Browse Sections

• Barlow's brief
• Education
• Special reports

Festive spirit raised a staggering £3,000 for hospice fund

22/12/2003

THE HEAVENS may have opened but the people of Macclesfield proved that their hearts were in the right place when they helped raise more than £3,000 at the East Cheshire Hospice Christmas Fayre.

And Charlie the Shire Horse was also caught up in the shower but the weather didn't dampen his spirits and he helped raise more than £500 after delivering Father Christmas to the fayre, which was held at the Senior Citizens' Hall.

Various stalls sold everything from personalised mugs to crystals, providing lots of ideas for last minute Christmas presents.

Tombolas and raffles also helped to boost the funds and Sir Nicholas Winterton arrived with a Granada camera crew in tow, as part of a documentary being filmed about the MP.

Christine Blease, fundraising manager, said: "Although more people visited the fayre last year, we still managed to raise just as much money. Everyone was very, very generous.

"The camera crew stirred up quite a bit of excitement and Charlie was just as popular as ever. The children always love to see Charlie, he will definitely be back next year, he isn't ready to retire just yet. He even brought his niece Harriet along to join in with all the fun."

A big thank you to everyone who took part in the event to raise money for the hospice. Every penny will now be used to help fund the beds which were closed last year following a serious cash shortage. All of the beds are now open but the donations need to keep pouring in if the centre is to continue providing essential care and treatment for the local community.

For more details on how you can help the charity please contact the hospice on 01625 610364.