Theme: Fundraising

Lauren’s grandad Tommy was an inpatient at the hospice 24 years ago, being looked after for a few days after having had cancer for 10 years. Last November Lauren’s nana Irene was cared for by St Ann’s Hospice, with Lauren and her family praising St Ann’s for the support and care she received. Lauren says: “My nana was back and forth between the hospice and her home, the final time she was admitted to the hospice she was ironically in the same room we lost my grandad in. We didn’t tell the staff, but all of our family knew and it felt very full circle when nana passed away.

Lauren and over 10 of her family members are taking part in a sponsored walk to raise money for the hospice. The walk will be from St Ann’s Hospice, Little Hulton, through Walkden, Clifton, Swinton, Monton, Worsley and back up to the hospice. Lauren says: “Our fundraising is going really well, we’ve raised just over £400 but we’d still like to raise more for St Ann’s, hopefully reaching our £500 target.”

To support Lauren and her family with their fundraising, please see their JustGiving page here.

St Ann’s Hospice are honoured that this year’s Salford Triathlon & Aquabike event is supporting their charity. They’re encouraging supports who love a challenge to get involved in what promises to be a fantastic event.

The Salford Triathlon & Aquabike is on Sunday 28th July 2024 and takes place around the bustling MediaCityUK, Salford Quays.

The Triathlon involves a swim, bike and run in that order and the Aquabike is a swim and bike but no run. Something for everyone so why not sign up today to take on a challenge!

The event offers athletes of all abilities top class racing on fast, flat courses and whether you are an experienced athlete or a first timer making your debut in these fantastic sports, this is the race for you.

The route takes in landmarks such as the Lowry Theatre, Imperial War Museum North, Coronation Street and the BBC studios.

Marie Foster, Innovation and Digital Fundraiser at St Ann’s Hospice, says: “Dave and Karen supported St Ann’s back in January with their New Year’s Day swim and we’re really excited that they’re continuing to support the Hospice with this event.

“We’re really looking forward to volunteering and supporting all the athletes on the day and it would be fantastic to have some St Ann’s supporters taking part too!”

For more information and to sign up for the event check out the Triathlon’s website here.

Once you’ve signed up you can set up your JustGiving fundraising page to support St Ann’s here.

If you have any questions about the event, please get in touch with St Ann’s friendly events team by emailing events@sah.org.uk or calling them on 0161 498 3631.

St Ann’s Hospice’s Build It Together campaign is raising money for the new purpose-built hospice that will replace the current building. The current Victorian building is fast becoming unfit for purpose and the new hospice will ensure St Ann’s can care for patients and their families for generations to come.

Alan has worked with St Ann’s for the past three years, growing close to the charity in this time. Alan says: “My colleague Kev sent me the link to the Tour de Manc so I thought I’d accept the challenge seeing as I am involved with St Ann’s already.

“I’m taking on the Manc challenge, which is 125km around Manchester where I’ll be taking in the sites of Stockport all the way to the hills of Saddleworth.

“I’m using the Tour de Manc as a first big training race of the season, I’m a big cycling fan and have completed various cycling trips in the past, the most recent being last year in Mallorca.

“In June this year I’m taking on the Stelvio Pass in Italy, which features in Stage 16 of this years Giro D’Italia and includes 48 hairpin bends on the route and 2752m of elevation gain!

“The Tour de Manc will be a great start to the season, an opportunity to get some hard miles in the legs and support St Ann’s at the same time. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the cyclists on Sunday.”

To find out how you can support those taking on the Tour de Manc, please see more information here.

His daughter Lisa and her brother Paul are taking on the Tour de Manc in honour of their dad to raise as much money as they can for St Ann’s.

Lisa says: “I hadn’t had any experience of hospices before, and I thought they were places that were quite clinical and sad. However that is not what St Ann’s Hospice is like at all. The care was so personal towards my dad and our family and nothing was too much trouble for the staff.

“The care that St Ann’s offer is such a personal service, all the staff and doctors took the time to talk to my dad, not just about his medical needs but really built up a relationship with him. My mum was there all day every day for the six weeks whilst my dad was an inpatient, and she was really made to feel at home and knew everyone at the hospice.

