News Archive

Business lights the way for Midnight Walk

1/4/11

Darlington based business A-one+ Integrated Highway Services will help light the way for walkers taking part in St Teresa's Hospice's annual Midnight Walk this April, supplying all lighting and signage free of charge.

A-one+ work within the Highways Industry and specialise in Civil and Structural Engineering, Road Safety Audits, Traffic Management Design, Highway Design, Lighting and Electrical Design to name a few, and is well equipped to illuminate the venue for the Midnight Walk, which this year is being held at Croft Racing Circuit.

Stephanie Bialek, a Technician at A-one+ Integrated Highway Services, helped organise the charitable support, she said: "St Teresa's Hospice was our official nominated charity last year, and as part of that we supplied the lights for the Midnight Walk. They approached us again this year, initially expecting to pay, but we were more than happy to provide this again, free of charge."

A-one+ Integrated Highway Services will be providing tower lights, a variable message sign, and all personnel required to transport, set up, and operate the equipment, helping keep the Midnight Walk route well lit and safe.

The girl-power fundraiser will see hundreds of women walking around Croft Circuit at the strike of midnight in what organisers hope will be the biggest yet as women from across the region come out to support St Teresa's Hospice in its 25th Anniversary year.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "We make every effort we can to make the Midnight Walk a safe and enjoyable evening for all, without spoiling the midnight atmosphere which makes it so special.

"Thanks to the support of A-one+ Integrated Highway Services, and our hunky volunteer marshals, all the women can relax and enjoy their evening."

Walkers have the option of completing one or two laps of the famous 2.1mile track in what is the only event of its kind held at Croft Circuit.

The event has a £10 registration fee to cover the event's costs, meaning all money raised in sponsorship goes directly towards helping St Teresa's Hospice.

Anyone wishing to take part in the Midnight Walk 2011 can download a registration form from www.darlingtonhospice.org.uk, pick one up from a St Teresa's Hospice shop, or phone 01325 254 321.

Sign of support from Hummersknott students

31/4/11

Guests in Day Therapy were treated to a special performance by year nine students from Hummersknott School who sang along to songs using sign language.

The students have been learning sign language as part of a Winder Key Skills certification aimed at teaching new skills to the group, who have special needs ranging from dyslexia to cerebral palsy.

The group performed three songs, Katie Sherlock and Philippa Rees signed to Thank you for the Music, and Curtis Williams, Tom Wood, Callum Hunter, Delac Brown, and Daniel Palmer signed to 'Heroes', a song chosen by the boys, several of who are Army cadets, because it was released to raise money for the forces charity Help for Heroes.

Finishing the performance was Callum Hunter, who performed a signed duet with teacher Judith Shanks.

Midnight Walk's youngest fundraiser signs up for another year

28/3/11

At last year's St Teresa's Hospice Midnight Walk Cora Warner, then just thirteen, was both the event's youngest and most successful fundraiser, raising over a thousand pounds in memory of her mum.

With the support of her friends and family Cora managed to raise £1,184 in sponsorship for St Teresa's Hospice, where Cora's mum Helen received care before sadly dying in 2008.

The success made Cora a minor celebrity at school, with teachers and fellow students stopping her in the corridor to congratulate her on the accomplishment.

After signing up for this year's Midnight Walk, to be held on April 15th at Croft Circuit, Cora is hoping people will sponsor her again.

Helping Cora with her fundraising efforts is her father Phil, who last year posted a link to Cora's sponsorship page to his contacts on Facebook, giving an immediate boost to the amount raised.

With her own Facebook page this year Cora has already spread the word out to her friends.

Mr Warner said: "I'm very proud of Cora and everyone who supported her, people were extremely generous and I'm sure they will be again this year.

"St Teresa's Hospice is a very worthy cause, and obviously one close to our hearts."

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "Cora's achievement is a wonderful tribute to her mum, who is obviously not only missed by her family, but by the many people who sponsor Cora."

The St Teresa's Hospice Midnight Walk takes place on April 15th at Croft Circuit, walkers have the option of completing one or two laps of the famous 2.1mile track.

The event has a £10 registration fee to cover the event's costs, meaning all money raised in sponsorship goes directly towards helping St Teresa's Hospice.

Those taking part will receive a goody-bag on the night, as well as a breakfast roll when they finish.

Anyone wishing to take part in the Midnight Walk 2011 can download a registration form from www.darlingtonhospice.org.uk, pick one up from a St Teresa's Hospice shop, or phone 01325 254 321.

If you would like to sponsor Cora please visit
www.justgiving.com/Cora-Warner-Midnight2011.

Green light for another year of hospice support

25/3/11

Croft Circuit has announced it will adopt St Teresa's Hospice as its official charity for another year, getting things off to a racing start by providing their famous track as the venue for the charity's Midnight Walk, free of charge.

On Friday (25th March) Croft Circuit Manager Tracey Morley presented St Teresa's Hospice Director Jane Bradshaw with a cheque for £3,391.41, the total raised during Croft Circuit's adoption over the previous year.

Mrs Bradshaw said: "Thanks to the help of Tracey and all her staff Croft Circuit not only provides us with much needed funds, but also donate driving experiences for use as prizes, and of course allow us the use of the racing track for the Midnight Walk – one of our most important fundraisers of the year."

"Support of this kind is important to us because it means we can keep event costs very low, and that money raised by those taking part goes directly towards helping people across the region."

Mrs Morley said: "I'm happy to support St Teresa's Hospice for another year, I hope it will be as successful as the last, and I hope the same is true for this year's Midnight Walk."

This year marks St Teresa's Hospice's fourth Midnight Walk, which will take place on Friday April 15th.

Organisers hope that it will be the biggest yet as women from across the region come out to support the hospice in its 25th Anniversary year.

Walkers have the option of completing one or two laps of the famous 2.1mile track in what is the only event of its kind held at Croft Circuit.

Anyone wishing to take part in the Midnight Walk 2011 can download a registration form from www.darlingtonhospice.org.uk, pick one up from a St Teresa's Hospice shop, or phone 01325 254 321.

Stars sign up to green campaign

14/3/11

Stars of the stage are helping a local charity by lending their names to a recycling campaign.

Performers, including David Essex, Tracey Shaw, Gillian Taylforth and the Chuckle Brothers were asked to sign one of the Council's blue recycling bags when they appeared at the Civic Theatre last season.

Blue bags are given to homes across the Borough to allow residents to recycle paper and cardboard. The blue bags are collected, alongside green boxes for waste glass, fortnightly from the kerbside.

A campaign was launched last year to encourage residents to recycle more cardboard, along with paper, in their blue bags and as part of the campaign the stars at the Civic were asked to get involved.

The signed bag has now been handed to St Teresa's Hospice to raffle or auction to raise money for its work.

The Hospice, on Woodland Road, is a charity which offers care and support to people affected by life-limiting illness as well as their friends and relatives.

Phillippa Scrafton, the Council's Recycling and Waste Minimisation Officer, said: "I was delighted that so many of the stars at the Civic Theatre joined our recycling campaign and that we can now hand over the signed blue bag to such a worthy charity.

"As a Borough we are recycling more than ever but I would urge everyone to continue to put their glass in their green box, cardboard and paper in the blue bag and everything else in their black sack."

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "With so many good causes to choose from we are thrilled that Darlington Council chose us to receive the blue bag. The Civic Theatre attracts some very well known names and thanks to their help we will be able to raise lots of funds to support our work."

Volunteer celebrates 25 years with hospice

11/3/11

St Teresa's Hospice volunteer Isabel Lynch has been with the charity since it began in 1986, donating her time to work in their Skinnergate charity shop from the day it opened.

Mrs Lynch moved to the Cockerton area of Darlington from London after retiring from her job working as a clerical officer for what was then the DHSS. While waiting for a bus for her first trip into Darlington town centre she was warned by a friendly neighbour that she could be waiting some time - as the bus drivers were on strike.

"I was standing by the bus stop for a few minutes working out what to do, it was my first trip into town so I wasn't sure how far it was, or even which direction. Two people in a car pulled up next to me and asked if I'd been waiting for a bus. They told me they were heading into town themselves, so they offered me a lift," said Mrs Lynch.

The two good Samaritans were Michael and Winnie Phillips, Michael has since sadly passed away, but Isabel and Winnie are friends to this day.

"I had two jigsaws to take to a charity shop, coincidentally Michael and Winnie had some items they were taking to donate to the Mayor's Charity Shop."

Once they arrived at the Mayor's charity shop the trio were greeted by one of the shop volunteers, and Isabel expressed an interest in helping out herself.

At the time the Mayor's charity shop was managed by former Mayoress Louise Hutchinson, who became involved with the formation of St Teresa's Hospice, sitting on the steering committee which resulted in the charity's founding.

Mrs Lynch said: "Louise had taken me under her wing a bit, and suggested I might like to help get the hospice's first charity shop off the ground, I started as a volunteer manager and I've been here ever since."

Mrs Lynch remains modest about the tens of thousands of hours she has given to the hospice, and says that her keen interest in people and their stories means she has enjoyed every minute.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "As we celebrate our 25th Anniversary it is more important than ever to recognise the tremendous efforts made by our army of volunteers.

Volunteer's marathon efforts

2/3/11

Not content with giving up every Friday to volunteer for St Teresa's Hospice, Michelle Boshier has signed up to give even more energetic support, by running a marathon to raise money for the Darlington charity in its 25th anniversary year.

Miss Boshier has been volunteering in the Hospice's In-Patient Unit for two and a half years, helping the nurses give care to those with life-limiting illness.

She said: "St Teresa's Hospice looked after my son's uncle Steve, the two of them were very close and more like friends than anything else. I wanted to give something back to the hospice for that, so I gave them a call. Within weeks I was volunteering on the In-Patient Unit."

Hospice volunteer Michelle was the first to sign up to become one of the 25 marathon runners who are being sought up and down the country, to run a sponsored marathon in aid of St Teresa's, as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations this year.

The Liverpool Marathon in October will be Miss Boshier's 5th marathon, a string of achievements which includes last year's London Marathon.

She said: "It gets difficult to go on after mile twenty, for the London Marathon you wear a sign with your name on it, so people call out to you not to give up, it really makes a difference."

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "Michelle already gives so much of her precious time. This additional, very energetic support is a real tribute to Steve, and a shining example to us all. We will all be cheering for her in October."

Runners are being challenged to raise £250 in sponsorship, meaning in total the fit fundraisers will raise over £6,000 and between them run further than Land's End to John O'Groats.

Anyone wishing to be one of the twenty five St Teresa's Hospice anniversary year marathon runners is asked to contact St Teresa's Hospice on 01325 254 321.

Hospice celebration takes to the skies

24/2/11

St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington got their 25th anniversary celebrations off to a spectacular start when they were visited not only by an RAF Chinook, but also an Army Lynx helicopter.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "We organised today as an opportunity for the extraordinary people in our community who played a role in St Teresa's Hospice's beginnings 25 years ago to get together and see what their work resulted in.

"When I first suggested the idea of a flyover to mark the occasion I was half-joking, it's surreal having not only one, but two, helicopters visit us."

A last minute change of plans meant the scheduled landing of the RAF Chinook was to be reduced to a flyover and touchdown, something event organisers and gathered guests were more than happy with.

However hearing of the change members of 9th Regiment Army Air Corp, based out of Dishforth, stepped in to make sure the event was especially spectacular, and provided a Lynx Mk.11 helicopter, which landed in the hospice grounds.

After landing pilots Sgt Neal and WO2 Hird stayed for around half an hour, speaking to guests and showing them around the helicopter.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director said: "We have exceptionally good links with both the RAF and the Army and they are always keen to help us, but today they have really gone above and beyond to help us celebrate."

Originally the idea of a flyover was suggested to the hospice's Senior Event's Manager David Jones, who before working at St Teresa's Hospice was a member of the RAF Regiment.

Mr Jones contacted his son Jamie, who has followed in his father's footsteps, becoming an RAF technician in No 18/27 (Eng) Sqn, based out of Odiham in Hampshire.

No stranger to hospice fundraising having operated a splat-the-rat stall at a hospice fete over 10 years ago Jamie decided to see if he could help.

Jamie suggested the idea of a flyover to Squadron Leader Russ Norman, Officer Commanding B Flight, 27 Squadron, who gave the go-ahead and tasked Darlington born Loadmaster Sgt Ali Roberts to visit the hospice grounds when he was in town visiting family to see if a landing would be feasible.

Sqn Ldr Russ Norman said: "The opportunity to conduct valuable pilot and loadmaster training whilst providing support for such a worthwhile cause was far too good to miss.

"The aircraft was due to operate in the area with forces on exercise from nearby Catterick Garrison, so the additional training of approaching a confined landing site in an urban area was well worth the minor detour."

Mrs Bradshaw added: "It has been wonderful to get so many people together who have played such vital roles in the hospice's history, the once-in-a-lifetime treat the RAF and Army have given us to mark the occasion has made it an even more special and memorable occasion."

St Teresa's Hospice was formed in 1986 following a public meeting of people drawn together by a letter expressing the need for hospice care in Darlington.

Twenty five years later many of the people who attended that meeting were present on Thursday.

Nurses support Midnight Walk

18/2/11

Nurses at St Teresa's Hospice are among the first to sign up for the charity's annual Midnight Walk fundraising event.

The nurses, who provide nursing care at St Teresa's Hospice's Woodland Road site, usually take part in a team of about eight but this year are hoping to bolster their team's numbers with hospice volunteers and members and staff from other departments.

Alison Marshall, Inpatient Unit Sister said: "Most of the women from the Hospice do the Midnight Walk, and we're hoping to get everyone together into a big team and get dressed up.

"It's great to have a girly night out, we go to a lot of hospice fundraisers but the Midnight Walk is a special one for us.

"On the night we bump into family and friends of people we have cared for, the last time we have seen them is often at a very sad time and it's great to see them out having fun with hundreds of other of supporters. It makes us very proud of the work we do."

The girl-power fundraiser will see hundreds of women walking around Croft Circuit at the strike of midnight in what organisers hope will be the biggest yet as women from across the region come out to support St Teresa's Hospice in its 25th Anniversary year.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "People take part in the Midnight Walk for a lot of different reasons, but what we all share in common is wanting to support a great cause and have a really special girls' night out. The sight of hundreds of wonderful women at the warm-up raring to go is a wonderful one to behold, and we do of course appreciate the help of our hunky marshals, which this year will include soldiers from Catterick Garrison who make sure we all get back safe and sound!"

Walkers have the option of completing one or two laps of the famous 2.1mile track in what is the only event of its kind held at Croft Circuit.

The event has a £10 registration fee to cover the event's costs, meaning all money raised in sponsorship goes directly towards helping St Teresa's Hospice.

Anyone wishing to take part in the Midnight Walk 2011 can download a registration form from www.darlingtonhospice.org.uk, pick one up from a St Teresa's Hospice shop, or phone 01325 254 321.

Cold cash for hospice

16/2/11

After postponing a New Year's Day dip in the North Sea due to illness intrepid fundraisers Steve and Delphine Brown completed the challenge at the weekend, wading into six-foot waves against a biting wind.

Mr Brown was raising money for St Teresa's Hospice, where he is a member of the retail team, and Mrs Brown, a Lung Cancer Nurse Specialist, was raising money for Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation and South Durham Lung Cancer Support Group.

Mr Brown said: "We turned up to find quite a rough sea and a freezing wind blowing in, we quickly got stripped down to swimsuit and t-shirt and went straight for it. The shock when the water hit us for the first time was indescribable, neither of us have ever felt such penetrating cold in our lives."

Although the temperature was an above-freezing 3oC a 20mph north-easterly wind made conditions on Sunday morning feel much colder, especially after dipping into the water at Whitley Bay.

"We thought that it was all over as we headed out, however we were both unprepared for the wind chill factor on our wet bodies, it was even worse than when we were in the water.

"We must be mad but we remembered that it was all for very good causes," added Mr Brown.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "It takes strong stuff to go for a swim at Whitley Bay in the summer, never mind at 8am on a windy Sunday in February. Everyone at the hospice is very proud of Steve and Delphine."

Mr and Mrs Brown hope to raise over £700 thanks to their icy swim.

Volunteer shares 100th birthday with hospice milestone

9/2/11

Darlington resident Rae Scott celebrated her 100th Birthday over the weekend, on the same day that marked the beginning of the 25th Anniversary year for St Teresa's Hospice, where Rae volunteered for many years.

When Miss Scott was celebrating her 75th birthday on February 5th 1986 a public meeting was being held in Darlington's Dolphin centre to discuss the need for hospice care in Darlington, resulting in the formation of what became the town's much loved St Teresa's Hospice.

Miss Scott, formerly a geography teacher and deputy headmistress at Darlington High School for Girls, became a volunteer for St Teresa's Hospice when it was operating out of Harewood House.

"There were two of us on reception, we'd greet people as they came in and offer them a cup of tea," said Miss Scott.

Among those greeted were two of Miss Scott's former students, hospice staff members Jane Bradshaw and Christine Wilson.

"I remember Jane and Christine whispering 'you'll never guess who that is'", added miss Scott.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice director, said: "It was quite a surprise seeing Rae again, but it took no time at all for us to stop thinking of her as 'Miss Scott', and for Rae to start calling us 'her girls'

"At school lessons with Miss Scott were the only time I've enjoyed geography, she'd have us sit on the floor and tell us we were going on a magic carpet ride in our imaginations.

"We have been so lucky for the support we have received over our 25 years from volunteers like Rae."

When the hospice moved to its current premises on Woodland Road Miss Scott came with it, helping out with the increasing amounts of administration work that was required as the hospice grew.

Miss Scott attributes her long life in part to keeping active, and gave up driving just two years ago.

She said: "Lately I've thought I should never have given up driving, I'm sure I could still do it. I don't feel a day over 80."

