Category: Fundraising

St Barnabas Hospice are benefitting from a group of Lincoln City fans who are fundraising alongside star striker, Matt Rhead, this season

Following on from the success of last season, a group of Lincoln City Football Club fans have pledged to raise money for St Barnabas Hospice this season, alongside fan favourite, Matt Rhead.

Branding themselves as ‘The Mattadores’, the group of twelve fans each donate £1 to the Hospice when Matt Rhead either gets an assist, scores a goal, or gets Man of the Match in a Lincoln City game, so £12 per goal/assist/award in total. So far this season, this has raised £144 for the Hospice.

As well as this, Matt Rhead has also donated a signed Lincoln City home shirt to The Mattadores to help with their fundraising. This shirt has been auctioned on Ebay, and has brought in a wonderful £237.01 to add to their total.

Jon Clack, spokesperson for The Mattadores, said:

“Last season when we first sponsored Matt, we asked him to name a charity for us to donate to if he scores any goals. In the end we managed to raise £1,400 for Matt’s chosen charity -The Douglas Macmillan Hospice in Staffordshire. This was from winning the league, the amazing FA Cup run and several very successful auctions and fan donations.

“This season, we have moved the charity closer to home and are hoping that Matt and the fans can help us raise a good amount for St Barnabas Hospice.

“Fingers crossed that Matt can score lots of goals and we can have a successful cup run in the Checkatrade Trophy, as well as gaining promotion to League 1!”

Hospice care is close to Matt Rhead’s heart, as two of his grandparents have been treated at Douglas Macmillan Hospice in Staffordshire.

Adrian Oke, Fundraising Manager at St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“We can’t thank this group of fundraisers enough for their amazing efforts in order to raise money for our Hospice.

“It costs £11 million each year for us to continue providing free care to people in Lincolnshire living with a life-limiting or terminal illness, and their families and carers.

“The Mattadores have set a brilliant example to people about how easy it is to create a fundraising group for our Hospice, whilst doing something they love.”

St Barnabas is currently in the running to become one of two charities that Lincoln City Football Club will be supporting this year. You can vote for St Barnabas by visiting https://fans.vote/v/ACsaFyGnFmQ, sending your vote to charity@lincolncityfc.co.uk with your name and post code, or placing your vote in the box at the Lincoln City club shop. The deadline for voting is Thursday 18th January.

St Barnabas Hospice Tree-cycle service raises thousands to help fund end of life care in Lincolnshire

The St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice Christmas Tree-cycle service has been a huge success. Over 1,500 trees were recycled and the Hospice raised more than £10,000, making it the most successful Tree-cycle to date.

The trees were collected from Saturday 6th to Wednesday 10th January across Lincolnshire, and the Hospice was helped by some wonderful corporate volunteers. These included Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Lincoln, Grantham, Boston, Peterborough and Spalding), Washingborough Scouts Group, Aswarby Estate Sawmill, DGM Grounds & Forest, Bythamtrees, Simpson Arboriculture, KWR Plant Hire, Continental Landscapes, Taylor Tree Services, Lincolnshire Eco-Arborists, T.J.S Tree Services and Robinson Building Services

Laura Stones, Event Fundraiser for St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“The amount of money raised this year is just phenomenal, and the support from our local community is second to none. This is the third year we have run this service, and demand has multiplied by seven.

“This year, the Tree-cycle has doubled in size in the Lincoln area, and we also opened it up to cover the south of Lincolnshire too. This has received an amazing response from the community.

“We couldn’t have achieved any of this without the wonderful local businesses who have lent their time, equipment and expertise to the campaign, as well as volunteer leaflet droppers who delivered an incredible 60,000 leaflets. Their support is hugely valuable to us, and we would like to thank them all.

Amelia Mochan, Event Fundraiser for St Barnabas, added:

“The money raised from this service will help the Hospice to continue caring adults living with a life-limiting illness and their family and carers across Lincolnshire.

“We will be running this service next year and hope to raise even more money to support our care, as well as expanding our post code reach further across the county.”

