinfield cyclist’s birthday bike ride for Willow Wood

A father-of-two from Dukinfield has cycled 60 miles for his 60th birthday to raise money for Willow Wood Hospice.

Ian Saxon, who retired in 2023 after 40 years working in environmental services at Tameside Council, peddled around the Greater Manchester area in support of his local hospice.

Ian, accompanied by his friends and family, started their ride at the iTrain gym in Dukinfield before traversing throughout Manchester, passing down the Fallowfield Loop, around Manchester Airport, and making their way past Jodrell Bank, Poynton and Romiley.

Instead of receiving gifts for his birthday, Ian asked people to donate to the Hospice. After his fantastic efforts on 9th March, over £1,200 has been raised so far!

Ian, who also has a granddaughter, said: “I always had a bike as a child. I’ve got very fond memories of cycling as a kid, and then I probably lost a little bit of interest whilst I was at university, but I soon got back into it and probably since then I’ve cycled continuously.”

Ian with his family and friends before they set off on their bike ride. Photo credit: Steve Giblin.

Experienced cyclist Ian has always felt a connection to the Hospice and has supported Willow Wood in the past, by previously peddling 50 miles for his 50th birthday and 40 miles for his 40th birthday.

Ian elaborated on his cycling adventures: “We’ve done some quite long trips. We’ve done Land’s End to John O’Groats twice. When I retired, me and my friend did a ride which we called from Home to Rome.”

As for Ian’s reasons for supporting the Hospice, he explained: “Someone described it to me, which really resonated with me, as Willow Wood for local people is something like a life insurance policy that you hope you never need to claim on.

“But if you need it, you need it local and we all need it to be there. We just hope we never need to use it. So that’s kind of stuck with me, and I know the value of it locally.”

Ian pictured in our beautiful Hospice gardens.

Ian didn’t do his fundraiser alone and he is grateful for the support he received.

“I want to thank my wife Mandy and our friend Bev for making coffee and sandwiches for everyone, as well as my friend and former colleague Steve Giblin for coming to take some photos.”

Lucy Ta’ati, Community Fundraiser at Willow Wood Hospice, commented: “We are incredibly grateful to Ian for his support to Willow Wood Hospice with his fantastic fundraiser. Donations are a valuable part of supporting the work the Hospice does, and support in any way is greatly appreciated. Well done, Ian!”

If you want more information about Ian’s fundraiser and you wish to donate, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/ian-saxon-3.

If you want to support the Hospice with a fundraiser of your own, please contact our Fundraising team by emailing fundraising@willowwood.org.uk or by calling 0161 330 7788.

By Ciaran Greenwood

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Willow Wood Enterprise Challenge raises over £12k

Willow Wood’s inaugural Enterprise Challenge initiative has helped to raise over £12,000 for the Hospice.

The Enterprise Challenge awards ceremony, which was held on Thursday 13th March at Clarendon Sixth Form College, celebrated the achievements of the local secondary schools that helped generate vital funds for the Hospice.

The schools who took part were All Saints Catholic College, Ashlea House School, St Thomas More RC College, Fairfield High School for Girls and St Damian’s RC Science College.

Hosted by Tameside Radio’s drivetime host Cameron Kennedy, the event had over 100 people in attendance, including the Civic Mayor of Tameside Councillor Betty Affleck and her Consort Declan Fitzpatrick.

The ten awards were presented by event sponsors, local business mentors, and Hospice patrons and trustees.

During their campaigns, pupils formed their own teams, each receiving £25 seed money to kickstart their fundraisers. They managed to grow their seed money into a larger sum, as well as utilising their creativity and entrepreneurial talents. Some of the pupils’ ideas included a car wash, selling loom bands, putting on a cinema, and holding a disco.

The overall winners were the Faith in Action team at St Thomas More RC Science College, who fully embraced the challenge and managed their seed money and reinvestment to raise a fantastic amount by building a relationship with their mentors and promoting some healthy competition between schools.

