A double event at Dorothy House Hospice Care recently provided an opportunity for a Westbury family to donate £2,800 in memory of Ken Holloway.
The hospice invited local people to visit them in Winsley on Saturday 22nd April to remember loved ones and take part in their Memory Walk and Tulip Tea.
This year the two annual events were combined for the first time and 230 people attended, with 50 more walkers taking part in the Memory Walk than last year.
During the event a cheque was presented to the hospice from the family of recent patient, Ken Holloway. His family donated over £2,800 to Dorothy House in memory of Ken and to say thank you for the care he received from the hospice before he died in January.
Ken’s daughter, Jo Holloway from Westbury, said, “Our family were the first to arrive and the last to leave, we enjoyed the day so much. We particularly loved the opportunity to light candles for our lovely dad, Ken, and enjoy the stunning view of the gardens from the chapel. We also enjoyed the sponsored walk along the canal and of course we all loved the afternoon tea.
“The day will be forever cherished as another memorial for our dad and we were delighted to donate funds raised in dad’s memory and say thank you to Dorothy House for their compassionate care and ongoing support.”
The 5k sponsored Memory Walk took place through beautiful Wiltshire countryside and was open to all. The walk followed a picturesque route along footpaths, fields and the Kennet and Avon canal. The Tulip Tea offered visitors a chance to catch up with friends and family while enjoying the view of the beautiful hospice gardens.
The tea was also a celebration of the fundraising work carried out by Tulip Fund holders who donate to Dorothy House in memory of a loved one. The Tulip Fund is a way of remembering someone special at the same time as supporting the hospice to continue providing palliative and end of life care to patients and vital support to their families.
The hospice chapel and grounds were open for guests to explore and there were creative family activities all afternoon. Visitors also had the chance to view a Book of Remembrance and decorate a candle bag in memory of a loved one, the candles lit up the hospice gardens as dusk fell.
Emily Knight, events fundraiser at Dorothy House Hospice Care said, “Thank you so much to everyone who took part in the Memory Walk and Tulip Tea. The sun shone down on us and it touched our hearts to see so many people visit the hospice and spend an evening remembering loved ones.
“Special thanks to the Holloway family for their donation and to Jody Gaisford from Colerne Photographic Company for taking such wonderful photos.
“We’re waiting for all the money to come in but believe this year’s event has raised over £10,000 to support the work of the hospice, so well done to everyone who took part.”
For more information on Dorothy House please visit www.dorothyhouse.org.uk