St Barnabas Hospice launches Colour Dash with an exciting new twist to make 2018 the biggest, brightest and best yet

Following on from a successful year of Fundraising events for St Barnabas they have announced a new and exciting twist to last year’s incredibly successful Colour Dash. The twist comes in the form of the addition of Inflatables.

Events like this are crucial in helping raise the funds needed to continue caring and supporting over 9,000 people across Lincolnshire that are living with a life-limiting or terminal illness.

The Inflatable Colour Dash is the perfect opportunity to come together and show your support for St Barnabas. It is a bright and vibrant event that brings together the whole family, whether you run in memory of a loved one, or just to have fun. This 5k untimed fun run will see participants splattered from head to toe in environmentally friendly coloured powder paint, with brand new inflatable obstacles at each kilometre.

Laura Stones, Events Fundraiser for St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“The Colour Dash is back with a new and exciting twist! Lincolnshire’s biggest and best Colour Dash has just got better. Our untimed fun run will see participants splattered from head to toe in coloured powder, with brand new inflatable obstacles at each kilometre. After the huge success of previous Colour Dash events we are expecting another sell-out this year.

“Colour Dash is for all ages, and you don’t have to be a runner to take part! Whether you run, walk or dance your way round, you should feel proud that you are doing it for such a good cause.

“St Barnabas works tirelessly to ensure patients and their families make the most of every single second they share, regardless of how much time remains. The money raised from events such as the Inflatable Colour Dash enables this work to continue.”

The Inflatable Colour Dash will take place on Saturday 12th May at the Lincolnshire Showground, Grange-de-lings, Lincoln, LN2 2NA.

Register online at: www.stbarnabashsopice.co.uk/CD18

For more information contact Laura Stones on 01522 559 515 or email laura.stones@stbarnabashospice.co.uk

Families across Lincolnshire have joined together to raise £36,000 and remember someone they will never forget this winter

People across Lincolnshire have raised a spectacular £36,000 for St Barnabas Hospice, by donating money for a light on one of many Trees of Life across the county.

Each light on a Tree of Life represents someone special who will never be forgotten, and the lights have shone brightly throughout November and December – a time of year which can be difficult for many.

Jenny Peake, Individual Giving & Data Manager at St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“We would like to say a huge, heartfelt thank you to those who donated to our Light up a Life campaign and dedicated a light in memory of someone they will never forget. £36,000 is an incredible amount of money for our Hospice, and it will go a long way towards helping us care for more people across Lincolnshire living with a life-limiting or terminal illness, and their family and carers.

“The lights on our Trees of Life have shone brightly in memory of loved ones, and it is an honour to be able to help people remember them in such a special way.”

For more information about the services which St Barnabas Hospice provides, visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk or call 01522 511 566.

St Barnabas is on the lookout for people across Lincolnshire to volunteer some of their spare time

A new year brings new opportunities, and this year St Barnabas is on the hunt for volunteers across Lincolnshire to form a brand new team of ‘Collection Champions.’

St Barnabas is looking for people in a wide range of locations across Lincolnshire to use part of their spare time visiting local businesses. Their job will be to gather in the Hospice’s full collection pots and swap them for new ones, bringing the full ones back to head office in Lincoln.

The Hospice would be delighted to hear from you if you have an interest in this role. Collection Champions must have a full driving license and access to their own vehicle, and they will be provided with a Hospice induction and sufficient training to undertake the role.

Sam Waterer, Individual Giving Fundraiser for St Barnabas, said:

“We have over 1,100 volunteers in various roles at St Barnabas, and the amazing work they do really helps the Hospice to continue supporting patients with life-limiting or terminal illnesses, and their family and carers, across Lincolnshire.

“This is a great opportunity for others to join the team and help the Hospice to raise some much needed money.

“Whether you want to add to your CV, do a random act of kindness, or simply just find out more about what a hospice is, we encourage everyone curious about this role to give us a call and find out more.

For more information about the role or to register an interest, please call Sam Waterer on 01522 540 300 or email sam.waterer@stbarnabashospice.co.uk

You can view a fun video of the role here!