Helping Miss Scott keep busy are her friends and family, who took her out for lunch three days in a row over the weekend.

A gathering of twelve people were present for her birthday lunch, where Miss Scott opened her one remaining card, from the Queen.

Bags of money for hospice

8/2/11

The Art Shop in Darlington has made a donation of £480 to St Teresa's Hospice, money raised 5p at a time by charging customers for carrier bags.

Throughout 2010 Art Shop owners Ian and Lynda Hughes charged customers who requested a plastic carrier bag 5p, and were surprised quite how high the year's total was.

Mr Hughes said: "Marks and Spencer have been doing it for a while now so I think people are getting used to the idea.

"Their money goes to an environmental charity but we wanted to keep ours local, I think everyone in Darlington knows someone who has been helped by St Teresa's Hospice."

With plans to continue the green fundraiser for another year Mr Hughes is aware that the scheme could be a victim of its own success.

He said: "Obviously as well as trying to raise money for charity we are encouraging people to bring in and re-use their own carrier bags. If that's successful it will mean less money for charity, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "£480 raised in 5 pence units represents literally thousands of donations, which has mounted up to make a significant contribution. St Teresa's Hospice values all donations no matter how small, and this just goes to show how every little helps."

Marathon effort for hospice

24/1/11

St Teresa's Hospice is looking for 25 runners to step up to a marathon challenge to help celebrate its 25th anniversary.

A target of 25 runners taking part in marathons across the country has been set, with each being challenged to raise £250.

Registrations are steadily coming in, among those registered so far are Northern Echo reporter Paul Cook, and IPU volunteer Michelle Boshier.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director: "We hope to see people running in marathons up and down the country flying the flag for St Teresa's Hospice and helping us celebrate twenty five years of providing care.

"In total twenty five marathon runners will have run further than Lands End to John O' Groats, and their sweat and hard work will mean thousands of pounds raised to support our work."

If you would like to run a marathon in aid of St Teresa's Hospice please contact supporter service on 01325 254 321 or email enquiries@darlingtonhospice.org.uk.

Messages on tree are gift for hospice

26/1/11

Messages left on a Christmas tree at Whitehouse Funeral Service have resulted in £250 donated to St Teresa's Hospice.

Families cared for by the Darlington based funeral directors were invited to leave a message to their loved ones on the tree and make a small donation to St Teresa's Hospice.

This is the third year Whitehouse Funeral Service has raised money for the Hospice, with this year's result bringing the combined total to £850.

John Whitehouse said: "The first time Christmas Day is celebrated without a loved one can be especially difficult so we think it's important to remember they are with you in spirit and that people are there to help".

"The response we got was absolutely magnificent and the tree was completely covered in messages. We only ask for a donation of £1 for each message but many people gave significantly more."

Turning Firs into Funds

10/1/11

An army of volunteers turned firs into funds for St Teresa's Hospice when they undertook the Hospice's first Christmas Tree Collection Service from houses in and around Darlington on Saturday (8th January).

Proving once again that nothing is too much trouble members of Darlington Rotary Club teamed up with Hospice staff and volunteers to help raise funds to support their vital services. Householders were invited, via the Northern Echo, to book a Christmas tree collection in advance through the hospice's website. The band of volunteers then travelled round the Darlington area gathering trees for recycling, for a small donation to St Teresa's Hospice.

As well as providing collectors for the day, Darlington Rotary Club organised a fleet of vehicles to make the collections and take trees to the Council's mulching depot at Whessoe Road, where the Council lent support by giving them special access on the day.

In total the volunteers, driving 11 assorted vans, lorries, and cars with trailers, collected 180 trees from Darlington and the surrounding area, including several giant trees which topped twelve feet tall.

Alan Cowie, President of the Rotary Club said: "Darlington Rotary Club has had an association with the Hospice ever since St Teresa's was founded 25 years ago. The Hospice has provided help and support to many of our close friends, and we are delighted to have been involved with the 2011 tree collection. Everyone had great fun taking part and we'll certainly be back next year to lend our support to make it even bigger and better." An early estimate puts the total raised at over £1,700.00 which will go directly towards the wonderful, holistic support for patients and carers in Darlington & District, provided by St Teresa's Hospice.

Fellow Rotarian and Director of the Hospice Jane Bradshaw said: "Thanks to everyone's help everything went smoothly - from early bookings to the collection day itself. We started in a small way, but the response and kind comments have been overwhelmingly positive. The tree collection will now become an annual event for us, and hopefully for many people across the area. More people could have a lovely real tree at Christmas whilst making sure it's disposed of afterwards in an easy and environmentally-friendly way, benefitting a good cause in the process".

Marking a special year for St Teresa's

7/1/11

NEW Year means new beginnings, but for St Teresa's Hospice we will also be marking an important anniversary. It means looking back, taking stock, and celebrating the contributions and achievements of many local people.

Twenty-five years ago in February, people from across the area struggled through bad weather to a public meeting held at the Dolphin Centre to discuss starting a hospice movement in Darlington.

This gathering was attended by people who had been inspired by a letter suggesting there should be hospice care in Darlington and District, as in other parts of the country.

The letter was originally sent to the Evening Despatch by Yvonne Rowe, whose dear friend Mary Hester was suffering from cancer.

The meeting resulted in a steering committee being formed and people began fundraising. Darlington's first volunteer-run hospice at home service had begun.

Since then, the hospice has added day and In-patient care, together with a raft of counselling, bereavement support and complementary therapies, all of which continue to be provided free of charge to patients and carers. Many of those original supporters are still volunteers, it is an endorsement which I hope means we are continuing to realise their vision from 25 years ago.

If you were at that first meeting, please call 01325 254321 or email enquiries@darlingtonhospice.org.uk.

We hope you join us this year in celebrating these achievements. Be on the lookout for events later in the year, which will culminate in January 2012 with the second 'silver milestone' when we will have been a formally registered charity for 25 years.

Happy New Year.
Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director

Turning firs into funds

4/1/11

An army of volunteers are preparing to turn firs into funds for St Teresa's Hospice.

For a small donation those who register will have their Christmas trees collected from their homes over the weekend to be taken away for recycling.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice director, said: "Tidying up after Christmas can be a real pain, getting rid of a Christmas tree and ending up with a car full of pine needles can be especially troublesome.

"Proving once again that nothing is too much trouble our group of volunteers from the Rotary Club will help everyone avoid that mess, and raise funds to support our vital services."

As well as providing volunteers for the day the Rotary Club has also organised a fleet of vehicles to make the collections, which will take place in the second weekend in January.

This will be the first year St Teresa's Hospice has run the service, with the idea coming from a hospice in East Cheshire.

Now in its thirteenth year the East Cheshire service has grown to the point where tens of thousands of pounds are raised every year, a success St Teresa's Hospice is keen to emulate.

Mrs Bradshaw added: "We are never afraid to borrow good ideas and everyone at East Cheshire Hospice has been fantastic in sharing their experience with us. It says a lot about the work that hospices do that we are all so willing to work together.

"Since this is our first year we can only offer the service to residents of Darlington and its outlying areas, but if it is as successful as we hope we will certainly look into expanding it for next year."

To register for the service please visit www.darlingtonhospice.org.uk and click on the flashing Tree Collection Service 2011 logo, email trees@darlingtonhospice.org.uk, or call 01325 254 321.

Christmas Concert a Cracking Success

19/12/10

A spectacular once-a-year concert featuring over 200 performers was held at the weekend, attracting an audience of hundreds and raising thousands for charity.

The annual St Teresa's Hospice Christmas Cracker draws together a huge range of choirs and musicians from across the area, led by musical director John Forsyth they perform together for one night only.

Jane Bradshaw, hospice director, said: "The Christmas Cracker always marks the official start to Christmas for me, and this year was no exception.

"Every single performer donated their time to us for free, that alone is enough Christmas spirit to put me in a festive mood, but combined with the atmosphere on the night it created something really special."

The audience was particularly moved by a special performance of The Snowman, the full film was shown with the orchestra playing the score and Cockerton Primary School choir performing Walking in the Air.

Other groups taking part in this year's Cracker included Holy Trinity Methodist Church, Cleveland Philharmonic, Tees Valley Voices, Locomotion, Darlington Operatic Society, Cockerton Ladies, Richardson Singers, Darlington Choral, Gainford Singers, The Meltones, and the Tees Valley Youth Choir.

Founded by John Forsyth in 1993 the Tees Valley Youth Choir has placed in the finals of the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the year competition and performs internationally.

Speaking to the audience on the night Mr Forsyth said: "People talk about great musicians from all around the world, but we have them here too, they're behind me. We have one rehearsal, today. This evening is a tribute to these wonderful musicians."

This year Mr Forsyth handed over the Tees Valley Youth Choir to his successor, but continued to direct the Christmas Cracker. This marks his 10th, and on the evening he was awarded a ten year supporter award by St Teresa's Hospice.

In those ten years John Forsyth and the Christmas Cracker has raised £50,000 to help fund St Teresa's Hospice, with over £5,000 expected to be raised this year.

"We make every effort to make the Cracker a memorable evening, but we don't lose sight of the fact that it is also about raising money to support our work. Everyone who helps us put on the Cracker, attended on the evening, and every single performer has helped us do that, and for that we are extremely thankful," added Mrs Bradshaw.

Supermarket staff dip into own pockets for charity

15/12/10

A bit of friendly competition between staff at two branches of Morrisons has resulted in a huge amount of goods donated to a Darlington charity.

Morrisons North Road was approached by St Teresa's Hospice for discounted prices to create luxury Christmas hampers for a raffle at their annual Christmas Cracker Concert.

Hoping at the most to get the items at cost hospice fundraisers were stunned when they received a van load of items completely free of charge.

Not to be outdone by their North road colleagues staff at the Morton Park branch dipped into their own pockets to raise enough money to donate the only items still needed, mince pies and mulled wine.

The Christmas Cracker Concert attracts audiences of hundreds, drawn in by the spectacular atmosphere created by a choir of over two hundred performers from local singing groups who come together for the one-off performance.

Supplying enough treats for this number of people is no small feat, but the target of 600 mince pies and 42 bottles of mulled wine was almost immediately met, and a phone call to head office saw the staff funds topped up to meet the goal.

Leading the charge to collect funds from his colleagues was Martin Stephenson, who has family being cared for by St Teresa's Hospice.

Martin said: "It really means a lot to me, I went around the store and people were just handing money to me."

Sandra Hodgson, store personnel manager, said: "When I realised we were a few pounds short of the target I put in some calls to see if we could get head office to match our funds, until we got the answer back I had people asking me for updates, the whole thing created a real buzz and everyone pulled together."

Jane Brashaw, St Teresa's Hospice director, said: "Christmas has come early this year thanks to the generosity displayed by the staff at both branches of Morrisons.

"Their support means that the audience will be in for another memorable night and that even more vital funds can be raised. We are extremely grateful to everyone who helped."

The Christmas Cracker is being held at 7pm on Saturday 18th December in Meadow at Lingfield Point, tickets cost £7.50 for adults and £5 for children and are available by contacting St Teresa's Hospice on 01325 254 321 or at the venue on the night.

Snow trouble at all for hospice volunteers

2/12/10

Volunteers on a fundraising Christmas tree in a Darlington shopping centre are proving themselves as persistent as the snow.

Undeterred by the treacherous weather conditions volunteers for St Teresa's Hospice have kept the Giving to Life Tree in the Cornmill shopping centre operating at usual hours, with every single shift filled.

For those whose journey would have been too dangerous substitutes have risen to the occasion and filled their place, sometimes at only a moment's notice.

Katherine McLeod, who has volunteered on the tree every year for the past ten years, said: "Everyone has lost somebody and Christmas can be tough, for some people writing a message can help.

"We get our regulars who come down every year, I think it's important that we are here for them."

Fellow volunteer Margaret Grey added: "The most valuable thing I have to give is my time, my mother taught me that."

The annual event invites people to write a personal message on a decoration and hang it on the tree, raising thousands of pounds every year.

People leave messages for many reasons, some write messages of Christmas goodwill to friends and family, and to others the tree is a chance to think of people they may have lost.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "The Giving to Life Tree is for many an important annual tradition and, as usual, we owe its success to our volunteers.

"With much of the country grinding to a halt because of the weather it really is proof of our volunteers' dedication that they have been able to keep things running without a single closure."

The Giving to Life Tree is open 10am-4pm weekdays and Saturday and 11am-4pm Sundays until the 24th of December.

Amazing coincidence for hospice volunteer

25/11/10

When an army commander's wife volunteered to help at a Darlington Hospice she could never have imagined how her efforts would lead to the unearthing of a poignant relic from her past.

Buried among the thousands of donated goods at St Teresa's Hospice warehouse at the town's Lingfield Point was a commemorative mug bearing a picture of Julia Millen's great, great grandfather.

The amazing coincidence began when a detailed search through the host of goods being stored for sale at the Hospice shops began in response to a request for items representing the 1950s.

Randomly uncovered during the search was a 1918 commemorative World War I china military mug bearing the picture of three unnamed men.

Because Julia is the wife of Colonel Nick Millen, Commander of Catterick Garrison, she was asked if she recognised any of the faces on the mug.

She didn't, and it was decided to try and track down the unknown identities on the internet, where it was eventually established that one of the men was the then 1st Admiral of the Fleet John "Jackie'' Fisher.

No-one was more surprised than Julia, who revealed: "That's my great, great grandfather.''

She added: "The picture didn't ring any bells with me but I recognised the name immediately and just could not believe the coincidence, it's astonishing to think of the journey this mug has taken to end up in my hands." said Julia.

During his fifty-six year career in the Royal Navy John Fisher is credited with sweeping reforms and innovation including the construction of HMS Dreadnought, creating an entirely new class of ship.

His achievements saw him rise to the very top and become 1st Sea Lord, the highest ranking naval officer, in 1904.

Julia said: "I was aware of the fact I am distantly related to him, but I had to consult with my mother to get all the details. I've bought the mug as a Christmas present for her."

Big donation topped up with van load of goods

23/11/10

Not content with their amazing donation of £4,000 to St Teresa's Hospice, staff at AMEC in Darlington topped it up with tens of boxes of donated goods.

The Christmas clearout resulted in twenty-five boxes and twelve black bags full of items, a haul with a potentially huge value once sorted and distributed to St Teresa's Hospice's chain of eight charity shops.

On the same morning AMEC staff handed over a cheque for £3968.74 they proved nothing was too much trouble with the tower of boxes over six feet high, even going as far as helping load the boxes into the charity's van.

Hilary Angus, who helps co-ordinate AMEC's charity efforts, said: "AMEC UK Shared Services adopted St Teresa's Hospice as their local charity, and staff have organised lots of fundraising events to support the hospice. Now we have combined two offices in Darlington, other AMEC staff members are also getting involved, and we have had a lot of fun organising the events".

The thousands of pounds were raised through entry into the hospice's annual Knockout event and AMEC staffs' own quiz night fundraisers.

Held at Northgate Club in Darlington the quiz has quickly grown in popularity, with the latest quiz raising £600 and requiring a move to a larger room.

Anyone wishing to organise a collection of items at their workplace is asked to contact St Teresa's Hospice on 01325 254 321.

The Clique

19/11/10

A group of fundraising friends will donate £600 to St Teresa's Hospice at their annual presentation evening.

Calling themselves 'The Clique' the group of around twenty from Barnard Castle raise money throughout the year then distribute what they have raised to local charities.

This most recent donation is as a result of the group's participation in our annual Knockout event.

While The Clique donates money to many causes St Teresa's Hospice is a regular recipient of support, which in the past has included buying an oxygen machine, TVs for the charity's six in-patient rooms, and taking part in hospice organised events.

Since the group was founded in 1975 with collections of two pence pieces at the end of dominoes games they have gone on to donate over £100,000 to good causes.

Kayaking for good cause

16/11/10

Despite a last minute change in plans a sponsored kayak paddle has resulted in over £1,250 donated to St Teresa's Hospice.

The group of nine was forced to abandon their original plan to kayak the 17 miles between Richmond and Morton-on-Swale after rain caused the river's levels to become dangerously high.

Undeterred they altered their plans and travelled to Ellerton Lake, paddling a combined total of 80 miles around the beauty-spot.

The group raised the money in memory of Dawn Mosley, a hospice Day Therapy guest for over five years.

Day Therapy becomes bowls green

15/11/10

St Teresa's Hospice's day lounge was converted into an indoor bowls green last week after a visit by some of our neighbours.

Normally used by Day Therapy guests to relax with a cup of tea, St Teresa's Hospice's orangey proved itself a jack of all trades after being temporarily fitted with the green by Woodland Bowling Club.

Day Therapy guest John said: "I haven't played in thirty years. I love the game, don't know why I ever stopped."

Woodland Bowling Club have been supporters of the hospice for some time, donating money raised through quiz nights, and agreed to put on the morning of bowls after a chance meeting with Day Therapy Nurse Sue Shields.

We are always on the lookout for new activities for our guests to do during their time with us and bowls has proved to be quite popular, we certainly hope Woodland Bowling Club will be returning.

Giving to Life Tree appeal begins

9/11/10

Volunteers have begun work on our fundraising Christmas tree in Darlington's Cornmill shopping centre.

For a small donation St Teresa's Hospice invites people to write a personal message on a decoration and leave it on the 15 foot high tree, which the Cornmill donate for the hospice's use.

People leave messages on the tree for many reasons, some write messages of Christmas goodwill to friends and family, and to others the tree is a chance to think of people they may have lost.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "A lot of emotion goes into decorating the Giving to Life Tree, messages are left to aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents and even pets. We once had someone leaving a message to a pair of much missed goats."

The tree needs 650 hours of volunteer time to operate for the two months it runs, but despite this requirement places to volunteer on the tree fill up fast.

Mrs Bradshaw added: "We are extremely grateful to our volunteers, who not only make the tree a successful fundraiser, but are also responsible for the welcoming and friendly attitude which makes it so popular."