Paul, who was the Faith in Action team’s student leader, said on stage: “As a team, we planned two concerts, numerous sweet treat stalls and a sponsored run. We are extremely proud of raising over £1,200 to support the amazing work of Willow Wood Hospice. We want to thank all of Willow Wood and our sponsors Denton and Audenshaw Rotary, as well as Miss Hague and Mr Smith for supporting us.”

The main sponsors were Energy and Carbon Reduction Solutions Limited and the Union of Catholic Mothers in Stalybridge (St Peter’s and St Raphael’s Church) sponsored the awards evening.

Team sponsors and mentors were Inology IT, Denton and Audenshaw Rotary Club, Droylsden Glass, and Viking Office.

The awards and their winners were as follows:

  • Pioneer Fundraising Award – Ashlea House School
  • Innovation Award – St Damian’s RC Science College
  • Creative Arts Award – All Saints Catholic College (Year 11)
  • Market Insight Award – Fairfield High School for Girls
  • Sponsors Choice Award – All Saints Catholic College (Year 7)
  • Digital Impact Award – Ashlea House School
  • Strategic Investment Award – St Thomas More RC College (Faith in Action)
  • Social Enterprise Award – St Damian’s RC Science College
  • Endurance & Dedication Award – All Saints Catholic College (10W)
  • Overall Enterprise Challenge Award – St Thomas More (Faith in Action)

The guest speakers were Assistant Principal of Tameside College, Carl Shaw, and founder of Create & Craft Workshops, Cait Senior, who both gave inspiring speeches targeted to the young people in the audience.

St Damian’s RC Science College choir delivered an outstanding performance both before the ceremony and during the interval.

All of the schools and their pupils were celebrated for their incredible contributions to helping raise money for the Hospice.

Speaking about the event and how it went, Lucy Ta’ati, Community Fundraiser at Willow Wood Hospice, said: “I think it went really well, and it just shows when people come together – the participants, the staff at the schools, our lovely sponsors, trustees and patrons, and of course our fabulous host Cameron Kennedy – we can really make something special.

“I would like to thank everyone involved for their support – including Clarendon Sixth Form, Bhavna Parmar and Pam Mistry from The Innovation Hub at Tameside College, and Tesco Glossop and Tesco Stalybridge for donating refreshments.”

Community togetherness and support is of vital importance, and is a significant factor for raising awareness of the Hospice, based in Ashton-under-Lyne.

On this topic, Lucy added: “I think it’s massively important, and not just from a fundraising point of view. People out there need to know what services are available to them. It’s good for people to know that we’re there, we’re present in the community and people who are fundraising for us as well.

“It’s good for them to know that they are appreciated because without our third-party fundraisers and people helping us and supporting our events in the community, we wouldn’t be able to continue providing those services.”

Any teachers or leaders interested in their secondary school or youth group taking part in this year’s Enterprise Challenge can express their interest by visiting www.willowwood.org.uk/events/enterprise-challenge

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Willow Wood Day at Ashton United

Ashton United Football Club has organised a dedicated ‘Willow Wood Day’ to support the Hospice.

Their matchday on Saturday 29th March against Hebburn Town will be turned into a fun day at Hurst Cross with raffles, auctions and activities to enjoy – all while raising vital funds for Willow Wood Hospice.

Volunteers from Willow Wood will also be there with collection buckets and to provide more information about the Hospice to spectators.

Ahead of kick-off at 3pm, the club will open at midday on the day. There will be a darts competition event in the clubhouse and a raffle which will be drawn at half-time – with prizes including a signed Ashton United FC shirt.

There are also three hospitality packages still available for four people at a cost of £120 plus VAT – these include matchday tickets and pie and peas.

The club will be donating all profits from the match to the Hospice based in Ashton-under-Lyne, which provides specialist, compassionate and palliative care to patients from Tameside and Glossop with any life-limiting illness.

