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A firm of Stockport accountants raised funds for St Ann’s Hospice by helping to pack Christmas shopping bags for customers at Marks & Spencer’s in the town.
The volunteers turned out from Hurst accountants, and from Pure Innovations who they promote work for disadvantaged people in Stockport. St Ann’s Fundraising Officer Wendy Bray said: “We rely on supporters like this to help us raise the £16,000 a day we need to provide free care for people with life-threatening illnesses across Stockport and Greater Manchester.”
A new car drawn as the star prize at a carol concert in aid of St Ann’s Hospice at Heald Green, Cheadle, helped raise more than £40,000 for the charity.
The car, a Hyundai Getz worth over £8,000 was won by a supporter from Sale in a raffle drawn during a Christmas concert by St Ann’s Festival Choir at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, sponsored by Midshire Business Systems of Stockport. More than 1,000 Hospice supporters attended the concert, which itself is expected to raise several thousand pounds for the charity.
St Ann’s Hospice new charity shop in Compstall Road, Romiley, Stockport, was officially opened by Andrew Stunell, the Lib-Dem MP for Hazel Grove, on December 20.
It is the charity’s 10th shop in the area, and all profits from sales there will go towards providing free care at the Hospice in Heald Green for patients with life-threatening illnesses across Stockport.
The MP, who is backing the campaign for fairer Government funding for hospices, said: “St Ann’s is doing a great job in providing such essential care for people, and I am sure their new shop at Romiley will help subside the costs involved. But I certainly support the call for the Government to increase funding to ensure the service is sustainable.”
It costs £9 million a year to run the Hospice, and while a third of funding is provided by the NHS, more than £16,000 a day is needed from voluntary donations to keep St Ann’s open.
The charity’s Trading Manager Anthony Lord said: “We are proud to say that our shops are being fitted out to a high degree to project the high standards of our charity and the service provided for patients.” He said donations of goods, particularly unwanted designer wear and products, could be dropped off at the shop, as these help to boost revenue for the hospice.
Information on the patient care and family support offered by the Hospice will also be available at the shop, together with opportunities for volunteering.
Building and development companies belonging to Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce have donated £3,583 towards free care for patients with life-threatening illnesses at St Ann’s Hospice. The funds were presented following the group’s annual dinner at the Midland Hotel in Manchester attended by more than 400 members.
The group’s chairman, Phil Cusack, Regional Director for civil engineering consultants Faber Maunsell, nominated St Ann’s to benefit from their fundraising over the past year after hearing that the charity depends on raising £16,000 a day from voluntary donations to care for patients and support for their families and carers from across Greater Manchester and into Cheshire.
More than 2,400 people gathered around a Christmas tree in Manchester Cathedral to celebrate the life of loved ones at St Ann’s Hospice annual Tree of Lights service.
Each one lit a candle at what was one of the largest remembrance services in the region to mark the work of the Hospice in providing free care for over 3,000 patients, families and carers from across Greater Manchester and Cheshire each year.
Judie Horrocks, who co-ordinates spiritual care for Hospice service users said: “Our Tree of Lights services provided a chance to honour those who have died; remember those whose loving care has touched our lives; and to think of those with a life-threatening illness whose fight for life continues.”
For more about the work of St Ann's Hospice visit www.sah.org.uk or call 0161 498 3631
Pupils from Outwood Primary School in Heald Green, Cheadle, are pictured singing carols in a special Christmas show for daycare patients at St Ann’s Hospice in Heald Green.
“The children’s singing really delighted our patients,” said Hospice Fundraising Officer Wendy Bray. Outwood Primary has entered St Ann’s Young Citizen of the Year awards aimed at encouraging good citizenship and charity fundraising in young people. Pupils from the school have also been busy helping out with gardening at the Hospice, as well as collecting funds for St Ann’s at their school Christmas play.
Instead of buying bottles of festive cheer for their customers, a company is spending the money instead on providing free care for patients at St Ann’s Hospice with life-threatening illnesses across Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
“We thought our customers would not mind if we donated £1,000 to St Ann’s instead of buying them all a drink for Christmas,” said Paul Davidson, Managing Director of Cheshire Scaffolds Ltd based in Reddish, Stockport.
St Ann’s Fundraising Officer Dipti Lakhani, said: “This was a wonderful gesture which we hope other companies might follow to help us raise the £16,000 a day it costs the Hospice to care for patients.”
Sue Nicholls - best known as Audrey from Coronation Street – is pictured joining in choir practice for this year’s Christmas Carol Concert ‘Christmas is Coming’ by St Ann’s Hospice Festival Choir at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester on Friday December 14.
“I love carols and just could not resist joining in,” declared Sue, who will be a special guest at the concert which raises vital funds to provide for care for people with life-threatening illnesses across Greater Manchester. The carol concert, sponsored by Stockport based Midshire Business Systems (Northern) has become an annual event and raised nearly £10,000 for the Hospice last Christmas.
Choir conductor John Pomphrey said: “We were delighted to have Sue join in our choir practice.” More than 120 singers in the choir will be joined by a Corus Brass Ensemble and Cheadle Hulme School choir during the concert and Tickets priced from £10.50 to £20.50 available from Bridgewater Hall Ticket Office tel. 0161 907 9000.
St Ann’s Festival Choir will also be carol singing at Handforth Dean on the concourse between Marks & Spencer and Tesco on Saturday December 15 between 9.30 am and 1.30pm; and at John Lewis department store, Cheadle Royal, 6.00 to 7.30pm on December 18.