The Giving to Life Tree is open 10am-4pm weekdays and Saturday and 11am-4pm Sundays until the 24th of December.

Pick up bargains at Shildon shop

8/11/10

Shoppers in Shildon are being given the chance to bag a bargain every time they hand over just under a pound.

The shopping bonanza comes to the town's High Street this week with the launching of the community's first 99p shop.

The venture is being opened by St Teresa's Hospice in its existing outlet, where everything is up for sale at the knockdown price.

The retail move marks yet another new venture for the Hospice's string of eight outlets, which all help fund the charity's vital free service to residents across the Darlington and North Yorkshire area.

Over the past year the hospice has opened two new home furnishing stores at Richmond and Darlington, where its existing charity outlet in Skinnergate has been revamped and now includes a modern and thriving book shop.

On the eve of the launching of the 99p Shildon shop Hospice Director Jane Bradshaw said: "In the depths of difficult economic times we are constantly striving to keep ahead of the charity shop market as it is now more important than ever that our shops play an increasing role in maintaining our level of funding.

From Thursday the Shildon outlet will be offering good quality clothing, accessories and bric-a-brac at one standard price of 99p.

"This is a great opportunity for shoppers in the town and will provide a chance for customers to secure bags of bargains"

Jane added that the increasing success of the hospice retail chain was also thanks to the magnificent donations received by St Teresa's and the staff and volunteers who play a key role in sorting goods and manning the shops.

Christmas Concert to be a Cracker

4/11/10

Our spectacular Christmas Cracker concert, featuring over two hundred performers, is returning for its tenth year.

Held in the spacious Meadow at Lingfield Point the Christmas Cracker has for many become the official start of Christmas.

A sparkling atmosphere is created by singing from a huge variety of local choirs and singing groups, backed by an ad-hoc orchestra of musicians who come together on the night to form the St Teresa's Sinfonia, lead by musical director John Forsyth.

All performers donate their time for free, meaning as well as being a unique concert the Cracker is also a valuable fundraiser.

Despite extremely heavy snow causing dangerous driving conditions on the day of last year's concert a crowd of almost 300 people were entertained with special performances by renowned local musicians Andrew Christer, James Nash, Rowan Pierce and Stephen Proctor, helping to raise over £6,000 to support our work.

With a similar calibre of performers being booked for this year tickets are expected to sell fast, so book early to avoid disappointment.

The Christmas Cracker is being held at 7pm on Saturday 18th December in Meadow at Lingfield Point, tickets cost £7.50 for adults and £5 for children and are available by contacting the events team or supporter services on 01325 254 321.

Light up a Life this Christmas

3/11/10

Ever year during the busy holiday season we pause to remember friends, family and loved ones by lighting trees in their honour during our Light up a Life campaign

In return for a small donation a dedication will be included in a ceremony held in Darlington marketplace on Sunday December 19th.

During the ceremony there will be readings, a carol service and the symbolic lighting of Christmas trees, which will then be moved to St Teresa's Hospice's Woodland Road premises, where their lights will shine on over the festive period.

Christmas can be an especially difficult time for those who have lost someone. Our Light up a Life ceremonies are always a moving opportunity to think of people we miss, and to be reminded of the people who are here to support us.

If you would like to take part in this year's Light up a Life service please contact us on 01325 254 321.

Malton's treats hospice

28/10/10

A big thank you to the staff at Malton's Sandwich Bar on Woodland Road, who were kind enough to treat both the staff and our guests in Day Therapy and the In Patient Unit last month.

After they came armed with platters of sandwiches, fruit, cakes, and other treats we weren't sure we would be able to get through it all, but we rose to the challenge.

Malton's have also helped us out while our kitchen was out of action for its refit, providing lunch and snacks for everyone at the hospice. Their ongoing support is greatly appreciated.

Cuppa Coup

19/10/10

A volunteer worker has proved she is no mug after a quick thinking selling technique in a Darlington charity shop.

Jan Fraser's sale manoeuvre brought cash into the coffers of St Teresa's Hospice but left her colleagues scratching their heads when it came to their tea break.

Jan, who is a tireless worker at the Hospice's flourishing Home Shop in Skinnergate pulled off her unexpected sale when a band of builders working on a nearby premises realise there were no cups to drink from on the site.

The men popped into the Home Shop to see if they could buy some mugs for their much needed builders-brew, where they found Jan on duty but only spotted stocks of fine chinaware on the shelves.

Determined, however, to capture a sale, Jan asked the worker to wait for a moment while she checked in the back of the shop.

And while they waited the enterprising Jan quickly seized the moment in the shop's kitchen and washed up several of the staff's tea and coffee mugs.

Returning to her customers she sold off six of her new found stock at a pound a piece.

"I didn't have time to tell the other what I'd done and they were momentarily baffled when they went to the kitchen and found the mug cupboard was bare" said Jan.

Some odd china cups were soon found and the staff tea time went ahead as scheduled.

Director of the Hospice, Jane Bradshaw, couldn't conceal a broad smile when told of the incident and summed up the result of the quick slick sale: "Ten points for initiative to Jan and £6 towards the vital free service we provide at our award winning hospice."

Hospice leads the way in bereavement support

18/10/10

St Teresa's Hospice has held the first of a series of forums in which representatives of various organisations came together to discuss the future of bereavement support in Darlington.

A vast range of businesses, individuals, groups, and charities are involved in providing care to those who have been recently bereaved, and many felt that a more integrated approach was needed.

This sentiment was acted upon by the St Teresa's Hospice Family Support Team, who organised and hosted the first Darlington Bereavement Forum, which took place in the hospice's Woodland premises yesterday.

Debora Robinson, the hospice's Family Support Team manager, said: "End of life care and bereavement support are hot topics at the moment and with worries about public spending cuts we feel part of our role as a hospice is to show people what is already on offer, and lead the way for the future.

"We hope that in getting everyone together a couple of times a year we can jointly indentify any duplication of services and redirect time and resources to areas where there might be gaps."

Attending the forum were representatives from Clark Willis Solicitors, Darlington Borough Council health and social services, All Saints and Salutation Church, Tees Valley YMCA, CAB, Relate, Age UK, Macmillan Nurses, Darlington Association on Disability, Whitehouse Funeral Services, Co-operative Funeralcare, and the NHS.

Pooling their collective expertise the forum quickly realised that knowing more about what each organisation did would better position them to direct those requiring care to where it is available.

The idea of developing this into a publically available directory was also discussed, and the forum will meet again in January after developing these and other ideas, with St Teresa's Hospice continuing to co-ordinate efforts.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice director, said: "Bereavement support is often about giving families the tools they need to cope with loss then taking a step back.

"This approach is mirrored by what Deborah and the team is trying to achieve with the forum, we hope that by engaging the community we can be the catalyst that enables people to support each other."

Great result for fit fundraiser

15/10/10

It was second time lucky for a fit fundraiser as she completed the Great North Run in under three hours, after missing out on her target by seconds last year.

Running in aid of St Teresa's Hospice and in memory of her father-in-law Kenneth, Claire Darbyshire managed a time of two hours and forty seven minutes, despite hurting her hip half way around the course.

She said: "I stepped a bit funny at one point and twisted my hip, so the last section was a bit slower than I would have liked, but I was determined to hit my target of a time under three hours, something I missed out on last year by fifty six seconds."

Thanks to support from regulars at her local the Copper Beech, Mowden Park Post Office, and an attention grabbing bucket collection with her father, Darlington's town crier Peter Stemmer, Claire has raised £684.44 to support the hospice's work.

Charity ball brings dreams to life

6/10/10

Around 350 people attended the 14th annual St Teresa's Hospice Ball at the weekend, and helped to meet the ambitious fundraising target of £10,000 for this important cause.

The St Teresa's Hospice ball takes place at a new venue almost every year, previous venues have included hotels, but as the event has grown organisers have had to look for larger and sometimes unusual settings.

For this year's ball organisers transformed the vast space inside Meadow at Lingfield Point, by day an empty call centre, into a magical and impressive ballroom for the black tie event.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "The run up to the ball can be extremely nerve-racking, especially so when we use a more unusual location. It was worth the extra work though and everything came together spectacularly for the evening."

Food for the event, provided by Ramside Event Catering, followed the fairytale theme, with the starter of pumpkin soup served inside a bowl made from a hollowed out pumpkin, and closing the meal was a special pudding served with magic fizzing fairy dust!

Guests were entertained on the evening by Imaginejack, a husband and wife team originally from Australia, who performed music injected with humour and real romance! The Dean Solomon Band with guest artistes Micky Donnelly and the Fenner Sisters, played the music for the after-meal, which saw guests dancing until 1.00am.

As well as musical entertainment guests had the opportunity for tarot and rune readings by Dr Iain Jae, or could try their luck in the casino.

Mrs Bradshaw added: "All of this year's acts were really special, ImagineJack had several people in tears with their performance, which managed to be both very funny and extremely moving."

To help raise funds on the evening an 'everybody wins' raffle was held for prizes ranging from a fish supper to a holiday, all of which were donated by businesses and individuals from across the region.

A star prize kindly donated by Alan Green from C&D Industrial Services was reserved for the table elimination game, which saw the winner walking away with a luxury spa weekend at Rockliffe Hall, including a gourmet taster dinner cooked by chef Kenny Atkinson in the Orangery, who recently made an appearance on Saturday kitchen.

Mrs Bradshaw added: "We make every effort to make the ball a special and magical evening for our guests, without losing sight of the importance of raising money to support our work."

"We're hoping to really outdo ourselves next year when we hold our 15th annual ball, which coincides with St Teresa's Hospice's 25th Anniversary."

Pub fundraiser brings in thousands

5/10/10

Thanks to the help of their regulars a Darlington pub has handed a cheque for over two thousands pounds to St Teresa's Hospice.

The Three Crowns, on Archer Street in Darlington, held a day of fundraising activities including a BBQ, street party, tabletop sale and three legged pub race.

One of the pubs regulars, Phil Greenhow, helped organise the food for the BBQ, which was provided free of charge by Sainsbury's Local on Duke Street, adding to £2,045.20 raised on the day.

The three legged race saw thirty four people racing between ten pubs in the town centre, finishing in the Three Crowns, where the victors were awarded a trophy.

Three Crown's manager Michelle Jenkinson said: "Everyone really enjoyed the day, we're looking at making it an annual event now.

"I'd like to thank Sainsbury's and Jilly's cakes on North Road for helping us with food on the day, and the Skerne Park Boy's Brigade for helping man the stalls."

Family Fun Day to be held for hospice

31/7/10

Final preparations are underway for a family fun day organised by friends and colleagues in memory of Sue Blewitt, who worked at Mowden Hall, Darlington, for 39 years.

The fun day, being held on Saturday 25th September at Blackwell Meadows Rugby Club, has been put together to raise money for St Teresa's Hospice, where Sue was cared for.

The event is spilt into three areas, with outdoor field activities, indoor stalls, and a display arena.

The outdoor field will be home to two bouncy castles, one for under 5's and one for over 5's, a bouncy slide, and a six bedded trampoline. Visitors will also be able to try their hand at archery and test their luck and skill with a coconut shy.

Durham Falconry are bringing along birds of prey and people will have a chance to hold a bird at various times throughout the day.

There will be a mini funfair, including a fun house, tea-cups, sugar boats and hook a bag as well as a 25 foot climbing wall.

Inside the Rugby Club there will be a number of stalls, including a grand raffle with star prizes of a weekend break, a spa weekend, a TV-DVD combo, and lots of other prizes.

In the main arena there are many acts to keep you entertained throughout the day including dancing schools, a police dog demonstration, Tug of War, and a flying display from the birds of prey team.

The family fun day is being held on 25th September at Darlington Rugby Club, Blackwell Meadows, from 11.00 am to 4.00pm, admission to the fun day is free.

Golfers on par to reach charity milestone

13/9/10

An annual charity golf tournament held last week attracted a record number of teams, which organisers hope will push the total raised since it began to over £100,000.

Over the course of eight years the Landteam Golf Tournament has raised £88,316 for St Teresa's Hospice, and fingers are crossed that the record thirty six teams who took part this year will mean the milestone is reached.

Event organiser Sally Pickersgill said: "I spent most of the week in my office recording handicaps and organising timeslots for everyone on the day, it's wonderful that despite worries about the financial climate people are still so generous."

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice director, said: "To be so close to such an incredible milestone is an enormous achievement, that combined with the fact the event is still growing speaks volumes about the effort put in by Sally and everyone who takes part."

For the past two years teams have battled on in high spirits despite heavy rain to take part in the event, that perseverance was rewarded this year with a mostly dry day with periods of sun.

Coast Cakes and Castles

10/9/10

The Absolutely Average Cycling Club has successfully completed its latest sponsored ride, despite several injuries.

The 214 mile journey took the team from Edinburgh to Newcastle, and saw a broken collar bone, a snapped ligament, and knee problems, but only one puncture.

The team is made up of friends, family, and co-workers of Anne's husband PC Chris Barber, who was a top police firearms expert before his tragic death due to pancreatic cancer last year.

Grateful to St Teresa's Hospice for the care given to Chris and his family during this difficult time the group have organised a number of successful fundraisers, resulting combined donations in excess of £20,000.

The team were helped in their training by Basil, a fifteen year old dog who joined the cyclists for much of their training.

"Every time we went out for a training ride and left him at home he would start howling, so we got him a basket. He seems to really enjoy coming with us, we do get lots of people staring though."

Another addition to the team is Scott Marshall, a staff fundraiser at St Teresa's Hospice who was so inspired by what the group has achieved he decided to join them for this year's cycle.

PC Andy Parker said: "I'd like to thank Sherwoods of Darlington for providing us with a support vehicle, complete with logos, completely free of charge. We have also been provided with supplies of bottled water by Aquaid, and a second support vehicle from the Durham Constabulary."

Sponsorship for the Coast Cakes and Castles cycle ride is still being accepted, if you would like to sponsor the team please visit www.justgiving.com/CoastCakesCastles2010

Hundreds roll up for circus Fair

31/7/10

Crowds of hundreds were entertained in Darlington Marketplace on Saturday by St Teresa's Hospice's Saturday Fair.

This year's Saturday Fair had a circus theme, with entertainment from the award winning Darlington Gymnastic Club, a paintball shootout, a climbing wall, a funhouse, and many booths and stalls.

The home-made cake stall, one of the annual event's biggest fundraisers, was again hugely successful, completely selling out and keeping families entertained with a 'create a clown' gingerbread man decorating area.

A new addition to the day, Iain Jae, also proved to be a big hit, drawing in spectators for his escapology act and baffling fairgoers with his close up sleight of hand tricks.

A raffle was held with the top prize of an iPod Nano donated by Comet, as well as go-karting for four donated by Teesside Karting, and a three month membership to Blackwell Grange Fitness Club donated by Blackwell Grange Hotel.

The Saturday Fair is an important date in St Teresa's Hospice's fundraising calendar, as well as raising an estimated £4,000 it is an opportunity to spread the word about the hospice's work.

St Teresa's Hospice provides free care and services to anyone affected by life-limiting illness across South-Durham and North-Yorkshire and must raise around £1.5million annually to offer these services.

Jane Bradshaw, hospice director, said: "With this year's Saturday Fair we wanted to bring the circus to Darlington, and that's something I think we did very successfully.

"I hope everyone who came down today had as much fun as we did. That we can provide a fun family day out and raise money to continue our work is a wonderful thing."

St Teresa's Hospice is already making plans for next year's Saturday Fair, which will have a pirate theme.

Home-baked cakes at Saturday Fair

31/7/10

Visitors to a circus themed Fair in Darlington Marketplace (Saturday July 31) will be treated to a selection of home-baked cakes.

All the cakes and treats for sale at the St Teresa's Hospice Saturday Fair are home baked and donated by staff, volunteers, and supporters, which means that all money made goes directly to the charity.

In the past the cake stall has been one of the event's biggest fundraisers, a success expected to be repeated today.

A new addition to this year's cake stall is a 'create a clown' area, where people can decorate their own gingerbread men with icing and other treats.

The gingerbread men and decorations have been supplied completely free of charge by Morrisons through their supplier The Pastry Case.

Julie Rowley, Store Personnel Manager at Morrisons, said: "All the staff at Morrisons are really enjoying supporting the hospice, it's something near to a lot of people's hearts."

Three Morrisons stores, Darlington, Morton Park, and Barnard Castle, have adopted St Teresa's Hospice as their official charity thanks to a national scheme which has paired each Morrisons store with their local Hospice.

As well as the popular cake stall St Teresa's Hospice Saturday Fair offers attractions including a display by the award winning Darlington Gymnastics Club, funhouse and funfair rides, a paintball shootout, a climbing wall, and a variety of booths, games, and stalls.

Among the booths will be entertainer Iain Jae, who will be performing impressive displays of sleight of hand magic and 'Real Hustle' style rigged games, as well as performing an escapology act.

St Teresa's Hospice has engaged with businesses in the town to help to create the carnival atmosphere, and have provided them with balloons and posters for display on the run up to the event.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "The cakes for this year's Fair look fantastic, I'm sure they taste as good as they look but I've so far resisted sampling them all.

"We've really gone all out this year to create a wonderful atmosphere at our Saturday Fair and I'm sure everyone will have a great day out."

St T's Saturday Fair takes place in Darlington Market Place today (Saturday July 31) from 10:30am until 2:30pm, entrance is free, and all money raised will go St Teresa's Hospice.

A fundraising knockout

25/7/10

Over 150 people took part in a charity 'It's a Knockout' event at the weekend, raising an estimated £7,000 for St Teresa's Hospice.

Hosted free of charge at Blackwell Meadows, home of Darlington Rugby Club, the event saw competitors take part in eight different games based on the classic 1970s TV show.

