Salisbury Care Home’s Christmas Gift For Hospice Children
Bighearted care home residents in Salisbury have raised more than £850 to help children with life-threatening illnesses.
Family-owned Braemar Lodge chose the Naomi House and Jacksplace hospices as the charity to benefit from its third annual Christmas market.
The Colten Care home, in Stratford Road, welcomed more than 100 visitors including residents’ families, ex-members of staff, neighbours and community health colleagues.
As well as external traders’ stalls, residents spent weeks in advance preparing their own handmade gifts for sale including pottery, candles, cards and Christmas decorations.
Gospel singers from the Salisbury-based choir, Living Grace Ministry, provided the musical backdrop to what Home Manager Alison Bremner described as a “fantastic night”.
Alison added: “I think it was the best so far. There was a real family feel about it. Everyone enjoyed themselves. We were buzzing all night and have been talking about it since.
“It was very hard work but we all had fun preparing it. We could not put on something like this without the support of our residents and staff team, and the generosity of relatives, friends and neighbours of Braemar Lodge.”
Resident Ben Rothwell said: “It was tremendous.”
A dedicated stall with information about Naomi House and Jacksplace was manned by charity ambassadors Steve and Pauline Bailey.
In a note to the home afterwards, they wrote: “What a great evening. Everyone at your place is so friendly and cheerful. It’s a great place to be.”
Based in Sutton Scotney, Winchester, the Naomi House and Jacksplace hospices provide expert hospice care to more than 340 children and young people. The hospices work with families in Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, West Sussex and across the south.
Head of Fundraising Paul Morgan said: “Naomi House and Jacksplace really appreciate the fabulous support that we have received from the staff, residents and visitors to the Colten Care Christmas market as well as other fundraising events and activities throughout the year.
“As the hospices support increasingly complex needs in our children and young people the funds from events such as this are all the more important. Thank you to all who organised, supported or otherwise contributed to the success of this fundraising partnership.”
In previous years, Braemar Lodge has held Christmas markets in aid of Age UK and the Salisbury Trust for the Homeless.