“I never expected that after my dad died we’d stay connected to St Ann’s, but they provide such brilliant aftercare. We went to the Light up a Life service at Manchester Cathedral last year which was such a lovely way to remember your loved ones and brought our family closer to remember my dad.

“We saw staff there who had cared for my dad and still asked about how our family was doing.”

Lisa and Paul did a 100km walk in August last year to raise money for St Ann’s, but wanted to take on a new challenge this year. “I’m definitely not the cyclist in the family but I’ll give it my best go!

“I promised myself that I wouldn’t take movement for granted so that’s why we’ve signed up to the Tour de Manc. This appealed to me and Paul as something we could do together and as a team effort, so it will be something new for us to try.

“We’re hoping it’s a little bit warm on the day with a slight breeze, but I’ll take whatever is thrown at me!”

To support Lisa and Paul with their fundraising, please see their JustGiving page here.

St Ann’s Hospice’s specialist bridal boutique is boasting an incredible selection of wedding dresses, just in time for your wedding this year if you’re yet to find the one.

I live in Stockport and knew of the bridal shop in my hometown. Buying second hand has always been important to me, but I thought that getting my wedding dress second hand would be a long shot.

I had a lovely time looking around bridal shops in the area with amazing dresses, but they were all so far out of my budget. I like that clothes have a story and have been worn before, so I was thrilled to find so many brilliant dresses in the St Ann’s shop.

All of their dresses at the shop are for sale, with hundreds of dresses available that have only been worn once or are brand new. Many are donated by bridal boutiques at the end of the season, so they are all great value for a fraction of the price you’d pay elsewhere.

I bought two dresses from the Stockport shop, one for our legal ceremony that was a more formal day time dress, and the other for my wedding party, a beaded evening dress. That’s the beauty of buying second hand, you can spend less and still get two different dresses! There are so many clothes in the world already, I’m so glad I was able to buy second hand.

At the time I bought my dresses there was a sale on where all dresses were £200 each. The staff at the shop are so welcoming and make you feel really comfortable, there was no pressure from them, and it was lovely to know they are like-minded about second hand clothes too.

I also loved being able to tell people that the dresses were from a charity shop when they were paying me compliments, it all helps to breaks the stigma around buying second hand.

St Ann’s Hospice runs their Stockport shop to raise funds for the services they provide across Greater Manchester. There is a dedicated specialist bridal boutique on the second floor which has the latest styles on offer for great value for money.

There are appointments for fittings all day from Wednesday to Saturday, with the shop also catering for mother of the bride and bridesmaids, with accessories to match and a recommended seamstress available for alterations if necessary which I’d really recommend.

The Stockport shop also has a large selection of prom dresses in all sizes and colours, so if you know anyone in need of a prom dress this could be the place to find one!

To see more updates about the dresses and accessories in store, please visit their Facebook page SAH Bridal Stockport.

Have you got what it takes to trek for St Ann’s? You can take on either the Great Wall of China, the Sahara Desert or the Camino de Santiago.

The Great Wall of China Trek is a majestic nine-day trekking adventure along an iconic Wonder of the World immersed in stunning scenery and Chinese culture.

The trek, departing on 11th October 2025, is approximately 35km and you’ll be immersed in stunning scenery and Chinese culture. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore Beijing, where you can visit iconic landmarks such as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and the famous Tiananmen Square!

The Sahara Trek is a six-day trip taking you across one of the world’s largest deserts with the dramatic backdrop of the Anti-Atlas Mountains.

The trip starts on 5th November 2025 and will take you on a climb to the top of the enormous Chigaga Dunes where you’ll witness the sunrise over the desert.

Both treks are graded as challenging but achievable with training beforehand, and are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to raise money overseas for such a worthwhile local cause.

The hospice will also be making a third trek available in autumn 2025, with dates to be confirmed soon. Ideal for those who want to take part in an iconic trekking experience a little closer to home, the Camino de Santiago Trek takes on the famous Camino Frances in Spain, with the final destination in Santiago Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to the stunning Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

Donna Quinn took part in the Camino de Santiago trek last year. A social worker in the Patient and Family Support Team at St Ann’s, she wanted to raise money for the hospice.