The games involve so much water that they must be filled by the Fire Service before the event starts, but teams dried out quickly with warm-up dances to the Blues Brothers and warm weather.

Last year's champions, Firthmoor Fisheries team the Codfathers, successfully defended their title against a total of twenty teams for their second consecutive win.

Steven Place, a member of the Morrison's North Road team, won the mascot competition after completing the day's events dressed as a French maid, earning a prize of a go-karting trip for everyone on his team provided by Teesside Karting.

The principle sponsor of the event was Darlington Operatic Society, who also sponsored a game and entered two teams.

Games were also sponsored by Sherwoods and AMEC, and there were banners sponsored by Sherwoods, Blackburn Marshall, and Hall Construction.

As well as raising vital funds for the charity St Teresa's Hospice are also using the Knockout to launch a social networking presence, and will upload photographs and video of the event to Facebook and YouTube.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "The Knockout is always entertaining to watch and this year was no exception. I'd like to thank everyone who sponsored the event, and of course all the teams who took part, it is thanks to you that the Knockout is both good fun and a valuable fundraiser."

More photos and a video of the event can be found on the St Teresa's Hospice Facebook page.

Drawing a close to St Teresa's Hospice's run of summer events is their annual Saturday Fair, a circus themed event which will be held in Darlington Marketplace on July 31, 10:30am-2:30pm.

Charity buskers return after twenty-four years

22/7/10

Two musical siblings who twenty-four years ago helped raise money to get St Teresa's Hospice off the ground have returned for the re-opening of one of the charity's shops.

In 1986 Anne Gardner and Phillip Rowe, then teenagers, raised around £70 for the then recently formed Darlington and District Hospice Movement by busking in Darlington

Now living in Maryland USA with her three children, Anne and husband Jon took time out of their family visit to recreate that moment with Phillip, drawing crowds outside the recently refurbished shop on Skinnergate in Darlington.

Mr Rowe said: "It has been a long time since we've done this, it's incredible and astonishing how much the hospice has grown since then."

Anne and Phillip's involvement with St Teresa's Hospice began when their mother, Yvonne Rowe, wrote a letter to the Northern Echo, sparking the founding of Darlington & District Hospice Movement.

The response to Mrs Rowe's letter was overwhelming and led to a public meeting in to discuss starting a hospice movement in the town.

Soon after the meeting a Home Care service began and people across the town started fundraising.

Twenty four years on Mrs Yvonne Rowe continues her support for the hospice, including making items and selling them on craft stalls to raise funds.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice director, said: "Having Anne and Phillip busk for us again after all this time was really something special, and a humbling reminder of how much the Hospice has grown.

"The original home care service, now called Hospice at Home, is still going strong, and to that we have added Day Care facilities, a six bed in-patient unit, a counselling team, and a range of complimentary therapies."

The refurbishment of St Teresa's Skinnergate shop is part of a larger scheme of improvements to the charity's retail outlets, which has already seen the opening of new specialist Home Shops in Darlington and Richmond.

Improvements to St T's Charity Shop include the opening of the upstairs area as a specialist book shop, more browsing space to help customers, and an information area about the Hospice, its work, and opportunities to support.

The newly refurbished shop can be found at number 8 Skinnergate.

Roll up roll up for annual Saturday Fair

16/7/10

Our popular Saturday Fair in Darlington market place returns at the end of this month, with a brand new theme and exciting new displays.

Old favourites such as our incredibly popular cake stall will of course be present, with additions such as a 'create a clown' area where visitors can get messy decorating their own gingerbread men.

New attractions and displays for this year's Fair include the multi-talented Iain Jay, who will be performing feats of escapology and close up sleight of hand tricks.

The Darlington Gymnastics Club will be performing their incredible acrobatics in our special performance area, and visitors will be able to test out their own agility on our climbing wall.

Other attractions adding to the carnival atmosphere include a paintball shootout, a funhouse and funfair rides, and a variety of interesting games and stalls to spend the day wandering amongst.

St T's Saturday Fair takes place in Darlington marketplace on Saturday July 31st from 10.30am until 2:30pm.

Skinnergate shop to re-open after refurbishment

15/7/10

Just weeks after the opening of a brand new shop in Richmond we are proud to announce the re-opening of our Skinnergate shop after a complete refurbishment.

As part of an ongoing programme of modernisation the Skinnergate is the first of our eight charity shops to receive a revamp.

Competition in the charity retail sector is tough, but with these improvements we will bring our existing shops up to the standard of our hugely successful St T's Home Shops.

While our two new shops (St T's home Shop Darlington and St T's home Shop Richmond) focus on larger items and home furnishings our existing shops will receive a stylish makeover while continuing to sell high quality second hand clothing and a variety of wonderful smaller items.

Our Skinnergate shop will re-open on Thursday 22nd July.

We are always on the lookout for donations of items for our shops, if you have something you would like to donate please contact us on 01325 254 321.

New Hospice shop opens in Richmond

5/7/10

Hot on the heels of one innovative retailing success a north-east hospice has opened yet another stylish fundraising outlet.

St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington scored a major coup when it launched its St T's Home Shop in the town's Skinnergate last December, a success it hopes to repeat with the new shop in Richmond.

Guests visiting on opening day were treated to glasses of Champagne and music played by Rotary Club young musician of the year Harriet Bradshaw on a donated clavier.

Created in a former wine merchants the new premises boasts vaulted ceilings and sleek sales sections all housed in a superb location just a stone's throw from the town's famous Georgian Theatre.

This is our eighth shop to open and is set to live up to the high expectations set by the success of St T's Home shop in Darlington.

Jane Bradshaw, hospice director, said: "We are competing in a tough market place and we know our shops have to bring a new dimension to charity retailing, something we are confident our Richmond outlet will do."

The new shop, on Victoria Road, is entirely stocked with donated goods, from a quirky period rocking horse and retro lighting to elegant bureaus and dining tables, but it is their presentation and prices which set the shop apart.

Mrs Bradshaw added: "Opening a Home Shop means we can provide good quality furnishings at a fraction of the price of new items and do our part to be environmentally friendly. But most importantly of all it means we can raise the vitally needed funds for our hospice service."

Marjorie McIntyre, retail manager for the hospice's chain of shops, said: "St T's Home shop is yet another exciting venture for us and one we know will bring charity chic to Richmond."

Well travelled teddies prepare for trip across Europe

30/6/10

Following the success of their Teddies to the Arctic campaign two adventurous fundraisers are making final preparations for their latest expedition.

Heather and Geoff Thompson raised £35,500 for charity in 2008 by taking 135 teddies, sponsored at a minimum of £100 each, on a trip 700 miles into the Arctic Circle.

This year's journey will see the teddies travelling through ten European countries, including a picnic in the grounds of a 17th century hunting lodge in the Czech Republic, to raise money for St Teresa's hospice and the Darlington branch of the MS Society.

Sponsorship for the individual teddies has been raised in a variety of ways, including a performance by Mike Mason, a student of Chetham's School of Music.

Dinsdale Spa Golf Club Ladies Section donates hundreds

14/6/10

Members of the Dinsdale Spa Golf Club Ladies Section have donated a total of £740 to charity after holding a raffle and golfing clinic.

The raffle was held at a centenary dinner at the golf club, which saw Vivien Saunders O.B.E. give a talk on the 'golfing mind'.

Miss Saunders, description, held a golf clinic the following day and asked that money raised be given to charity.

Members of the Ladies section decided on two charities, St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Pedalling for pounds

11/6/10

A team of 11 cyclists from the 3M site at Aycliffe piled on the pounds in a marathon ride to raise funds for St Teresa's Hospice.

The team pedalled 130 miles from Bamburgh Castle on the Northumbrian coastline back to the Heighington Lane site, where the diversified technology company makes personal respirators.

The two-day ride was held in memory of their colleague Lesley Naisbitt, who died in 2008, to show appreciation for the care and support provided by the Darlington hospice to Lesley and her family.

A cheque for £3,352 has now been presented to the hospice, raised through sponsorship and support from the 3M Care & Share matchfunding scheme.

"The hospice provides a tremendous service for the community and we were very pleased to have been able to raise so much as our way of saying thank-you," said 3M's Paul Richardson, one of the organisers of the marathon ride.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "Lesley was much-loved by everyone who met her, the continued fundraising in her name by Paul and the team is a testament to that and we are proud to have been able to help."

IMPROVEMENTS TO HOSPICE SHOPS UNDERWAY

7/6/10

Preparations are under way for the opening of a new shop in Richmond, as well as the re-opening of the newly refurbished Skinnergate shop.

As part of an ongoing scheme of improvements to our retail outlets the Skinnergate shop in Darlington was chosen as the first to be completely refurbished.

Following a short closure the shop is due to re-open in a few weeks time, after receiving complete redecoration and new fittings.

Part of this work is to allow the use of the upstairs area of the shop, which has been freed up thanks to a centralised sorting and distribution system.

Similar work has been taking place in our new Richmond premises, which will be in the same style as the hugely successful St T's Home Shop in Darlington.

After opening last December St T's Home Shop has exceeded our wildest expectations, taking in tens of thousands of pounds thanks to the generosity of people in the area donating their unwanted furniture, an achievement we hope to replicate in Richmond.

To help boost the money made in our shops we are introducing a system to allow us to claim Gift Aid on donated items.

People making donations to the shops will be asked to fill in a declaration, allowing us to claim around 28% of the value of the item from the government when it is sold.

PREMIERSHIP TROPHY VISITS DARLINGTON

1/6/10

Visitors to the High Row Darlington branch of Barclays last Tuesday were in for a treat when they were greeted by the premiership trophy and former Middlesbrough and Manchester United player Gary Pallister.

The trophy was on display all day, and in exchange for a small donation to the hospice people were invited to have their photo taken alongside Gary and the world famous trophy.

The professional photographs were printed while people waited, and signed by Gary.

Thanks to the support of Barclays and Gary Pallister football fans have helped raise hundreds of pounds for St Teresa's Hospice.

THREE MORRISONS STORES ADOPT ST TERESA'S HOSPICE

19/5/10

National supermarket chain supports local hospices

A national supermarket chain has put their support behind a charity which raises money to support the work of hospices, with each branch raising money for their local hospice.

Through the partnership with Help the Hospices each of the 425 Morrisons stores across the country has been paired with a hospice in their area to raise money that will go directly to fund hospice services in their local community.

The Darlington, Morton Park, and Barnard Castle branches will fundraise for St Teresa's Hospice, which provides hospice care across South-Durham and North-Yorkshire.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "We are delighted that Morrisons have decided to support the hospice movement, and are doing so in a way that recognises that each hospice serves their local area."

Morrisons have set a combined fundraising target of £1million over the duration of the ten month partnership.

Progress towards that goal was made immediately, with every Morrisons store across the country putting the first £1 coin into a collection bucket at 10am yesterday (Wednesday).

To continue this bright start Morrisons stores across the UK will be 'Going Yellow' through a range of fun and exciting yellow themed fundraising activities for colleagues and customers.

Lawrence Mudd, manager of Darlington Morrisons, said: "We've got it spot on this year, a lot of people are pleased with us supporting a local charity."

TEES VALLEY YMCA HELP RAISE FUNDS

18/5/10

Two days of fundraising activities has seen the Youth Action Team of the Tees valley YMCA raise over £400.

Volunteers from the team spent a day packing bags in Marks and Spencer, and the following day sent a team of volunteers to help with St Teresa's Hospice's annual Flag Day.

From their efforts in Marks and Spencer the team raised £427, and their help on Flag Day contributed to a total of £2,090 being raised.

Tees Valley YMCA volunteer Thomas Brown said: "I love to volunteer because I get to learn new skills while having fun and doing something good for the community."

QUAKER RUNNERS EXCEL FOR HOSPICE

7/5/10

Two Quaker Running Club members have together raised around £3,000 for charity by running the London Marathon.

Michelle Boshier, a member of the Quaker Running Club, volunteers at St Teresa's hospice every Friday, and was running in memory of her uncle Stephen Curry, who was cared for at St Teresa's in 2008.

Miss Boshier said: "The atmosphere was amazing, having tens of thousands of people to run with and cheer you on makes the run a lot easier

"It was quite difficult training over the winter with all the snow and ice, but I prefer it to be cooler, my first marathon was in Edinburgh last year in 30 degree heat."

Michelle, who completed the 26 mile run in four hours and fifty-two minutes, has been volunteering at St Teresa's Hospice for a year and half in the Hospice's in patient unit, which offers end of life and respite care.

Joining Michelle in raising money for St Teresa's Hospice was fellow Quaker Running Club member and marathon veteran Peter Rowley, who finished the run in 4 hours 1 minute.

Mr Rowley said: "I would have liked to beat the four hour mark, and towards the end I knew it would be close."

The pair estimates they will have raised almost £3,000 between them, with Peter splitting his sponsorship between the hospice and MIND, and Michelle splitting hers with The National Autistic Society.

Peter and Michelle are still accepting sponsorship at
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/PeterRowley and
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/michelleboshier

ARMY VOLUNTEERS HELP HOSPICE

29/4/10

A team of young soldiers who will soon be deployed in Afghanistan gave up a precious day of their time at home to lend a helping hand at a North-East hospice.

The 17-strong group, all soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland, based at the Infantry Training Centre at Catterick Garrison, travelled to the Darlington warehouse site of St Teresa's Hospice.

At the Lingfield Point premises they turned their hands to dozens of tasks from sorting donated clothing, building shelving units and helping restore items ready for sale in the Hospice shops.

Leading the working party Captain Adrian Havelock said: "Training is not just about preparing boys for Afghanistan but about developing the recruits into men who understand the importance of respecting others and displaying loyalty to their communities, family and friends and so understand what they are fighting for.''

He added: "We are delighted to help St Teresa's Hospice and the wider community in Darlington who give us so much support in everything we do.

"The soldiers have really enjoyed giving something back to the community.''

After the soldiers had carried out a host of tasks Hospice Director Jane Bradshaw said: "We are always delighted to work in partnership with the Army. Personnel from Catterick Garrison have and continue to assist us in many practical ways as well as through fundraising.

"This latest help is much appreciated and much needed as our shop operations are continuing to expand which means our warehouse at Lingfield Point needs to be well organised to ensure we realise as much as possible from the generous donations from local residents.''

FIRST EVER MIDNIGHT WALK AT CROFT CIRCUIT A SUCCESS

26/4/10

Over 200 women took part in a Midnight Walk held at the weekend, which is expected to raise tens of thousands of pounds for St Teresa's hospice.

The Midnight Walk was held at the new venue of Croft Circuit, making it the first ever event of its kind to be held at the world famous racing track.

Organisers estimate the hundreds of women taking part in the walk have already raised tens of thousands of pounds, with sponsorship still being accepted by many walkers.

Doing the walk in memory of Melanie Bimbi was a team of ten, including Marjorie McIntyre and daughter Charlotte, who was completing the walk in a wheelchair in spite of a broken leg.

Mrs McIntyre said: "We all had a brilliant evening, and it turned out Charlotte didn't need the wheelchair at all, she abandoned it right at the start and did the walk on her crutches."

After a warm-up on the circuit the walk was officially started by Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's hospice Director Alasdair MacConachie, Managing Director of Sherwoods and Chairman of St Teresa's Hospice, and Nick Millen, Catterick Garrison Commander.

Women had the option of completing one or two laps of Croft circuit, which was marshalled by a group of volunteers from Catterick Garrison, Darlington Rotary Club, and hospice staff and volunteers.

As a thank you to these volunteers a free draw was held with the prize of tickets to the British Touring Cars provided by Croft Circuit.

All money raised through the event goes towards the annual running costs of St Teresa's Hospice, which provides care and services to people across south Durham and North Yorkshire who are affected by life limiting illness.

Costs for the event are kept low thanks to the support of various businesses and organisations, including Croft Circuit, who provided the venue and use of facilities completely free of charge.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said: "My thanks go out to all the businesses and organisations that help make the Midnight Walk such a successful event.

"Most importantly of course are the hundreds of women who came out at midnight to support our work. Their willingness to do so is a reminder of what an important service all hospices offer."

HOSPICE'S LOTTERY REACHES MILESTONE

15/4/10

A charity lottery is making a push for new members after reaching the milestone of £4million raised for hospices across the region.

The One Wish Lottery supports the work of St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington, St Cuthberts in Durham, Butterwick in Bishop Auckland, and St Benedicst's in Sunderland, with each having received £1million since the lottery began in 1998.

As well as this support given to hospices the lottery has given out over £1.5million in prizes, with the latest big winner receiving £5,000 in December.

The lottery costs £1 per week to play and draws for a £1,000 first prize are held every week, with larger prize draws such as the one in December happening several times a year.

If you would like to take part in the One Wish Lottery contact Joan or Gary on 01325 288 484, or pick up a leaflet from one of the St Teresa's Hospice charity shops.

A BLOOMING GOOD FESTIVAL

12/4/10

Organisers are putting the finishing touches to plans for a four day flower festival in Darlington.

Money raised from the event, organised and hosted by All Saints' and Salutation Church in Blackwell, will be split between the church and St Teresa's Hospice.

The event begins on Thursday 28th April with a preview evening for organisers and sponsors, at which the flower festival will be officially opened by St Teresa's Hospice Chairman Alasdair MacConachie and Hospice Director Jane Bradshaw.

The flower festival will be open to the public starting the following day from 10am until 4pm, where visitors will be able to enjoy twenty-six arrangements as well as performances by talented local musicians.

From 7:30pm that evening there will be a concert by the Apollo Male Voice, an awarding wining choir group which has performed across the world.

The event will be open to the public from Friday 30thth April 10am-4pm, Saturday 1st May 10am-8pm, Sunday 2nd May 1pm-4:30pm, and Monday 3rd May 10am-4pm.