St Barnabas Hospice have launched a campaign to raise £30,000 this month to care for patients on Christmas Day

It will cost £30,136.98 this year for St Barnabas to care for Lincolnshire patients who are living with a life-limiting or terminal illness, on Christmas Day.

To get everyone in the festive spirit and raise some much needed money for the Hospice, St Barnabas has launched a ‘Twelve Days of Care at Christmas’ campaign, asking for donations for a variety of expenses.

The Hospice is asking people to think about the money they spend at Christmas, and to re-direct some of it as an act of goodwill. Whether people can buy one less bottle of wine or present and donate the spare money, or whether they can give a bit more and cover the cost of a nurse on Christmas Day, every little really will help at such a difficult time of year.

Other ideas include: organising a Christmas Jumper Day at work, paying £20.93 to fund a minute of care on Christmas Day, or halving your Secret Santa money and giving the other half to the Hospice.

Sue Carter, Ward Manager at the St Barnabas Inpatient Unit in Lincoln, said:

“Christmas time is extremely difficult in a hospice for the patients, their families and even the staff. At St Barnabas, it is very important to us that we create lasting memories for the whole family.

“People don’t often realise how much it costs the Hospice to ensure the care we provide is free for everyone, and we rely heavily on our wonderful supporters and fundraisers. Their amazing efforts mean that we can continue providing this care to the people of Lincolnshire when they need it the most.”

To help share the message about the variety of costs St Barnabas Hospice will incur this Christmas, staff and volunteers from across the Hospice have joined together to sing ‘The Twelve Days of Care at Christmas’ to the tune of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’. They are releasing segments of this each day across their social media channels, but the full music video can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/w2KguWrOhZc

Help St Barnabas make this a Christmas Day to remember for patients living with a life-limiting or terminal illness and their families and carers across Lincolnshire. For many of the patients, this could be their last Christmas. Please donate any money you can to: https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/stbarnabas/careatchristmas

Jacob Swift, age 24 from Wragby, will join thousands of people across Lincolnshire for the Light up a Life campaign, in remembrance of his dad – local fire fighter, Chris Swift.

Chris sadly died on 30th July 2010, aged 45. This was only seven months after being diagnosed with melanoma, which spread to his bones and brain.

The father-of-two, who was affectionately known as ‘Swifty’, served as a retained firefighter in his home town of Wragby.

Jacob said, “We found out that my dad had skin cancer in the winter of 2010, which was a huge shock for the whole family.

“Dad was only ill for a short period of time, but the care we received from St Barnabas helped to make this time as pain free for him as possible.”

Julie, Jacob’s mum and Chris’s wife, describes Chris as “a big character who was always there for people.”

She said, “St Barnabas really did make all the difference with their support. Chris was able to remain at home where he belonged, and where he felt most comfortable.

“It was nice for the boys to be able to spend time with their dad without the restrictions of visiting times, and felt more natural somehow.”

Jacob now lives in North Wales, and works in an outdoor shop.

Jacob said, “My dad has always loved the outdoors, and he was the one who inspired me to go down this career route.

“One of our family traditions is to visit the Lake District and go to the place where my dad’s ashes are scattered.”

Jacob agreed to take part in the St Barnabas Light up a Life campaign to give something back to the Hospice.

Jacob said, “We received some amazing help from the Hospice, and because they enabled Dad to stay at home during his last month, the whole family were able to be with him when he died.

Jacob’s family take part in the Torchlight Procession through the Bailgate in Lincoln every year, and his mum, Julie, has also done a sponsored skydive in his memory.

Julie said, “A skydive is something I have always wanted to do, and it was a brilliant way for me to commemorate what should have been our 30th wedding anniversary. It was a thrilling and exhilarating experience, and I know that Chris would have been proud of me.

“Before St Barnabas, I had been looking after Chris on my own and had started to feel quite isolated. It was a real relief when they started to visit, and having their support and someone to talk to meant that I was better able to support Chris and our sons.”

If you would like to dedicate a light in memory of someone you will never forget, just like Jacob is doing for his dad, please visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/LUAL.

St Barnabas Hospice will be hosting Santa’s Grottos in two Grantham locations this Christmas.