For each trek there are two options, either paying a self-funded fee or by raising a minimum amount of sponsorship. All money raised from these treks are helping to build a new hospice in Heald Green that will provide specialist care and loving support to people in Greater Manchester, for generations to come.

Those taking on the challenges will receive lots of support and fantastic perks including pre-event and post-event meet ups, group chats with fellow trekkers, a fundraising pack and much more.

For more information and to sign up to take on one of these amazing challenges, please go to www.sah.org.uk/trek.

John Ardern of Prestwich sadly lost his daughter Steph Jenkins to cancer ten years ago, when she was just 36 years old.

Steph was cared for at St Ann’s Little Hulton hospice before she died, and John and his family supported the hospice by donating £5,000 last year.

Tomorrow John is undertaking a challenge of silence in an attempt to raise a further £5,000 for St Ann’s, whilst highlighting the benefits of peace and quiet which so many people find comforting at times of loss.

The Millstone pub in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, renowned for its chatty atmosphere and fun karaoke, will host John’s 10-hour sponsored silence on Wednesday 10th April (11am-9pm). The Millstone was a favourite place of Steph’s, so was the natural choice for John to fundraise in memory of his daughter.

Of course, it will only be John staying silent. Onlookers and regulars can still make some noise. Ged Ford, landlord of The Millstone, said: “There will be karaoke and lots of drinking and socialising as usual. Please come along and support the event. You can join in if you want to”.

There will be a number of celebrity drop ins throughout the day and lots of information around why silence can be so important for our mental health and creativity, as well as information on how to support St Ann’s.

Monday 8th April marked ten years since Steph died, and the combined fundraising enabled John to Pay for a Day at the Little Hulton hospice in her memory on this date. Pay for a Day is a way supporters can celebrate a symbolic date by covering the cost of 24 hours of care of St Ann’s and visiting the hospice to see first-hand the difference these generous donations make to the people we support every day.

The family visited the hospice on the day for a tour and refreshments, and remembered Steph with a leaf on the hospice’s celebration tree. Steph’s sister, Venessa, is also raising money by taking part in a skydive this year.

You can support John and donate in Steph’s memory on her tribute page here.

For more information on Pay for a Day, click here.

St Ann’s Hospice are hosting their annual Golf Day on Thursday 16th May to raise money for their charity’s Build it Together appeal for a much-needed new hospice in Heald Green, Stockport.

JP & Brimelow estate agents have been supporters of St Ann’s Hospice for over 10 years and are supporting the charity again at the Golf Day.

Eddie Ellis, Owner of JP & Brimelow, says: “We’ve been supporting St Ann’s for a long time, the hospice has a personal meaning and I wanted to support a charity after meeting other patients and those in the local area with connections to St Ann’s.

“Every year I look forward to the Golf Day, I always invite friends, clients or contractors to join my team and get them to learn about the great things St Ann’s Hospice is doing.

“The Golf Day always attracts like-minded business owners and entrepreneurs with successful businesses, so I enjoy the social aspect of the day too. Everyone who takes part knows that St Ann’s is close to their heart and we all have a special connection with the charity.

“I’m so glad I can help to continue raising funds and awareness for St Ann’s Hospice, they deserve all the support they can get.”

On arrival you can meet your team and guests for a light lunch, followed by a shotgun start at 1pm. There are complimentary refreshments that are available at the Halfway House, and on course prizes too.

You can then relax after the main event with a delicious dinner, followed up by a presentation to competition winners and a further chance to win with the raffle and auction.

Sam Jadhav, Principal Associate at Shoosmiths law firm, attended St Ann’s Golf Day last year. He said: “It was a brilliant day (despite the weather) and very well put together. Dunham Forest is a beautiful course, the company was great, and our clients loved it.”

There are limited places left for this popular event, so make sure to book your space on one of the three entry packages. Prices start from £695 per team, and more information can be found at www.sah.org.uk/golf where you can also register.