The winter fair held annually by St Ann’s Hospice will return this November. Santa’s grotto, mulled wine, raffles, and festive entertainment are amongst some of the features at this year’s Winter Fair.
The event will be taking place on the 28th of November at Walkden Legion between 12pm and 3pm, they will be raising money towards the daily costs of care for St Ann’s Hospice.
Greg Kelly, community fundraiser, explained: “It is the first fair since before the pandemic, the last one we did was in 2019.”
In previous years the event was held at the hospice sites; however, due to the risk of covid, Mr Kelly decided to move the location to Salford.
He said: “Because of the hospice and Covid setting we decided not to do it here at the hospice, it is going to a busy fair. So instead, we chose Walkden Legion and the Rose Walker Community centre in Cheadle Heath.
“(A) chap called Derek Hamilton at Walkden Legion, he’s given us the venue in kindness because he knows what the hospice is and what it’s about.”
St Ann’s Hospice is celebrating their 50th year and is one of the oldest adult hospices in the UK. They specialise in providing end of life care and support for adults dealing with terminal illnesses. Mr Kelly spoke about his connection to St Ann’s and the work they did for his family.
He said: “My dad was here five years ago at Heald Green hospice. It is quite significant to me to work for the hospice.
“Since he passed away here, we did a funeral collection for him and ever since then we have fundraised for the hospice because they stepped in for us at a time when we needed support for my dad and as a family.
“Because he was terminally ill the hospice provided the care while we spent my dad’s final weeks with him.”
Sarah Wolstenholme, community fundraiser for St Ann’s Hospice, explained some of the events of the winter fair: “We’ve got Santa there on the day, we have (a) toy tombola and (a) sweet tombola. It is very much a family-oriented event, even the staff will come down with their children.”
The hospice relies on fundraisers and donations to stay open, with only a third of funding from the NHS, St Ann’s needs to raise a minimum of £20,000 per day.
Mr Kelly explained how important the hospice is to the community: “What is profound with it is how many people are affected in Greater Manchester by St Ann’s Hospice or end of life care
“It does impact so many people and you don’t realise”
The hospice sees over 2,000 patients each year. With only 45 beds available and limited resources, they have been granted planning permission to build a new hospice that will be fully equipped to care for their patients.
St Anne’s hospice is welcoming any volunteers and donations for the event. Any monies raised on the day will go towards the running costs of the hospice and will help to ensure all patients are well looked after.
“Every little amount or big amount makes all the difference”, said Mr Kelly. Tickets cost £1 per adult with free entry for children. To volunteer or get involved with any current and future events you can contact Mr Kelly and the rest of the community fundraising team at fundraising@sah.org.uk or find details on their website.
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