Entrance to the flower festival is £3 on the door, with accompanied children free, tickets for the Apollo Male Voice Choir concert are £7.50 and are available in advance by calling The All Saints Parish Office on 01325 469 891.

EASTER EGG TOMBOLA BEGINS

22/3/10

A Darlington charity's annual Easter Egg Tombola is off to a good start, using up a full day's supply of eggs before lunchtime.

St Teresa's Hospice holds the tombola every year in Queen Street shopping centre, Darlington, and plans for around 100 eggs to be used a day.

A brisk morning trade however saw all of Monday's eggs used up before midday, meaning the charity had to start using the next day's supply.

Jane Bradshaw, hospice Director, said: "Last year's tombola raised over £3,000 towards our running costs, and going by the success of our first day we're on track to beat that total this year."

The tombola runs six days a week for two weeks, meaning over 1,000 Easter eggs are needed for the duration of the event, the bulk of which are donated by individuals or businesses.

St Teresa's hospice Easter Egg Tombola runs Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm until Saturday April 3rd.

Donations of Easter eggs are still being accepted, if you would like to donate an Easter egg please contact the fundraising office on 01325 254 321.

REVVING UP FOR THE MIDNIGHT WALK

18/3/10

A Darlington charity has announced a change in venue for its popular Midnight Walk, which will this year take place at Croft Circuit.

In previous years St Teresa's Hospice has held their women only Midnight Walk in South Park, Darlington, but has changed the venue to Croft Circuit so they can accommodate more walkers and offer them something unique.

Jane Bradshaw, hospice director, said: "Croft Circuit has been a huge supporter of ours for the past few years and we jumped at the chance to hold the Midnight Walk there.

"The Midnight Walk will be the first event of its kind held at Croft Circuit, and we are hoping that the unusual venue will add even more to what is already an amazing event."

Last year's event saw over 300 women take part and together raise sponsorship of £31,752.96 to go towards St Teresa's Hospice's annual running costs, which last year reached £2million.

Organisers hope up to 500 women will take part in this year's walk, with teams of people from businesses and organisations as well as individuals entering in memory of loved ones.

The St Teresa's Hospice Midnight Walk takes place on Friday 23rd of April, and walkers have the option of walking one or two laps around Croft Circuit.

Entry forms are available by visiting the St Teresa's hospice website at www.darlingtonhospice.org.uk and clicking the Midnight Walk logo, or by calling the hospice on 01325 254 321.

FROM COAST TO COAST TO CAKES AND CASTLES

17/3/10

A group of fundraising cyclists are planning an ambitious 200 mile journey to raise money for a Darlington charity, a year after raising thousands with a coast to coast cycle.

This week the group presented St Teresa's Hospice with a cheque for the £10,254.47 raised by last year's cycle from Whitehaven to Sunderland, and spoke of their new plans.

The ride will see the team cover 210 miles between Edinburgh and Newcastle, passing landmarks such as Warkworth and Bamburgh Castles.

The route is called the 'coast and castles' route, but the team decided to rename it the coast cakes and castes ride after their stops to fuel up on cake on their last trip.

The rides are organised in memory of Chris Barber, a well respected police firearms expert who died of pancreatic cancer last year.

Chris's colleagues will be joined on the ride by Chris's wife Ann and his sister Lyn, as well as St Teresa's Hospice Fundraiser Scott Marshall.

As well as the coast to coast cycle ride the group last year organised a garden party and raffle, bringing.

FAMILY ROOM AND LAPTOP DONATIONS

7/3/2010

A visiting Hospitaller of The Saint Lazarus Hospice Association has presented a Darlington charity with thousands of pounds, as well as two laptops.

The money, totalling £2,742, is to be used for refurbishment of St Teresa's Hospice's family room, a room for the family and friends of in-patients staying at the hospice.

Confrére Michael Seed OLJ went out of his way to also arrange two laptops for the in-patients of St Teresa's Hospice. These were donated by Prof Stephen Mather and Dr Delphine Lees of the Institute of Cancer, Bart's & the London School of Medicine & Dentistry.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "The family room is an important place, it gives visiting family a place to talk to their loved ones or offers somewhere quiet for them to gather their thoughts.

"Thanks to the efforts of Michael we now have the money to make the family room a more comfortable place in which to do these things. That Michael also went out of his way to provide two laptops is incredibly generous."

The Saint Lazarus Hospice Association is a charity dedicated to providing funds for equipment and training to hospices throughout the UK.

Confrére Michael said: "I am humbled by the extra-ordinary work that is carried out at St Teresa's Hospice. The Hospitaller Department thought the application conceived by Ann Barber in memory of her husband Chris had special merit due to the great lengths St Teresa's has made to provide an area of rest and respite that will benefit both families and in-patients. We felt privileged to help."

The charity receives funds through the efforts of the members and friends of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem (www.saintlazarus.co.uk) and its Commandery network. The Charity has no administrative overheads, as these are covered by Order.

HOSPICE RECEIVES DONATION FROM LIFE AFTER CANCER FASHION SHOW

23/2/2010

St Teresa's Hospice has received a donation following last year's Life After Cancer Fashion Show, totalling £5,000.

All of the models for the fashion show either have, or have had, cancer and everyone involved in the show has had their life affected by it in some way.

This year the show, held at Tall Trees in Yarm, was dedicated to four former participants who lost their lives to cancer - Anne Cook, Derek Foster, Ruth Wallace and Nicky Weastell

The event marked the tenth anniversary of the first Life After Cancer fashion show, which has over the years has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charities in the region.

As well as this important milestone this year's event was made special by George Davis (of George of Asda fame) who helped promote the event by using it to showcase some new designs.

Mr Davies also helped raise £4,000 towards the event's total by auctioning a trip to his design studio in Italy.

ST T'S HOME SHOP LOOKING FOR DONATIONS

15/2/10

The latest addition to our network of charity shops, St T's Home Shop on Skinnergate, is looking for donations of home furnishings.

Since opening at the beginning of December last year St T's Home Shop has proved hugely successful, raising thousands of pounds towards our running costs on a weekly basis.

Despite the huge amount of space available in the premises everything on the shop floor has been sold several times over, meaning a steady supply of new items is required.

Retail co-ordinator Majorie McIntyre said: "To keep up with demand we are looking for donations of furnishings, anything from cushions and sideboards to lamps and washing machines."

We offer a free collection (and delivery) service, so if you have something to give, please contact us on 01325 254 321.

DARLINGTON BAND'S FIRST GIG RAISES HUNDREDS FOR CHARITY

9/2/10

A Darlington band has had a successful start to their gigging career with a sell out performance which raised over £600 for charity.

Caliber, comprising of Alex Fawcett, Kieran Kemp and James Storey, decided to use their debut gig at the Cumby Arms in Heighington to raised money for St Teresa's Hospice and Heighington Scout Group.

The Cumby Arms provided the room for free, meaning all of the £660 raised from the sale of 110 tickets could be split between the two charities.

Alex (vocals and lead guitar) and James (drums) met through Darlington School of Rock & Pop, but only began playing together in September when they met bass player Kieran.

They currently play classic rock and blues covers including Jimmy Hendrix, Joe Bonamassa, and ACDC, but hope to start writing their own music.

Caliber's next performance will be at the 'Help 4 Haiti' fundraising event at the Cumby Arms on Friday 19th February, alongside local band Toxic and solo performer Ben Lucas, tickets cost £3 on the door.

TWO SCHOOLS TO RECEIVE EXCELLENT SUPPORTER AWARDS

15/1/10

A total of thirty-three schools took park in our Christmas campaign this year, helping to raise thousands of pounds towards our running costs.

We're sending excellent supporter awards to two schools which did particularly well over this period:

Heathfield Primary School, who raised a total of £817.21 by taking part in our week-long carol singing service in Queen Street Shopping centre, and selling Christmas merchandise.

Croft Church of England Primary School, who raised £774.34, will be the second school to receive an award. They are also collecting change for a 'mile of pennies' - the total currently stands at around £100. For a school with only 108 pupils it's really astonishing that they have raised so much for us.

NATIONAL AND LOCAL FREEMASONS SUPPORT DARLINGTON CHARITY

11/1/10

A Darlington charity has received cheques from local Masonic chapters, in addition to money awarded by the national Masonic body.

St Teresa's Hospice was awarded £250 by the Darlington Chapter and £200 from St Oswald Lodge at a presentation on Thursday.

The local support comes after St Teresa's Hospice was given £1,739 from the national Freemasons' Grand Charity.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "The Freemasons have contributed to our work locally ever since the hospice was founded. The support of local groups and organisations such as the Masons is vitally important in helping us to continue our work."

GIVING TO LIFE TREE RAISES THOUSANDS

7/1/10

The annual Giving to Life Tree fundraising appeal has raised over £7,000 for a Darlington charity.

Every year for a small donation to St Teresa's Hospice people are invited to write a message to a loved one on a decoration and leave it on the Cornmill Shopping Centre's 15 foot high tree.

The campaign this year raised £7,194.43 during its run from November through until Christmas, which required 650 hours of volunteer time.

As well as the tree in the Cornmill, businesses and individuals run Giving to Life Trees of their own, including Whitehouse Funeral Service who added £250 to the campaign's total.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "We noticed a drop in the number of larger donations this year, but it was more than made up for by an increase in the total number of donations made by people writing messages. It's lovely to know that the Giving to Life Tree means something to so many people."

After a non-denominational blessing, messages were removed from the Cornmill tree before it was taken down.

TRIBUTES TO THOSE LOVED & LOST RAISE FUNDS FOR ST TERESA'S HOSPICE

6th January 2010

An independent funeral service provider in Darlington has raised £250 for St Teresa's Hospice.

The family-run and owned, Whitehouse Funeral Service in Cockerton is delighted to be able to help the worthy local cause by donating the funds raised from its memorial Christmas tree.

The memorial Christmas tree has always played an important role at Whitehouse Funeral Service, offering past clients to write a tag out in memory of their lost loved ones, however for the last two years, it also asked to if they would like to include a donation to St Teresa's Hospice.

John Whitehouse, managing director of the newly refurbished funeral service part match funded the final contribution. He said:

"We received over 200 donations and tags for our tree this year and I would like to thank everyone involved for their kind contributions which really can help make a difference to a local charity."

"St Teresa's is a cause that is close to my heart as whilst my cousin was there I saw the incredible expert care and unfaltering dedication from all the team."

Jane Bradshaw, director at St Teresa's, said:

"We are once again delighted to be receiving another kind donation from John and his team. As a local charity, we rely heavily on the support of local businesses and organisations. Whitehouse Funeral Services has been a longstanding supporter of our cause, and this latest gift, comprised of so many kind donations, will be used directly towards patient care and is greatly appreciated by all at St Teresa's Hospice."

Whitehouse Funeral Service can help with all your funeral arrangements, including flowers, catering and any special needs for more information, please visit
www.whitehousefuneralservice.co.uk

MAYOR OF DARLINGTON VISITS NEW HOSPICE SHOP

21/12/09

The Mayor of Darlington, Councillor Jim Ruck, visited the new St Teresa's Hospice shop on Skinnergate with his wife Margaret to offer his support, and left with a three piece cane conservatory set.

The new shop (next to Argos on Skinnergate) offers a range of home furnishings and other larges items which have been donated to St Teresa's Hospice and for which the charity offers a collection service.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "We are always keen to involve the Mayor in our work, and with the current Mayor we haven't even had to ask. Jim has been eager to offer his support to us ever since he became Mayor, even to the extent of buying his summer conservatory set from us in December."

This new type of shop is proving to be a huge success, making £5,000 in its opening week and going on to sell everything on the shop floor three times over.

Because of this success St Teresa's Hospice has plans to open a new shop along similar lines in Richmond in 2010.

Anyone with items to donate should contact St Teresa's Hospice on 01325 254 321.

CHRISTMAS CRACKER A SUCCESS DESPITE WEATHER

19/12/09

A charity Christmas concert attracted an audience of almost 300 people, despite blizzards causing dangerous driving conditions on Saturday.

The weather had event organisers at St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington worrying that they would have a much reduced audience for their annual Christmas Cracker concert compared to previous years.

In spite of icy roads and bitter temperatures organisers estimate around 275 people attended on the evening, raising £6,000.00 for the Hospice.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "Numbers were slightly down on last year, but it was an extremely good turnout considering the weather and the atmosphere was as good as ever.

"It was heart-warming to see so many people supporting the Hospice – and this in addition to some 210 people making up the choir and orchestra."

The audience were treated to music performed by a massed choir gathered from choral groups and societies from around the area, accompanied by the St Teresa's Sinfonia Orchestra, and led by musical director and conductor John Forsyth.

The choir this year was made up of the Tees Valley Youth Choir, Blackwell Ladies Choir, Cleveland Philharmonic, Cockerton Ladies Choir, Darlington Choral, Gainford Choral Society, Holy Trinity Church Choir, The Richardson Singers, St Cuthbert's Church Choir and Darlington Operatic Society, who were the event's principle sponsor. There were guest appearances by Locomotion and Tees Valley Voices.

The piano accompaniment was by renowned local musician Andrew Christer, and there were solo performances by James Nash (treble), Rowan Pierce (soprano) and Stephen Proctor (violin).

Mrs Bradshaw added: "Every year I'm amazed at the quality of the music at the Cracker. That so many people can come together with only two rehearsals and perform so well is a testament to their abilities and to the direction of John Forsyth.

"I send a huge thank you to everyone who participated, or attended, from all at St Teresa's Hospice"

SCHOOL CHOIR VISITS HOSPICE

18/12/09

Guests at a Darlington hospice have been treated to a performance by a school choir as part of a week of fundraising and Christmas activities.

St Augustine's RC Primary School choir visited the Day Care department of St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington to perform Christmas carols and songs for around 25 guests.

The carol singing was on the final day of a series of events throughout the week organised by staff and volunteers at St Teresa's Hospice to entertain guests and raise money for the charity.

The total from the tombola, cake stall and other fundraisers currently stands at £860.27.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "Hospice staff and volunteers often hold fundraisers of their own, and we are extremely proud of how well the Day Care staff have done.

"The money they have raised will help us continue to offer our services, including Day Care, in the New Year."

Hospice Day Care guests are offered a variety of complementary therapies, including massage, acupuncture, and hairdressing.

Guests also have the opportunity to support each other and talk to people who are in similar circumstances to themselves.

£15,000 DONATION FOR COUNTY DURHAM HOSPICES

14/12/09

A donation of a total of £15,000 to nine hospices in County Durham, Darlington, Teesside, Wearside and South Tyneside, has been awarded by The Freemasons' Grand Charity.

Representatives of the hospices attended a presentation at St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington and expressed their gratitude for the money at the end of a difficult financial year.

Throughout 2009 The Freemasons' Grand Charity has continued its extensive support for hospices across England and Wales, totalling £500,000.

All donations are raised by Freemasons and their families and aim to assist hospices in their vital role in helping those affected by terminal or life limiting illness.

Assistant Provincial Grand Master George Clark, Chairman of the Durham Freemasons Benevolent Committee, said: "Over the last 25 years The Freemasons' Grand Charity has awarded over £8 million to hospice services throughout England and Wales.

"We recognise the wonderful services that hospices in the North East provide in the community, and we are delighted to demonstrate our support for these services in this way"

Guests at St Teresa's Hospice included Provincial Grand Master Eric Heaviside and his wife Sue, Secretary of the Durham Freemasons Benevolent Committee Geoff Rumford and several of the Benevolent Committee trustees, together with managers and coordinators from hospices in the region.

After the official presentations at noon a light buffet lunch was provided giving the coordinators and the Masonic Charity trustees the opportunity of learning more about the valuable work of the hospice movement.

In closing, David Jones, St Teresa's Hospice Fundraising Manager, said: "We are all very grateful to the Freemasons for their generous donations which are an especially welcome regular funding stream which can be relied on each year."

Donations from the Grand Charity come in addition to money raised locally by the Freemasons, with St Teresa's Hospice recently receiving a total of £450 from The Darlington Chapter and St Oswald Lodge.

On the day David Jones, fundraising manager, received a grant of £1,739 on behalf of St Teresa's Hospice.

David Hall, Chief executive of St Clare's Hospice, received a grant of £1,486.

Anne Cooling, head of corporate development at the Butterwick Hospices received three grants totalling £4,570 comprising of £2,232 for the Stockton Hospice, £1,000 for Bishop Auckland and £1,338 for the Children's Hospice.

St Cuthbert's Hospice trustee Kevin Whitfield received £2,232.

Willow Burn Hospice capital grants & legacy fundraiser Claire Chillingworth accepted £1,493

Hartlepool and District Hospice events and community facilitator Greg Hildreth received a grant of £1,732.

NHS managed St Benedict's Hospice in Monkwearmouth Hospital fell outside of the Grand Charity hospice grant scheme but Durham Freemasons Benevolent Committee made a grant of £1,000.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT TO BE A CRACKER

14/12/09

A Christmas charity concert returns to Darlington this month for its 9th year.

The Christmas Cracker in aid of St Teresa's Hospice was the brainchild of John Forsyth who describes it as a chance to get into the Christmas spirit while helping raise funds for a worthy cause.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "It is hard to describe the Christmas Cracker without spoiling the surprises and touches which make it such a magical evening for people of all ages, but what we can promise is that everyone walks away with a smile.

"The long run up to Christmas can be tiring, we host the Cracker to remind everyone what a magic and special time it can be."

Musical Director John Forsyth will lead the Tees Valley Youth Choir and many others from schools, musical ensembles, and choral societies from around the area for the night's music.

An audience of 450 people created a fantastic atmosphere last year, and similar numbers are expected this year with tickets selling very quickly.

As well as the musical entertainment a raffle is held for high quality Christmas hampers made up of items donated to St Teresa's Hospice.

Christmas Cracker 2009 starts at 7pm on Saturday December 19th, tickets cost £7.50 for adults and £5 for children and are available by contacting the St Teresa's Hospice fundraising office on 01325 254 321 and in St Teresa's charity shops.