Between Saturday 25th November and Sunday 10th December, St Barnabas Hospice will be sharing some festive cheer at their two Santa’s Grottos in Grantham.

During the weekend of the 25th November, the Hospice will host a Grotto at the Victorian Christmas Fayre at Stoke Rochford Hall, open from 10am to 4pm for both days. The cost to enter the Grotto is £5 per child, and this includes a special chat with Santa, the chance to take a picture with him, and a Christmas present.

Also on offer at the Stoke Rochford Fayre are attractions, food stalls, market stalls, an ice rink, Christmas disco, outdoor bar, BBQ and snow machine.

Following this Grotto, there will be a second chance for your children to meet Santa on Saturday 2nd December from 10am to 8pm, and on Sunday 3rd, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th December from 11am to 4pm. During these weekends, Santa will be in St Wulfram’s Church with his little helpers. The cost to enter the Grotto is £5 per child, and this includes a special chat with Santa, the chance to take a picture with him, and a Christmas present.

The Grotto will run alongside Grantham’s ice skating rink and Christmas Tree Festival, and there will even be special visits from St Barnabas supporter, Beau the miniature horse.

Janie McCormick, Community Fundraiser for St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“We are very excited about hosting the Grotto in St Wulfram’s Church this year, and being part of their festive activities. St Wulframs is a wonderful setting in the heart of the community and is sure to offer the perfect atmosphere to spend family time during the festive period.

“For several years, the Grantham Hospice has held its own Grotto to help raise vital funds, and has seen many families return to visit year after year as their children grow. The support we’ve received through the Grotto over the past years really does make a real difference to our patients and their families, and has even enabled us to expand to Stoke Rochford Hall.

Amelia Mochan, Events Fundraiser for St Barnabas, added:

“We’re so grateful that Stoke Rochford Hall has offered us the chance to run the Grotto at their Christmas Fayre, and it’s a wonderful way to reach more children across Lincolnshire than we have been able to before.

“I’d also like to say a big thank you to B&M (Grantham), Sainsbury’s (Sleaford), and Grantham Book Services for their generous donations towards the special Christmas presents for the children.”

For further information on the Stoke Rochford Grotto, contact Amelia Mochan at amelia.mochan@stbarnabashospice.co.uk or 01522 540 300.

For further information on the St Wulfram’s Grotto, contact Janie McCormick at janie.mccormick@stbarnabashospice.co.uk or 01476 591 010.

Jack Covill-Lowndes, age 15 from Wainfleet, will join thousands of people across Lincolnshire for the Light up a Life campaign, in remembrance of his mum, Stephanie Covill.

Stephanie sadly died on 8th June 2006, age 33, from cancer. She received her diagnosis when Jack was only ten weeks old, after a routine eye examination showed a lump behind her eye. She died when he was three.

Jack said, “When I was little, we used to play Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam. My mum bought me some musical toys and we used to pretend we were in a band; I liked being the drummer, and my mum played the guitar. It’s hard because I don’t remember much and rely on other people’s memories of my mum a lot.”

Jack now lives with his auntie and uncle, Tamara and Steve Lowndes in Wainfleet, and attends Skegness Grammar School. Tamara is Stephanie’s sister.

Jack said, “We always do special things at Christmas time to remember Mum. We visit her grave every Christmas Day after the Queen’s Speech, and I always take her an orange cream out of the Roses chocolate tin. My mum used to count how many chocolates were in the tin every year; I do that now. We also have a red candle that we light on special occasions to remember Mum.”

Jack’s Auntie Tamara, said, “Jack was an absolute miracle baby. He was born six weeks premature, and the doctors told us that if he had gone full term he would have been brain damaged because of a cancerous growth in Steph’s groin.

“St Barnabas was there when we needed them most, and as a family we all needed help in different ways. My mum was the main carer for Steph, and was beginning to struggle with her own health. St Barnabas realised this and offered night time help so Mum could have a rest. Jack was only very young, but he loved the attention that the nurses gave him.