The co-chairmen of Ashton United have had a personal connection to the Hospice and wanted to support Willow Wood as part of the club’s ongoing work to support good causes in the community.

A spokesperson for the club said: “Ashton United FC, in conjunction with our charity arm Ashton United in the Community, work with many partners in the Tameside area to support good causes and promote health and wellbeing in our local community.

“Willow Wood Hospice are dependent on fundraising events and donations to survive and therefore we decided we would like to do something special to help.

“We have all been affected by family members requiring care and in fact Johnny Burke, the father/grandfather of our Co-Chairmen David and Jonathan Burke, who incidentally holds the record for the most appearances for Ashton United was recently cared for in Willow Wood before he unfortunately passed away and so this became even more personal for them and the club.

“We hope that by donating all profits from our game against Hebburn Town on Saturday 29th March we can make a real difference.

“We now need the support of local people, whether they support Ashton United or not, to come along to the game, get involved in the things that are going on and make the day a massive success.”

The Hospice says it is grateful for the support of the club, which will help make a difference.

“We would like to thank our friends at Ashton United for dedicating this special matchday to support us,” said Joanne Lees, Willow Wood’s Partnership Development Lead.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for us to help spread the word about what we do and raise awareness about the essential services we provide. We hope as many people as possible can attend and raise vital funds to support hospice care.”

Tickets for the match are £12 for adults, £8 for over-65s, students and concessions, and £1 for under-12s. They can be bought on the gate on the day or online in advance at ashtonunited.co.uk

Anyone interested in the remaining hospitality packages can contact andyc@ashtonunited.co.uk

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College students get creative to support hospice care

We’re thrilled that the Aspirations group at Tameside College has chosen Willow Wood Hospice as their charity for an exciting enterprise competition.

Using offcuts from the college woodshop, they have made stamps from scratch and used them to print unique designs on tote bags, pencil cases and badges.

Their goal is to raise at least £200 for our Hospice while showcasing their creativity and business skills – as part of their entry into a Manchester wide business challenge.

They kicked off their fundraising with a fantastic hands-on workshop at the Beaufort Road Food Hub, where people could buy pre-made items or print their own designs—it was so much fun!

We also hosted a pop-up shop in our reception, selling their amazing creations, with all proceeds going directly to Willow Wood.

The competition runs until Friday 28th February. They will present their idea to the judging panel and the winner will be announced on 11th March.

A huge thank you to Becky Holmes, the teacher leading this project, and to the students for their incredible effort.

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Braving the shave on Christmas Eve for Willow Wood

We are deeply moved by the story of Liz Cummins, who is honouring her dad’s memory and raising funds for Willow Wood Hospice by braving the shave.

On Christmas Eve, Liz will be having her head shaved on what would have been her dad Bernard’s 82nd birthday.

This act of bravery fulfils one of her dad’s final wishes: to raise money for the Hospice that cared for him so lovingly in the final weeks of his life.

Liz shared: “On 5th September this year, I sadly lost my dad after a 20-year-long fight against cancer.

“My dad was amazingly cared for by Willow Wood Hospice during the last three weeks of his battle and they were amazing in not only looking after my dad, but also supporting us all as a family.

“My dad had two final wishes – one being raising money for Willow Wood. When I asked him how he wanted me to do this, his reply was by shaving my head.

“So, on 24th December, which would have been his 82nd birthday, I am braving the shave in honour of my dad’s wishes and raising money for an amazing cause.”

This fundraiser holds even greater significance now for Liz, whose mum has recently received her own diagnosis and has expressed her wish to spend her final days at the Hospice.

Anyone can make a donation to Liz’s fundraising efforts via her JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/liz-cummins-1732629619287

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How our Garden of Lights became a festive fixture

Our Garden of Lights celebration evenings are enjoyed by people throughout the local community and beyond every year, but very few know how they first came about. 