SIMPLY THANK YOU

11/12/09

A Darlington charity has further expanded its retail outlets with the addition of an online gift ordering and delivery service.

St Teresa's Hospice is working in conjunction with Darlington based company Simply Thank You to offer the facility to buy gifts through the charity's website.

The online shop offers a range of gifts, including hampers, bouquets of flowers, and experience days.

The orders will be taken by and delivered by Simply Thank You, who will then give St Teresa's Hospice fifty percent of all profit on orders made through their website.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "Simply Thank You offers a fantastic service and we are extremely excited about the opportunity they have offered us.

"By ordering a gift for someone through our site you are really giving two gifts in one, the gift you order and a donation towards St Teresa's."

In addition to the online shop St Teresa's Hospice has recently added to its network of brick and mortar outlets with St T's Home Shop, which sells high-quality second hand home furnishings.

Mrs. Bradshaw said: "St T's Home Shop has so far been an incredible success, making over £5,000 in its first week.

"The need obviously exists for innovation in charity retailing, and we are confident this new venture will also be a success."

The shop can be accessed through the 'online shop' button on the front page of St Teresa's Hospice's website at www.darlingtonhospice.org.uk

LIGHT UP A LIFE

7/12/09

A lighting ceremony to give people the opportunity to remember loved ones at Christmas has taken a personal turn for its organizers.

The Light up a Life ceremony is organised by St Teresa's Hospice and takes place this Sunday in Darlington Marketplace.

Staff at St Teresa's Hospice recently suffered the loss of a much loved colleague, Bryan Briggs.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "Everyone has been affected by the sudden loss of a colleague and friend to many at the Hospice. We will be lighting a light to remember our friend Bryan who made such a difference to the Woodlands, and whose lasting tribute will be the difference he made in our beautiful gardens."

The service will include community carols and short readings by members of the Hospice Team.

Lights will be lit on special trees, and after the service the trees will be taken to the Hospice, where their lights will shine on throughout the Christmas Season.

Light up a Life is a series of events that take place all across the country in the weeks running up to Christmas.

The services are organised by local hospices and are open to anyone, whether their loved one was cared for by a hospice or not.

If you would like to attend the St Teresa's Hospice Light up a Life ceremony please contact the fundraising office on 01325 254321.

GIVING TO LIFE TREE APPEAL BEGINS

6/11/09

A Christmas fundraising appeal is now in place in a Darlington shopping centre.

The annual Giving to Life Tree, in aid of St Teresa's Hospice, is located on the ground floor of the Cornmill shopping centre.

For a small donation people are invited to write a personal message on a decoration and leave it on the 15 foot high tree, which the Cornmill donate every year for the hospice's use.

People leave messages on the tree for many reasons, some write messages of Christmas goodwill to friends and family, and to others the tree is a chance to think of people they may have lost.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "A lot of emotion goes into decorating the Giving to Life Tree, messages are left to aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents and even pets. We once had someone leaving a message to a pair of much missed goats."

The tree needs 650 hours of volunteer time to operate for the two months it runs, but despite this requirement places to volunteer on the tree fill up fast.

Mrs Bradshaw added: "We are extremely grateful to our volunteers, who not only make the tree a successful fundraiser, but are also responsible for the welcoming and friendly attitude which makes it so popular.

The Giving to Life Tree will be open 10am to 4pm weekdays and Saturday and 11am-4pm Sundays until 24th December.

STARBUCKS STAFF VISIT HOSPICE

12/11/09

Staff and guests at a Darlington charity have been treated to a coffee morning by Starbucks.

Bringing with them coffee and biscuits the team from Starbucks visited St Teresa's Hospice as part of their ongoing adoption of the charity.

Coffee was served to guests in both Day Care, where guests are offered complementary therapies and the In-Patient Unit, which is used for temporary respite care and is the only residential section of the hospice.

The Starbucks team then joined hospice staff from all departments for their weekly communications meeting during which they were presented with a certificate marking the start of the third yearly adoption of the hospice.

As well as organising fundraising activities of their own including wearing pyjamas to work Starbucks have also taken part in Hospice fundraisers such as the Knockout, to which the entire team went in fancy dress taking home one of the prizes for best dressed tea.

HOSPICE SHOP VOLUNTEER TURNS NINETY

15/10/09

Nothing could persuade Peggy Gray to miss a shift at work, which is some achievement when you've just turned ninety years old.

To mark her major milestone, colleagues at St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington gathered together to help the intrepid volunteer celebrate her birthday of nine decades.

Born in Bishop Auckland, Peggy moved to Darlington with her mum and police officer father when she was just a child and the town has remained her home ever since.

She married her late husband, Nathan Gray, just after the war and later in their marriage she faced a difficult time nursing him through a long and difficult illness.

Once widowed, Peggy wanted to fill in her time productively and was one of the first in the area to volunteer to help out at the then newly opened St Teresa's Hospice in 1989, at that time in premises at Harewood Hill.

In those early days, Peggy and her pals went around collecting donated goods for the Hospice, today, she turns out twice a week to complete shifts at St Teresa's popular charity shop in Skinnergate.

Joining her colleagues and friends for a celebratory birthday lunch at Maxine's in Darlington Peggy said her only regret was that St Teresa's was not in existence at the time her husband was ill.

She said: "I know just what a wonderful job the hospice does and it really means everything to me, I love working there and doing what I can for such a wonderful organisation.''

Hosting Peggy's birthday bash, Manager of the Skinnergate shop Carol Green revealed that Peggy also hand-knits items for sale at the outlet and at this time of the year is busy completing dozens of dolls' outfits in preparation for their sale at Christmas.

Director of St Teresa's Hospice, Jane Bradshaw, said of Peggy: "Peggy is a lovely lady who I estimate has donated at least 7,500 hours of her time to our cause, and many knitting needles!

"Her contribution is absolutely priceless and she is an important part of the wonderful team of volunteers who support St Teresa's Hospice across South Durham and North Yorkshire."

ORIENT EXPRESS THEMED BALL A RUNAWAY SUCCESS

12/10/09

A Hospice has raised over £10,000 at its annual ball.

Over 300 people attended St Teresa's Hospice's 13th annual ball at Hardwick Hall in Sedgefield to help raise the total of 10,136.85.

Fears of the recession meant organisers were unsure the ball would be as successful as it has been in previous years.

Speaking to guests on the night Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "When we originally booked this venue we weren't sure we'd get many more than 200 guests, but the response has been overwhelming. It's because of the support of people like yourselves that we are able to continue to offer our services."

This year's ball had an Orient Express theme, with tables named after places the famous long distance train stopped on its journey across Europe.

This theme was extended to a murder-mystery elimination game which took place after the meal, with suspects being eliminated one by one until the culprit was revealed, winning a Ferarri driving experience at Croft circuit.

Money was also raised with a raffle, guests taking part walked away with prizes including a flat-screen television, a satellite navigation system, and bottles of champagne, helping to raise over £3,000 of the total.

Entertainment on the night was provided by the Dean Solomon band, Pluck and Spanner in the Works.

Spanner in the Works, a performance group from Worcester, confused many guests by greeting them with overly-zealous security, serving canapés of banana, carrot and jelly babies, and wandering among tables posing as drunken waiters.

Most people caught on to the act as the behaviour became increasingly bizarre and all was revealed after dessert had been served.

Mrs Bradshaw said: "We're sure everyone took the entertainment in good humour and along with everything else it helped add to a wonderful atmosphere.

"I'd like to thanks everyone who made this atmosphere possible, our guests, volunteers, sponsors, staff at the hospice, businesses who donated raffle prizes and everyone in-between."

A SHOWER OF ROSES

8/10/09

Money raised during the visit of the relics of St Therese to Darlington has been donated to charity.

Nuns at the Carmel Convent asked for £1 for visitors to leave a rose by the relics, which were in Darlington on the 1st of October before moving on to Middlesbrough.

A cheque for £2,105 was handed to St Teresa's Hospice during a ceremony at Carmel Convent attended by around 60 people on Tuesday.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "St Therese said that after her death she would let fall a shower of roses, it's a beautiful image and something everyone here has helped make real.

"We are very grateful for the ongoing support of Carmel Convent and to anyone who bought a rose on this very special occasion."

Thousands of people visited the relics during their stay at the Covent, a response which far exceeded what was anticipated.

Sister Mary Elisabeth said: "We only had 240 intention cards to begin with, I had to keep going back to get more printed, and to order more roses. The orders were bigger and bigger each time, in the end we sold 3,480 roses."

HOSPICE MOVES TO BUSINESS PARK

2/10/09

Lingfield Warehousing, based at Lingfield Point in Darlington, has proved its adaptability and welcomed the St Teresa's Hospice fundraising and retail storage operations as its latest customer.

The Hospice is leasing 50,000 sq ft of office and warehousing space, from which its vital fundraising and retail operations, including online and ebay shops will be managed.

The fundraising team will occupy dedicated offices and the retail team will utilise the space to store, organise and distribute the huge number of items donated for sale in the 6 Hospice shops around the region. Large items will be sold directly from the warehouse.

Lingfield Warehousing has half-a-million square feet of ambient storage space in facilities that are within a 24-hour manned secure area. Lingfield Warehousing can offer a full bespoke support package from simple storage to a full logistics service, including shipping container loading and unloading, picking, packaging and document storage.

Meadow, one of the largest single storey office buildings in the North of England, has also been leased temporarily to the Hospice to allow St Teresa's to use Lingfield Point for a broad range of events and activities.

Last year, the Hospice held a hugely successful Christmas Cracker concert in Meadow, which was sponsored by Darlington Operatic Society, and more ambitious events are planned.

Julian Brook, managing director of Lingfield Warehousing said: "Lingfield Warehousing can respond to the diverse needs, large and small, of organisations across many different sectors. St Teresa's Hospice had a very specific requirement and we have fulfilled this."

Money raised by these activities helps to fund the Hospice's range of services, including day care, In patient care, Hospice at Home, complementary therapies and bereavement support, which are provided free of charge to patients and carers across Teesdale, South Durham and North Yorkshire.

Jane Bradshaw, hospice director said: "Lingfield Point's accessibility, extensive car-parking and the adaptability of the space were major factors in our decision to relocate this major part of our operation. The team at Lingfield Warehousing have gone out of their way to accommodate our needs and we are delighted with our new premises.

"Last year's concert was a huge success and we are looking forward to using the amazing Meadow once again to host the fund-raising events that are so vital to the Hospice. The Christmas Cracker takes place this year on 19th December and we expect it to be a sell-out!"

COAST TO COAST CRASH

18/9/09

A fitness instructor from Darlington has completed a coast to coast cycle ride raising nearly £1,500 for charity in spite of a fall by a last minute travel companion.

Lesley Barnes was due to complete the cycle from Workington in Cumbria to Sunderland unaccompanied over three days, but partner Jim insisted he join her for the ride.

Due to a combination of heavy rain, a steep hill, and a bump in the road Jim came off his bike near Penrith travelling at approximately 30 miles an hour, causing some nasty grazes but luckily nothing more serious.

Miss Barnes said: "he was really badly grazed all down one side of his body and bleeding. His clothes were ripped but I consider he got off lightly with the speed we were going and the fact that a car passed just before he fell."

By persevering with the ride in spite of the setback Lesley and Jim have been able to raise £1,212 in sponsorship for St Teresa's Hospice through friends, family, and customers of Fit-Lab in Haughton Education Village where Lesley works as a fitness instructor.

Lesley chose to support St Teresa's Hospice after they cared for her mum, Anne Barnes, last year.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "It sounds like the weather would have been enough to make an already tough cycle even more of a challenge, but to add a fall to that makes it an incredible achievement. We're all glad Jim is okay and are extremely grateful for their efforts."

SUPERBIKES IS SUPER FUNDRAISER

14/9/09

Visitors to the British Superbike Championships at Croft this year helped to raise thousands of pounds for a Darlington charity, double last year's total.

St Teresa's Hospice held a tombola, a gate collection in conjunction with the North East Air Ambulance, and an impromptu auction after they were given signed jackets and other memorabilia by several of the racing teams.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "I'm extremely proud of all the volunteers for their effort at the weekend, their hard work has resulted in £2,960 being raised, double last year's amount."

Hospice volunteers also succeeded in getting a programme signed by all of the drivers present at the weekend, but unfortunately the last signature came too late in the day for it to be used.

The signed programme is instead going up for auction on the charity's Ebay shop, which operates free of Ebay fees and can be found at http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Darlington-Hospice-Shop-St-Teresas

SPONSORED CYCLE IN LESLEY'S MEMORY

20/8/09

A group of eleven workers from 3M in Newton Aycliffe have completed a 130 mile cycle ride to raise funds for St Teresa's hospice.

Sponsored cycle rides have been an annual event at 3M since 1995, and it was decided this year they would do it for St Teresa's Hospice in recognition of the care co-worker Lesley Naisbitt received there before she died.

Paul Richardson, one of the organisers, said: "St Teresa's does wonderful work and is a cause close to the hearts of all of us at the site. We're hoping to raise more than £3,000."

The cyclists took two days to complete the journey, from Bamburgh Castle back to 3M's Heighington Lane site on Aycliffe Business park.

WOOD SCULPTURE DONATED TO HOSPICE

17/8/09

A wood sculptor in the area as part of the Darlington Market Spectacular has donated one of his pieces to a local charity.

The piece has been donated to St Teresa's Hospice by Dick Tilley, who was in Darlington to demonstrate his technique of carving sculptures from wood using a chainsaw.

The sculpture is a high-backed chair carved from a single log, with Mr Tilley's signature Green Man carved into the reverse of the seat, and a quote from Wordsworth's "To a Butterfly" marked into the seat back.

Butterflies are of special significance to St Teresa's Hospice, which has recently expanded to provide bereavement support to children, for which butterflies are an adopted symbol, something Mr Tilley was unaware of.

He said: "I wasn't sure where the quote came from, it just seemed right for where the chair was going, now I know it seems even more appropriate".

The chair will be installed in the gardens at St Teresa's Hospice, which are undergoing a series of alterations and improvements including an already completed walkway and fountain.

COAST TO COAST CYCLE IN MUM'S MEMORY

10/7/09

A fitness instructor from Darlington is to complete a coast to coast cycle ride after promising her mum she would do something for the hospice which cared for her.

Anne Barnes went into the care of St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington last September, and appreciated the service so much her daughter Lesley pledged to do something for them in return.

Lesley hopes to complete a cycle from Sunderland to Workington in three days, finishing on August 16th, the date which would have been her mum's 62nd birthday.

Lesley said: "At first my mum was a bit nervous about going into hospice care, but she quickly began to feel at home. Mum received wonderful care from the staff at St Teresa's and it feels great to be able to give something back."

While Lesley has not done much cycling in preparation for the 150 mile trip she is confident her work as a fitness instructor for Fit-Lab will mean she is already in good enough shape for the lengthy ride.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "It must be fairly daunting to take this on without much preparation, but I know that Lesley keeps fit because of her job.

"Lesley's fundraising efforts are a lovely tribute to her beloved Mum, and everyone at the Hospice is extremely grateful."

If you would like to sponsor Lesley you can do so at www.justgiving.com/Lesley-Anne-Barnes/

GARDENS AT MILLGATE HOUSE OPEN FOR LOCAL CHARITY

7/7/09

All donations for viewing the open gardens at Millgate house in Richmond tomorrow (Sunday) will be in aid of St Teresa's Hospice.

Donations made for entry to the award winning gardens usually go to the National Garden Scheme, but owners Austin Lynch and Tim Culkin select other charities throughout the year to support.

Austin Lynch said: "A good friend of ours was cared for by St Teresa's, and after a visit there we were very impressed, so it's good to be able to give back."

The gardens will be open tomorrow (Sunday) from 10am until 4pm, admission costs £2.

KNOCKOUT IS NO WASHOUT

26/7/09

Sunday's rainy weather did nothing to dampen the spirits of the competitors in a charity Knockout event this weekend.

Participants in the event, sponsored by Darlington operatic Society and in aid of St Teresa's Hospice, laughed off the rain as they were soaked regardless in games based on the 60's TV show It's a Knockout.

Blackwell Meadows played host to a total of twenty teams, estimates put the combined total raised from all teams at around £8,500.

The overall winners on the day were the Codfathers, the home team from Darlington Rugby Club.

Matt Teasdale, Codfathers team captain, said: "We all had a really good day, we're hoping to enter more than one team for next year."

First and second prize, go-karting for ten people, was provided by Bob Pope of Teesside Karting.

Corporal Craig Thompson, who was there with the Army to help with marshalling, ended up taking a more active role after being press-ganged into a team which was short of numbers.

Knockout marks the end of a run of summer events organised by St Teresa's Hospice, which has included a Fair in Darlington Marketplace, a Flag Day alongside Darlington Carnival, and other small events throughout the season.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "We've had a fantastic run of events this summer and our biggest ever Knockout was a great way to finish. We hope everyone had as much fun taking part as we had watching."

SUN SHINES ON SATURDAY FAIR

16/7/09

The sun shone on last weekend's Saturday Fair in Darlington Marketplace, resulting in nearly £4,000 being raised for charity.

The event was organised by St Teresa's Hospice, this year being the first time it has ran on a Saturday.

The fair saw displays by Darlington Boxing and Martial Arts Academy, Darlington Gymnastics Club, a traditional Punch and Judy Show, and music by the Caribbean Regals steel band, finishing with an Elvis impersonator singing and drawing the raffle.

The cake stall, with cakes supplied by Pat Skipsey and her team of bakers, is usually the biggest earner, but with Pat on Holiday this year the gap was filled with the support of local bakers and supermarkets donating cakes.

Scott Marshall, hospice fundraiser, said: "The change from Sunday to Saturday saw most stalls doubling their takings on last year, resulting in a total of £3,800 being raised, the fantastic weather helped too of course.

