Theme: Fundraising

The stream was a great experience and helped spread the name of St Ann’s Hospice across the world.   

Conventional means of fundraising will always be popular, but we’re trying to come up with new, exciting and more inventive ways of getting people on board with fundraising.  

That means pushing digital and streaming to the younger generations who are mostly focused on using social media platforms such as Tik Tok. 

There are more charity streams coming online and it’s not the first time someone has done such a thing for St Ann’s. The key is to target people you know and new viewers as well.  Research and timing for certain video games is also important.


Jade Choudhury, Fundraising and communications assistant

Huge thanks to Jade for taking on this brilliant 24-hour challenge to raise money for our patients. 
It’s been really hard fundraising during the pandemic, as many of our events and other activities in the community have had to be cancelled or changed due to restrictions. So we’re only able to carry on providing our care thanks to people like Jade who think of new ways to fundraise for St Ann’s. It make such a difference to everyone here at the hospice.


Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive of St Ann’s

I’m so excited that the Manchester Midnight Walk can be back in the city centre where it belongs again this year.  It’s such an important event in our annual calendar and we’ve had supporters saying how much they’ve missed it during the pandemic. 
It’s a way for people to gather together and celebrate this amazing city, and there is always such a fantastic atmosphere on the night.  Some people take part in honour of a loved one, while others simply join us for a fun evening raising money for a local cause.  We’d love as many people as possible to join us and help us really celebrate the return of the Manchester Midnight Walk in style.


Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive of St Ann’s

As a charity, our teams have been working extremely hard throughout the pandemic to ensure local people have been able to access specialist palliative and end of life care when they’ve needed it most. 

Fundraising has been challenging, with many events like the Midnight Walk cancelled or adapted, so we’re hugely grateful to local people who have been thinking of us and helping us raise money to keep our services running. 

We need to fundraise around £20,000 a day to do that, so every penny raised at events like the Manchester Midnight Walk really does make a difference to the lives of local people.  Please do sign up if you can – we’d love to see you there.


Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive of St Ann’s

The start of a new year is a great time to plan your goals for the year ahead. We all know how good exercise is for our physical and mental health, so we’ve got the perfect challenge for 2022 to help meet those exercise goals.

Participants can complete their kilometres however they like – run, walk, cycle or swim, or a combination of all four! The important thing is to get out and get moving to raise funds.

There will be lots of support for participants along the way and we have a dedicated Facebook group where you can meet other amazing fundraisers, and get loads of tips and ideas. The group is a fun space, where you’ll get support from your fellow challengers to keep you motivated in the run up to and during the February challenge.

There is no registration fee and every penny you raise will make a difference. Well even send you a free t-shirt for you to wear with pride throughout the challenge! We would love as many people as possible to join in and raise what you can to support the patients and families we care for.

Rachel McMillan, St Ann’s Chief Executive

As a charity, our doctors, nurses other healthcare and support staff have only been able to continue caring for patients on the front line throughout this pandemic, thanks to the generous support of the community, so we’re hugely grateful to anyone who is able to join us and take part this year.

So many of our events and activities have had to be cancelled over the last two years, and it would mean so much if people could pledge to get outside, have some exercise, and raise much needed funds so we can continue to provide specialist palliative and end of life care to those who need it. We even have people taking part who will do the distance with laps of their garden.

It’s a really challenging time for all of us, but hopefully people will embrace the challenge whilst staying safe and keeping within government rules and guidelines. Thank you in advance to anyone who does sign up to take part. I can’t thank you enough, and it really will make a huge difference during an extremely difficult time.


Rachel McMillan, St Ann’s Chief Executive

The street was full of light and colour and it was probably the best display we’ve had in the 20-odd years we’ve been putting on the display.

New neighbours even put some of the residents who’ve lived here a while into the shade with their amazing lights.

Visitors were also able to scan a QR code outside my house which made donating much easier.


Tim Lyons

We are so grateful to Andrea, Tim and the whole street for getting involved. What a kind and creative way of supporting the hospice this festive season in honour of Christian. It means so much to us when the local community raise money for St Ann’s in memory of someone they love. We really couldn’t carry on caring for our patients without you, so thank you so much.


Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive of St Ann’s Hospice

Dad began playing the ukelele after he retired and travelled to Hawaii. So the day the kids went into St Ann’s to say their goodbyes they wore bright Hawaiian shirts, sang songs and played the ukelele.  

Staff had wheeled his bed out into the garden and were really helpful, making a huge effort and  allowing us to have those final moments together.  

Dad had spent a lot of time in hospital and couldn’t eat or drink. Understandably, visiting was extremely restricted and his time was limited, so going to the hospice for his last week meant we spent as much time with him as possible in a different environment.  We felt comfortable and really well supported.


Christine Clinton

We are so grateful to Christine, Zain, Sofia and Zara for running virtual marathons and raising money for the hospice. It means so much to us when the local community support St Ann’s in memory of someone they love. We really couldn’t carry on caring for our patients without you, so thank you so much.


Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive of St Ann’s Hospice