Jack has done a lot of fundraising in memory of his mum, including organising three fun run family events. He has raised around £7,000 already and plans to raise even more in the future. This is such a huge accomplishment for someone who is only fifteen years old.

Jack said, “I get told regularly that Mum would be beaming with pride if she could see the things I have done in her memory. I know my mum was generous, and I hope this is a trait which lives on in me. I’m hoping to arrange a charity football match next year too.

“In 2013 I received an award from the Skegness Standard for Child Achievement, as well as winning a national competition for being a Child of Courage. I’m particularly proud that St Barnabas recognised my fundraising efforts in 2015 by awarding me the Jules King Award.”

Jack’s mum was there through all of his first milestones – his first tooth, first words, first steps etc. She continued caring for him to the best of her abilities, even though she was wheelchair bound.

Tamara said, “When we went on days out, Steph would always have her wheelchair next to Jack’s pushchair, and they would hold hands. Before she died, Steph asked me to keep her baby safe, and made me promise that he would always use his manners.

“Steph tried explaining to him that she was poorly and that one day she would have to go to heaven in the sky, where she would be a shining star. After Steph had died, I found Jack sat outside picking daisies and throwing them to the sky. I asked what he was doing and he told me he was throwing them to “Mummy in the sky.” The brave boy had listened and understood what his Mum had explained to him.

“Jack has grown into an amazing young man, and I know my sister will be looking down on him with so much pride.”

If you would like to dedicate a light in memory of someone you will never forget, just like Jack is doing for his mum, please visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/Light-up-a-life

Martyn Joseph, winner of BBC Welsh music award, it set to raise money for St Barnabas Hospice through a unique music concert in Lincoln.

On Friday 24th November, Martyn Joseph, winner of ‘Best Male Artist’ at the 2004 BBC Welsh Music Awards, will host a unique concert in aid of St Barnabas Hospice. The concert will be at The County Assembly Rooms, 76 Bailgate, Lincoln, LN1 3AR, beginning at 8pm.

Dubbed as ‘the Welsh Springsteen’, Martyn’s music has touches of folk, rock, soul, folk punk and Americana. He has previously toured with the likes of Art Garfunkel, Jools Holland, Mike and the Mechanics, Celine Dion and Shirley Bassey.

In 2012, Martyn’s song, ‘There’s Always Maybe’, won the best folk song category in the World Independent Music Awards. In addition to his five top 50 UK hits, the importance of his work has been recognised by programmes such as BBC2’s prime time series on Singer/Songwriters.

Vince Ion from TrueBlue Music said:

“My family have supported St Barnabas Hospice for over 20 years, following the care that was provided to family members. When I was asked if TrueBlue Music would be able to promote an event at the Assembly Rooms, we were delighted to accept, and felt that Martyn Joseph would be the ideal artist to provide the headline for this event.

“Martyn has a long history of supporting charitable causes, and we are certain that the 24th November will be a memorable music event that will also raise important funds for St Barnabas Hospice.”

TrueBlue Music have organised this event in conjunction with Lincolnshire accountants, Wright Vigar.

Caroline Swindin, Corporate Fundraiser for St Barnabas, said:

“We are thrilled that Martyn has chosen us as his fundraising charity for this concert, and are hopeful that it will raise some much needed money for our Hospice.

“Martyn is well known for his unique style of music and passionate performances throughout his career, and it is just wonderful that he will be coming to Lincoln.”

St Barnabas Hospice supports more than 9,000 people each year, delivering free, high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care and support to adults with a life-limiting or terminal illness, and their family and carers. Each year, they must raise over £5.5 million to continue providing this support and care to the people of Lincolnshire.

Tickets for the concert are priced at £16. There will also be a raffle on the evening, including special prizes from Lincoln City FC and The Whiskey Shop.

To book tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/martyn-joseph-tickets-32554500387 and for more information, call Caroline Swindin on 01522 540 300 or email caroline.swindin@stbarnabashospice.co.uk.

“One of acoustic music’s most original voices, and most forward looking of his generation of singer/songwriters”

Q Magazine

“A superb album, open yet textured; complex yet immediately listenable: insightful and often hard hitting”

Radio 2 – 5 stars