"Events like this are important to the hospice not just for the money but also for the awareness raised, we hope everyone had a fantastic day and we thank all the volunteers who made it possible."

LOCAL CHARITY FEELS THE EFFECTS OF MICHAEL JACKSON'S DEATH

7/7/09

The effects of the recent death of Michael Jackson have been felt locally, with a Darlington charity nearly having to cancel a competition.

Two VIP tickets to see Michael Jackson at his July 18th concert were donated to St Teresa's Hospice by one of its supporters.

A competition designed with the tickets as the star prize is going ahead despite the setback, instead offering a stay in the Clarendon Hotel in London and £50 towards travel expenses.

David Jones, Hospice Fundraising Manager, said: "It really was an exceptional prize and an incredibly generous donation, the seats were right in the middle and only a few rows back.

"Thanks to the support of local businesses still agreeing to take part we can go ahead with the competition and raise some money for the hospice."

The draw will be held this Saturday at the St Teresa's Hospice Saturday Fair in Darlington marketplace.

Other attractions at the Saturday Fair include a funhouse, a teacup ride, an Elvis impersonator, Shildon Jubilees Jazz Band, a traditional Punch & Judy show, a fire engine display, and a display by Darlington Boxing and Martial Arts Academy.

ST TERESA'S HOSPICE SATURDAY FAIR

25/6/09

St Teresa's Hospice hopes the change to a Saturday for this year's annual fair will mean even more money raised for charity.

The Saturday Fair, on July 11th from 10.30am until 2.30pm, previously went under the name Funday Sunday and ran for four years in Darlington market place.

David Jones, hospice Fundraising Manager, said: "The event has been a success in the past, but there's always room for improvement and we hope the change to a Saturday will mean even more people can enjoy the day out."

Activities so far confirmed include a funhouse, a teacup ride, an Elvis impersonator, Shildon Jubilees Jazz Band, a traditional Punch & Judy show, a fire engine display, a display by Darlington Boxing and Martial Arts Academy, face painting, a variety of stalls, and much more.

Despite all these exciting attractions by far the biggest money raiser in the past has been the cake stall.

Jane Bradshaw, hospice Director, said: "People are always surprised to hear the cake stall is our best earner, but we always have fantastic cakes on offer, and who doesn't love cakes!"

All money raised goes directly to St Teresa's Hospice, which provides free care to people with terminal illnesses and offers support to their carers and families.

HOSPICE WARNS OF UNAUTHORISED COLLECTIONS

24/6/09

St Teresa's Hospice has received several reports in the past few days of people selling raffle tickets and entrance to competitions and claiming it to be on behalf of the hospice.

The hospice would like to advise the public that all people collecting funds on their behalf will either be carrying some form of hospice identification or a letter of authority from the hospice.

David Jones, hospice Fundraising Manager, said: "It is important people contact the hospice if they are planning on doing collections or competitions on our behalf so we can inform them of any legal issues, as well as offer them our help and support."

Anyone holding a collection or raffle to raise funds for St Teresa's Hospice is asked to contact the fundraising office on 01325 254 321 so they can provide assistance.

The next official hospice collection is Flag Day on Saturday 27th June, taking place in Darlington and Cockerton, and supporting shops and organizations.

SHOP DISPLAY A HUGE SUCCESS

23/6/09

A shop display for this year's Darlington Carnival has proved a huge success for a local charity.

St Teresa's Hospice shop on Skinnergate, Darlington, has dressed their window in a past, present and future theme as part of a competition for the carnival.

The display has proved a huge success with customers, around a third of all items on display were sold within the first day.

Carol Green, shop manager, said: "The response we've had so far has been amazing, people were coming in to buy items while we were still putting them on display."

The items used for the display have all been donated to the hospice by member of the public.

Whether or not the shop display wins the competition St Teresa's is bound to be a winner this weekend, with their annual Flag Day coinciding with the Carnival.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "Flag Day is a great opportunity for us to engage the public and tell them about the work we do, the Carnival going on alongside it will make it a fantastic day for everyone."

As well as having a collection alongside the parade there will be a stall in Stanhope Park manned by Yvonne Rowe, a founder of the hospice movement in Darlington.

Darlington Carnival is tomorrow (Saturday), with the parade passing through the town centre at midday and finishing in Stanhope Park where there will be entertainment from local bands, street theatre, charity stalls, children's entertainment and lots more.

CROFT TOMBOLA AND GATE COLLECTION A SUCCESS

15/6/09

This year's Croft has been a great success for St Teresa's Hospice, the sun shone (nearly) all the time on both days and the combined efforts of the tombola and gate collection have raised approximately £1,000.

We had some fantastic prizes on offer this year, including our star prize of a driving experience, kindly donated by Croft Circuit. The lucky winner of this prize was a Mr. Bovingdon, who travelled in from York.

Mr Bovingdon and his wife bought eight tickets between them, the winning ticket was the last one they opened, although it wasn't the first winner they had, also netting themselves a Starbucks coffee set.

Other prizes included hats and shirts donated by the racing teams, many of which were signed by the drivers; we also managed to get a programme signed by every driver who was in attendance over the weekend, thanks to the hard work of our volunteer Margaret.

The gate collection was split between ourselves and the Great North Air Ambulance, who we thank for their excellent work.

The next event at Croft we will be taking part in is British Superbikes in September.

ST TERESA'S HOSPICE RECEIVES FIRST DONATION FROM CHARITY CARD

11/6/09

The new Mayor of Darlington Councillor Jim Ruck was on hand on Wednesday to support a council Policy Advisor who was making the first donation from his charity greetings card.

Peter Roberts made the card using a photograph which won him the Darlington Big Snap competition in February.

The card has been on sale for two months and has sold 350 copies, raising a donation of £170 for St Teresa's Hospice.

Ian Hughes, owner of The Art Shop, said: "People are buying it because it's a great photo of Darlington, the fact it's also raising money for a good cause is an added bonus.

"We started off ordering them 50 at a time, but they've sold so well we've upped that to 100."

As well as The Art Shop the cards are on sale at St Teresa's Hospice shops, Guru, the Tourist Information Centre, Houndgate gallery, and the Head of Steam. 50p from every sale goes to St Teresa's Hospice.

Mr. Roberts Said: "My dad received wonderful care in the final weeks of his life from a hospice in Lancaster, and I'm really glad to be able to give something back to the hospice movement. As long as people keep buying the card, I can carry on making donations."

"The atmosphere for the photograph was just right and it took very little editing, although I did fix a street slightly for the card, perhaps that's why the Mayor has been so willing to help."

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK AND DARLINGTON VOLUNTEERING AWARDS

1/6/09

This week (1st to 7th June) is the 25th annual national volunteering week, a week celebrating volunteers and volunteering.

There are a number of events organised locally to celebrate the week by eVOLution, an organisation that provides advice and training for the voluntary sector in Darlington.

The events include: a charity shop fashion show, a garden makeover for people who are no longer able to tend to their gardens, a treasure hunt, and on Thursday the 6th of June the annual volunteering awards.

We have put forward five nominations for this year's awards, four general nominations and one nomination for The Eric Lodge Award for Outstanding Commitment.

The nominations:

Dennis Troughton

Dennis has been a volunteer at the hospice for over 15 years, bringing guests to and from the hospice, taking patients to hospital appointments, taking equipment to patients' homes, and countless other tasks.

Aileen Little, hospice volunteer co-ordinator, says of Dennis: "No driving task has ever daunted him and he has been a wonderful ambassador for us wherever he has gone."

Over Dennis's 15 years he has driven approximately 48,000 miles for the hospice, averaging over 3,000 miles a year. Although Dennis is no longer driving guests he is still helping out on a daily basis by collecting flowers donated by Sainsbury's.

Nancy Spencer

Nancy has been a Day Care volunteer at St Teresa's Hospice for the past 11 years. Each Wednesday she has supported the nursing staff in making sure our Day Care guests have the best day out possible.

On top of this already brilliant commitment to the hospice Nancy is also an excellent fundraiser, having raised over £5,000 through various events she has organised.

Aileen says: "'No' is a word that doesn't seem to be in Nancy's vocabulary as far as the hospice is concerned; on top of her Day Care and fundraising work Nancy is always a willing volunteer to help with events organised by the hospice".

Iris Dingwall

Iris has been a supporter of the hospice for 15 years, helping on reception for many years and working as a volunteer for the bereavement support group.

Reception work is a key role for the hospice which requires a number of attributes – a warm smile, a friendly greeting, a good listening ear, and a genuine willingness to help and support people in very difficult and distressing times. Iris displays all these personality traits and more.

In addition to volunteering Iris is a founding member of the Gaelic Society in Darlington, a society which Iris has successfully encouraged to support the hospice with their fundraising efforts, since 1996 this has amounted to over £9,000.

John Elliston

John has been known to the hospice for 15 years, visiting Day Care guests every Thursday. Although John is a Baptist Minister he does not wear his 'dog collar' when visiting, which combined with his unassuming and gentle manner, enables guests to be very relaxed when talking to him about their concerns.

John is a greatly respected volunteer who has given unstinting loyalty to the hospice and we take great pleasure in nominating him.

Heather Thompson

The Eric Lodge Award for Outstanding Commitment

Heather started volunteering for the hospice in 1999, playing her flute with friends for guests in Day Care. From there Heather moved on to be an administrative volunteer and from there became a part time member of staff until 2008.

Last year Heather, along with her husband Geoff, embarked on an ambitious (and slightly mad) fundraising campaign - driving a 4,000 mile round trip to the Arctic Circle with 135 teddy bears in tow to have a picnic under the midnight sun.

The Teddies to the Arctic campaign generated an astounding £33,400, and raised the profile of the hospice immeasurably, making the press everywhere from Darlington to Norway.

Best of luck to all of this year's nominations.

NATIONAL CHAIN SUPPORTS LOCAL CHARITY

11/5/09

The Richmond branch of Somerfield is to begin their charity adoption with a splash this summer by taking part in an It's a Knockout style charity event.

Branch manager Cheryl Pinch asked members of staff for suggestions of which local charity to support, and decided on St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington after hearing they cared for the relative of a co-worker.

The first major event staff will be taking part in is St Teresa's Hospice's annual Knockout event, based on the 70s TV programme.

Staff have a fancy-dress day and raffle planned to help raise sponsorship for their team, which is made up of store managers and staff from the Richmond, Thirsk and York branches.

Miss Pinch said: "Somerfield's national charity is Macmillan Cancer Support, but Chris Gibbons, our regional manager, is keen for us to support local charities".

THE ANIMALS WENT IN TWO BY TWO

7/5/09

An Ark knitted by one of the founders of Darlington's hospice movement has been raffled for charity, raising a rather fitting £212.

Yvonne Rowe, who is an honorary Life Member of the Darlington & District Hospice Movement (St Teresa's Hospice), knitted the Ark after being given the pattern by her daughter-in-law.

Mrs. Rowe said: "It was a bit of a challenge from my daughter-in-law to knit, it took almost a year to complete".

The Ark has a zip pouch which contains sixteen pairs of animals and Noah and his wife.

The winner is M. L. Ward, white ticket number 40.

CUMMINS STAFF SWAP ENGINE POWER FOR MANPOWER

30-4-09

Staff from the Cummins engine plant in Darlington swapped engine power for manpower last Thursday to complete their second rowathon in aid of St Teresa's Hospice.

55 members of Cummins staff took part in the rowathon, keeping two rowing machines going for 12 hours between 7am and 7pm, for a combined total of 24 hours rowed.

Tharindra Kulasinghe, event organizer, said: "We've challenged each participant to raise at least £20. Many people have raised more than the minimum though, so hopefully the total will be over £1000".

Most participants completed 30 minute sessions, averaging around 6km each.

St Teresa's Hospice fundraiser Scott Marshall did a 15 minute session, he said: "I was exhausted after my stint, all these people doing half hour slots have my respect, and the Hospice's gratitude".

Cummins Darlington completed a 24 hour rowathon last year, using staff in the Cummins plant in Wuhan, China, to complete the midnight to 3am slots, raising £2,144.

EASTER EGG TOMBOLA RAISES OVER £3,000

20-4-09

An Easter egg tombola held in Darlington over Easter has raised over £3,000 for charity.

The annual St Teresa's Hospice Easter egg tombola, held in Queen Street, raised a total of £3,027.45p.

The tombola ran for twelve days, staffed by volunteers who gave away around 1,200 eggs, almost all of which were donated by individuals or businesses.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice director, said: "Such a wonderful amount of money would be meaningless without people's generous donations of eggs for us to use, and our volunteers' generosity in giving their time".

Other donations included £100 from Darlington Operatic Society and £120 from Barclays bank, money which was used to buy any extra eggs needed at discounted rates from Asda and Morrisons.

Donations of over 100 eggs from Xcel Church were unfortunately too late to be used in the tombola and were instead distributed to Hospice guests.

GHOST VIGIL HELD FOR HOSPICE

20/4/09

A North-East based psychic is hoping for some bumps in the night when he hosts a charity ghost vigil at the Civic Theatre on Friday.

Dean Maynard, known for his ability to predict winners of everything from the Grand National to reality TV shows, will host the event on Friday April 24th in aid of St Teresa's Hospice.

The Civic Theatre has a rich history of ghostly goings-on; the most common sighting being a man dressed in evening formal wear thought to be the theatre's first managing director, Signor Rino Pepi.

When the event ran for the first time last year someone left in tears after seeing the ghost of a small girl in a dressing room mirror.

The night will start with a talk by theatre management about the theatre's history, followed by Mr. Maynard's ghost vigil.

Tickets cost £10 per person, with all money going to St Teresa's Hospice, they are available from the Hospice fundraising office on 01325 254 321.

AWARD WINNING PHOTO ON SALE IN AID OF HOSPICE

16/04/09

An award winning photograph of Darlington's High Row has been turned into a greetings card to be sold in aid of St Teresa's Hospice.

The photograph, taken by Darlington council officer Peter Roberts, won the Darlington Big Snap competition in February and shows High Row draped in early morning fog.

Mr. Roberts Said: "Lots of people have asked me for a copy, and the Northern Echo suggested it should be printed and sold for charity, so I thought I'd better do something about it.

"My family has good reason to be grateful to the Hospice movement, so I'm pleased that the win has not only opened up the business opportunity but enables me to support St. Teresa's Hospice".

Mr Roberts has formed his own business, Edendays Images, to publish the card and hopes Morning Fog on High Row will be the first of many designs.

The card costs £2.10 can be bought from The Art Shop, Darlington Tourist Information Centre, and St. Teresa's Hospice charity shops. Other retailers wishing to stock the card can contact Mr Roberts on 07968 898735.

DARLINGTON HOSPICE MOVEMENT FOUNDER KNITS ARK FOR HOSPICE

14/4/09

A raffle is being held for an ark hand knitted by one of Darlington's hospice movement founders.

Yvonne Rowe knitted the ark after being given the pattern by her daughter in law.

Mrs. Rowe, who is an honorary Life Member of the Darlington & District Hospice Movement (St Teresa's Hospice), said: "It was a bit of a challenge from my daughter in law to knit it, it took almost a year to complete".

The Ark has a zip pouch which contains sixteen pairs of animals and Noah and his wife. It can be seen on display in the window of the St Teresa's Hospice charity shop on Skinnergate.

Tickets are on sale now at £1 a strip. The raffle will be drawn on Thursday April 30th.

NEW CLUB CAPTAIN'S CHOSEN CHARITY

28/3/09

Darlington Golf Club has seen a change of captain, and has again selected St Teresa's Hospice as one of their chosen charities.

During a dinner event to mark the change in captaincy last Saturday the outgoing captain John Welsh presented St Teresa's Hospice with a cheque for £2,810, the total raised by the Golf Club in aid of the Hospice over the past year.

St Teresa's will receive half of all money raised by Darlington Golf Club over the following year, with the other half going to Diabetes UK.

Dennis Smith, the Club's new Captain, said: "Diabetes is something particularly close to my heart, but I also think it's important to support a local charity, splitting any money raised between the two was an easy choice".

WHAT A TWIT

26/3/09

The Hospice had a rather unusual visit last week, in the form of an owl.

Evidence of the owl's attempted entry was discovered by Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, as she left work last Wednesday.

Jane Said: "At first I thought it was a mark from someone kicking a ball against the window, but I looked a bit closer and could see the outline of feathers and wings".

The owl was likely chasing something on the hospice grounds when it flew into the window on the staff entrance door to the new Annexe building, leaving a mark on which you can clearly make out individual feathers, the eye sockets, and its wings.

There were no feathers -or owl- left near the window so we assume the owl left with nothing worse than a bad head.

PYJAMA DAY IN AID OF HOSPICE

21/3/09

Visitors to a Darlington coffee shop on the 21st March could be forgiven for thinking the staff got out of bed a little late that morning.

Members of staff in the Darlington branch of Starbucks wore their pyjamas to work to raise money for St Teresa's Hospice.

Joanne Ransley, Starbucks Manager, said: "I did get a few funny looks first thing in the morning, but as the day went on and people saw the sign I think they figured out what was going on".

The pyjama day was to get an early start on raising money for the Starbucks team entry to the Hospice Knockout event in July, an event based on the TV show It's a Knockout.

Joanne added that it was important to the staff that they support a local charity because it means they can see first hand the work done.

The pyjama day follows a visit to the Hospice earlier this month, where they treated Hospice staff to Starbucks coffee and chocolates during their staff meeting.

SECOND MIDNIGHT WALK A HUGE SUCESS

22/3/09

Over 300 women braved the chilly midnight weather last Friday to take part in a walk to raise money for a Darlington Hospice.

The women walked a mile and a half route around South Park, Darlington, for St Teresa's Hospice's second Midnight Walk.