It all began in 2017, when the Hospice’s Maintenance Manager Dave Egerton (pictured) approached our then CEO Karen Houlston.

“I asked Karen if there was any way we could put some lights on for the Inpatient Unit,” explained Dave.

“I said it would be of no cost to the Hospice and I would do it all in my own time, so I put a few lights up and everyone liked them.

“The following year, the Fundraising team asked me if they got hold of some lights, would I put them up and I did. From there, it just took off.”

At the beginning, there were around 800 to 1,000 lights – now there are in excess of 11,000 lights which illuminate our stunning gardens in the dark and make them a picturesque scene for patients, staff and visitors to enjoy.

For Dave, a lot of hard work goes in behind the scenes to ensure it looks spectacular.

“I start looking at the lights in October and there’s lots of testing to do,” he said. “There’s around 35 hours of work involved in putting them up.

“We buy some lights and we get some donated, so we mix and match and try to make it look different every year. I have to wire them in such a way based on where the electric points are and I draw a map so I know where to put the lights every year.

“I leave the lights on every night over Christmas, even after we’ve had the Garden of Lights events, for our patients and then start to take them down in the new year. That involves around 25 hours of work in total and then the lights are taken to our Clearance Outlet and Donation Centre to be stored.”

What makes it all worthwhile for Dave is hearing about the positive impact the lights have on our patients.

“On the very first night, I was testing the lights for a couple of hours and a young man came in with his dad, whose eyes lit up when he saw the lights. I had to nip out but I said I would leave the lights on a bit longer for them. When I returned, staff had turned his bed round so he had a better view of the lights. The young man said ‘thank you Dave from me and my dad’. His dad sadly died two days later.

“Two years ago, an elderly lady who has been in and out of the Hospice was here at Christmas. She asked me when the lights would be on as her family were coming in, so we put the lights on for them and they all sat watching them together which was lovely.

“It makes all the hard work worthwhile knowing that seeing the lights could be the last memory for a patient when they come out of the Inpatient Unit into the gardens or sit watching them through their window.”

What started as a way of decorating our Hospice gardens for patients quickly became a fixture in the festive calendar and a popular event which raises vital funds to support the care of patients with life-limiting illnesses from Tameside and Glossop.

“It’s nice to have seen it grow from being just a few lights where a handful of staff were here to open the doors for the public to have a look around,” added Dave.

“In 2021, we introduced the memory stars in the top section of the garden and now it has graduated into a fundraising event which is well supported and raises a substantial amount for the Hospice.”

This year, there are 11 free-to-attend celebration evenings – with a different choir from the local community performing at each one, as well as seasonal refreshments available and a range of festive stalls to browse.

For more details about the event, click here.

By Adam Higgins 

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Enchanted Evening success boosts hospice funds

A popular musical concert has once again hit the right notes to provide a symphony of support for local hospice care.  

It’s the 21st successive year that a group of local amateur operatic societies have put on a varied programme of live music featuring ‘Songs from the Shows’.  

The ‘Enchanted Evening’ concert features top-class soloists singing a selection of the best-loved tunes from musical theatre.  

It was organised by Mike Styan, Phil Steels and Steve Pearson – whose car firm on Acres Lane in Stalybridge sponsored the event once again.  

The evening at Dukinfield Methodist Church recently has raised £1,386.50 for Willow Wood Hospice.  

The hospice, based in Ashton-under-Lyne, provides specialist and compassionate care to patients from across Tameside and Glossop with any life-limiting illness.  

Samantha Kitch, Fundraising Manager at Willow Wood Hospice, said: “Mike and his musical friends have raised £21,000 for the hospice over the years through holding this wonderful and nostalgic occasion.  

“We cannot thank them enough for their continued support, which really makes a difference to patients from our local community who need our care.”  

The ‘Enchanted Evening’ team is already putting plans in place for next year’s concert – so stay ‘tuned’.  

More information about events supporting the hospice can be found at https://willowwood.org.uk/events/