Vicki Michelle, Yvette in the television series 'Allo 'Allo, and herself a patron of Haven House Children's Hospice in Essex, was on hand to officially start the walk.

She said: "It's wonderful to see so many people out to support the hospice, hospices like Haven House and St Teresa's provide an amazing service".

Vicki was in town performing in a production of 'Allo 'Allo at the Civic Theatre, and was joined on the night by Nell Jerram (Helga Geerhardt in the production) and Claire Andreadis (Mimi la Bonque).

Colonel Millen, garrison Commander at Catterick Garrison, was also in attendance, bringing with him around 20 personnel and a physical training instructor, who along with Alister Douglas from The Treatment Room lead the women in a warm-up.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice director, took part in the walk with her two daughters, Lucy and Harriet.

She said: "I would like to thank all the wonderful women who came out to support the hospice on Friday, I hope you all had as much fun as we did. It might have been a cold night, but the warm-up performed by Alister and the Army certainly helped raise temperatures!

"I would also like to thank Colonel Millen and everyone else from Catterick Garrison for their invaluable assistance on the night, and of course everyone who sponsored our ladies".

Last year's walk saw 250 women raise over £25,000 for the Hospice, which provides care aimed at improving quality of life for people with terminal illnesses, event organisers are hoping this year's total will improve on that figure.

HOSPICE PICKED AS ONE OF THREE CHARITIES TO RECEIVE MONEY FROM CUMMINS STAFF

12/3/09

Staff at Cummins have made a donation of over £1,000 to St Teresa's Hospice, a silver lining on the unfortunate closing of a collection fund.

The money comes from what is known as the 'hourly paid fund', 22p a week was donated by members and the collected money used for retirement gifts, funeral wreaths, and other staff purposes.

Due to an unfortunate decline in members the decision was made to close the fund, 35 years after it was started, and give the remaining money to charity.

St Teresa's Hospice was one of three charities chosen, the other two being Great North Air Ambulance and the RVI in Newcastle, each receiving a cheque for £1,100.

Staff at Cummins have had close links with St Teresa's Hospice in the past, with a globe-spanning team completing a 24-hour 170 mile rowathon last April, raising £2,145.

IF YOU WANT TO GO WALKING, DEAR, IT'S DELIGHTFUL

05/03/09

The cast of a Darlington production of Anything Goes are hoping to have a de-lovely time taking part in the Midnight Walk this month.

The Darlington Operatic Society, whose production of Anything Goes runs at the Civic Theatre in April, has entered a team of twelve for the sponsored walk.

Nicola Stephenson, of Darlington Operatic Society, said: "We always try to support local charities, and especially St Teresa's Hospice. We're looking forward to taking time off from a busy rehearsal schedule to raise funds and have some fun".

The women-only midnight walk takes place on March 20th. The route is lit and marshalled, and covers one and a half miles around South Park, with a cup of tea and a breakfast roll waiting for everyone at the finish.

The event was a huge success when it ran for the first time last year - 250 women took part and together raised over £25,000. This year we're hoping to double the number of participants.

David Jones, Hospice Fundraising Manager, said: "There was a fantastic atmosphere last year - teams like this one are a big part of what makes it such a wonderful night".

Anything Goes runs at Darlington Civic Theatre from the 22nd April to the 2nd May, tickets are available from Graeme Hall on 01325 244 659.

It's also never too late to enter the St Teresa's Hospice Midnight walk. For an application form, visit the fundraising events page on this site or call the fundraising office on 01325 254 321.

MIDNIGHT WALK 2009

20/02/09

Next month sees the return of an event which ran incredibly successfully for the first time last year.

Last year's Midnight Walk saw 250 ladies together raising £25,486.85 through sponsorship. Last year went so well thanks to all of these wonderful women that this year we are aiming to double the number of participants.

David Jones, Hospice Fundraising Manager, said: "We were amazed by the response last year, our 250 lovely ladies all said they had a fun, enjoyable, evening. Hopefully we'll have 500 this year, so the atmosphere should be twice as good".

The event will start off with a warm-up lead by some surprise guests, followed by the walk, with a cup of tea and a breakfast bun waiting for you when you finish.

Last year we had teams dressing up as bunnies, fairies, and angels, dressing up like this is not only allowed, it's encouraged!

This year's walk takes place on the 20th March in South Park.

If you would like to take part you can either pick up an application form our charity shops, ring the fundraising office on 01325 254321, or alternatively print one off for yourself from the fundraising events page on this website.

Places are being snapped up fast, so please get your entry forms in as soon as possible.

TNG ADOPTION

19/02/09

TNG, a company that offers help and support getting people back into employment, has adopted St Teresa's Hospice.

TNG helps people get back into employment by offering them training and work experience, something which we help with by offering placements working in our warehouse.

Our first contact with TNG was last year, we were approached by Marks and Spencer about a last minute bag pack. With little time to assemble some volunteers we contacted TNG, who kindly offered to send some people. They raised £395 for us in just a few hours.

Our relationship with TNG is incredibly beneficial for both sides, and we look forward to working with them in the future.

FONECABIN ADOPTION

05/02/09

Fonecabin, a mobile phone shop on Priestgate in Darlington, has adopted St Teresa's Hospice. The adoption comes after a fantastic donation of £635 raised by them over Christmas.

Andrew Leung, owner of Fonecabin, said: "St Teresa's Hospice offered my dad, Ken, a great service. It's nice to be able to give something back".

The adoption means that Fonecabin will continue their own fundraising efforts, supported by the Hospice.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice director, said: "Adoptions by businesses and groups are an important source of support. We are delighted to have Fonecabin on board and are thrilled with their first fundraising for us over Christmas".

If your business would like more information about adopting St Teresa's Hospice, contact St Teresa's Hospice fundraising office on 01325 254321.

CURTIS OFFICE SUPPLIES CHAIR DONATION

29/01/09

Roger Curtis, managing director at Curtis Office Supplies, has been kind enough to donate us seven lounge chairs. He even came in person to make the delivery (despite the grim weather!) We're planning to use them as visitors' chairs in Day Care and the In Patient Unit.

Curtis Office Supplies' continuing support of the hospice is hugely appreciated. They've helped the hospice out in the past with discounts on furniture and fundraising efforts of their own.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, Said: "Roger Curtis and his staff team have been supporters of the Hospice for many years, and we are very grateful for this latest kind gift. Practical Support such as this is greatly appreciated by all at St Teresa's Hospice".

CROFT RACING CIRCUIT RAISES SUPER FUNDS

21/11/08

Three events in the summer season at Croft Racing Circuit have helped to raise a super total of £3,835.80 which they presented to St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington, the charity which has been adopted for on-going support by Croft Racing Circuit. An interesting variety of weekend events - Formula 3 & GT in April, Touring Cars in June and British Superbikes race in September - brought in the crowds who then dug deep in support of the Hospice.

Staff at Croft Racing Circuit boosted takings for St Teresa's by holding collections at other events staged at the course, such as the Historic rally and collections were also made at the gates and on the spectator banks. An attractive raffle of specialised items was held at each of the special events, with Barclays Bank match-funding the raffle takings pound for pound. The special prizes included a racing car driving experience donated by Croft Racing Circuit itself, a Family Visit to Kielder Water, consisting of a cruise, swim, meal, crazy golf and entry to the Birds of Prey Centre, provided by Northumbrian Water, and signed memorabilia donated by the Superbike racing teams.

Croft Racing Circuit further supported the Hospice adoption by donating super, special racing-related prizes to the Hospice annual Ball and the Landteam Golf event.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"People travel from all over the UK for the prestigious events held at Croft Racing Circuit, so we are very grateful to them for their fund-raising efforts on our behalf. Barclays on-going match funding support is equally gratefully received. Thanks to all who provided such imaginative raffle prizes and of course, to all who gave money, bought raffle tickets, helped and supported us at these events."

TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF POOR CIRCULATION

12/11/08

After a 25 thousand mile epic round-the-world journey on a Triumph Tiger, motorbike enthusiast Geoff Thomas returned to his departure point, St Teresa's Hospice, for which he has raised funds in memory of his late parents. He was greeted by Hospice Chairman, Alasdair MacConachie OBE, who extended congratulations to Geoff both on his fundraising and on his safe return after an eventful trip.

Many Hospice supporters, but also bike enthusiasts and other interested members of the public have followed Geoff's progress on the weekly blog. ('Poor Circulation Blog' on eTribe and MySpace.) Geoff's father George was a patient in the Hospice and his mother Barbara, was a volunteer.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director said:
"We are proud and pleased to welcome Geoff safely home after his exciting trip and we're honoured that Geoff has chosen to remember his parents in this way, which benefits all those whom St Teresa's Hospice is working to support. Reading about his adventures on the blog and in 'Riders Digest' was both fascinating and inspirational. Congratulations to both Poor Circulation team members on this wonderful achievement."

Anyone wishing to can still support Poor Circulation (until Jan 5th, 2010) by either logging on to 'Justgiving.com/geoffgthomas' or by contacting the Hospice.

PUB HELPS TWO LOCAL HOSPICES

07/11/08

The Buck Inn, Maunby's Charity Fund made a joint cheque presentation of £800 to St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington, and £1750 to Herriot Hospice Homecare which operates out of the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton.

The Buck Inn has a fine record for raising money for charity, as their total now stands at over £25,000. Patrons of the pub enjoyed a variety of fundraising events, including sponsored walks, race nights and a public auction to raise this two-and-a-half thousand pounds. The Charity Committee then invited local Councillor Robert Baker to make the presentation.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"People may not realise that St Teresa's Hospice takes care of patients from North Yorkshire as well as South Durham and Teesdale. We are grateful to the Buck Inn for their support and for highlighting our services in their area. Good wishes to all who have helped raise this welcome donation."


ATTENTION EMPLOYERS - FIRST AID COURSE TO HELP HOSPICE FUNDS

31/10/08

Medical Services (North East) Ltd., a local company which provides Health and Safety training and operates a Private Ambulance Service, is to hold a First Aid Course in late November and has pledged to use the fees paid by participants to swell funds at St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington.

Wayne Hall and his wife Joanne, both of Newton Aycliffe, are the owners and directors of Medical Services (North East), and this fundraising event is the first step on the path of their attempts to achieve a target of £2000 raised for the Hospice. They hope that this generous arrangement will encourage plenty of people to book a place on the course, since providing staff with First Aid training is a legal obligation for employers. Individuals as well as employers are welcome to apply for a place, assured that all funds will be donated to the Hospice.

Wayne Hall said:
"Over the past two years we have increased our business by 93%, and my wife and I thought that this is an ideal way to celebrate. I have at times moved patients for the Hospice and seeing the impact of terminal illness on a young family is something that has stuck in my mind. Life is good to us and we want to help, but so many people are unaware of the work the staff at St Teresa's Hospice does to help people with terminal illnesses and their families, especially the children and young people. We hope many firms and individuals will take their training from us and so help St Teresa's Hospice."

The First Aid Course will be on Tuesday November 25th from 9am to 4.30pm, and costs £45 per person, excluding lunch and refreshments.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"It's gratifying that businesses recognise the value of what is done by the Hospice, and this is such a great way to support us. Our thanks go to Medical Services North East."

For more information or to book a place on the course please contact: Community Fundraising Office, St Teresa's Hospice, on 01325 254321

HOSPICE 'VOGUE' BALL

17/10/08

Three hundred people, including businesses and private individuals from around the region attended St Teresa's Hospice 12th Annual Grand Ball on Saturday, 4th October 2008. Organized by the Special Events Team, which chose its stylish theme of 'Vogue', the Ball achieved the fundraising target of £10,000, taking the total raised from the 12 annual special events to date to over £150,000.

Cabaret guests were the TV icons "4 Poofs & A Piano", and the guests were further entertained by the highly accomplished "Bar Wizards" who amazed guests with their cocktail shaking dexterity as seen on Britain's Got Talent, and by marvellous table magician Matthew J Dowden.

A great deal of support for this prestigious event was in the form of sponsorship.
The event was hosted by Sherwoods of Darlington Stockton and Northallerton, C & D Industrial Services sponsored the marquee, beautiful and stylish floral decorations by Nattrass, while Barclays Bank, mtPrint and Darlington Operatic Society each made important contributions, all of which meant that as much of the proceeds as possible go directly to the cause.

Many other regional businesses attended including Newquest North East, Latimer Hinks, Roman Ltd, Atkinson White Partnership, Burnside Carpets, Close Thornton, Peter Lord Hairdressing, Dow Design, Marford Lithographics, RPMI, Thompson Medd, Technocopy and TTTV.

The funds raised go toward the Hospice's work in South Durham and North Yorkshire, and in particular this year will help with the latest developments in our new centre for Family Support and Complementary Therapies.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"This has been a very important year as the Hospice has been involved in a major development project, to build our new centre for Family Support and Complementary Therapies, and to refurbish our main building at The Woodlands. This event is an important fundraiser and a way of saying thank you to some of the many businesses and individuals who support St Teresa's Hospice, and I would like to say a special thank you to all of our sponsors and prize givers, and everyone who attended, for helping to make it so successful. Grateful thanks also to our Hospice Chairman, Alasdair MacConachie OBE DL for hosting us to once again at Sherwoods."

WALKERS REMEMBER PAUL

20/10/08

Ten family members and friends of the late Paul Miller endured and enjoyed a gruelling 6 peak Lake District walk to raise money in gratitude for the services and support which Paul and his family received from St Teresa's Hospice. These staunch and sturdy souls were amazed by the generous response of sponsors who supported their fundraising efforts to the sum of £3551.70.

The 15 mile circular challenge started and ended at Glenridding, taking in two peaks of over 3000 feet - Helvellyn, Helvellyn Lower Man - and four further peaks in excess of 2000 feet - Dollywagon Pike, Nethermost Pike, White Side and Raise. The walking group included Paul's daughter, son-in-law, friends and friends of the family. Also adding their support were Paul's granddaughters, Abbey Hawkes, age 7, and Lucy Hawkes, age 2, and Paul's neighbour, 6 year old Oliver Morrisey, whose sponsored walk route was from Glenridding village to Patterdale and back.

Shirley Miller, Paul's widow, said:
"The walk was successfully completed by all 10 of us, although some suffered more than others. This total has completely blown us away! A thank you to each of the sponsors and the walkers does not seem enough, but the act of kindness that has come from all quarters will always be remembered. Thanks from Paul's family."

As well as seeking sponsorship in the usual ways, one of the walkers, Claire, Paul's daughter, raised sponsorship online, by using a "Just Giving" website.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"We too are 'blown away', not only by the generosity reflected in such a magnificent total, but also by the determination shown by this resolute family in transforming their gratitude for Paul's care into assistance for other patients and their families facing the huge personal challenge which serious illness brings. Without such acts of kindness by these walkers and all who generously supported them, the Hospice couldn't deliver the range and depth of services which it is our ambition and privilege to provide."

LADY GOLFERS RAISE OVER £1800

24/10/08

Pat Coulthard, of Darlington Golf Club, nominated St Teresa's Hospice as Ladies Captain's Charity for her year as Captain of the Ladies Section, and with the support of the Golf Club members raised over £1800 in two special raffles.

The first raffle, held in conjunction with celebrations of the Club's Centenary Year, proved very popular among all Golf Club members, since the prize was payment of the year's Golf Club fees for the winner.

Pat, whose year as Ladies Captain ends in November, said:
"You can imagine how delighted we all are to have raised this amount. The girls were magnificent in supplying really wonderful prizes for the second raffle, and the men were generous too, in buying tickets to support our fundraising efforts. We couldn't have done it without the support of all the members; I want to thank them all, and especially the Ladies, for their wonderful support throughout my year as Captain."

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"Congratulations to Darlington Golf Club on attaining their Centenary. All at the Hospice are grateful for this terrific support and we are delighted that Barbara Inman, the incoming Ladies Captain, has also chosen to support St Teresa's Hospice for her Captaincy year."

HOSPICE GAINS FROM POUNDS LOST

24/10/08

When a Day Care Patient at St Teresa's hospice decided to slim, her work colleague helped her to organise sponsorship and the pounds she lost raised many more pounds for the Hospice. In fact, the Hospice gained £838 when Lesley Naisbitt slimmed down by 54lbs in just four months.

Helped in her fund raising efforts by Ailsa Denham, Lesley was inspired to set her slimming target on hearing that a couple of Hospice staff members had started to diet to become slimmer and feel fitter. She then began her successful efforts, soon surpassing the weight loss of the other slimmers, and with Ailsa's help, found sponsors. The amazing results speak for themselves: Lesley is fifty four pounds down, and St Teresa's Hospice is eight hundred and thirty eight pounds up!

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"Congratulations to Lesley on this two-fold magnificent achievement. In the nicest way possible, her loss is our gain. Our appreciation goes also to her helper Ailsa and to all who encouraged and sponsored her. "

FUNDS BRING MUSIC TO THEIR EARS

09/10/08

Local band, "Serenade In Blue" held a musical evening on Friday, 26th September at St Mary's Association Club, raising £400 to be shared equally between the club and St Teresa's Hospice. The Club secretary, Mick Bassnett, and a member, John Hopwood, together with band leader Derek Burn presented a cheque for £200 to St Teresa's Hospice on Tuesday 30th September.

Derek Burn, Band Leader of Serenade in Blue said:
"We performed music from the swing era, featuring the big band sound, with vocals by Jack Edgar, and we split the money raised between St Mary's Association Club and St Teresa's Hospice."

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"St Teresa's Hospice is very gratified to be remembered whenever people want to do something for charity. The amount raised, however large or small, is less important than the fact of being supported. Derek Burn is well known and loved by many in this area for his music making. Our thanks go to the musicians of Serenade In Blue, the vocalist, the Club officials, their supporters and the audience for this generous support."

DEACON DEBORAH DELIVERS NEW SERVICES AT HOSPICE

29/09/08

A newly-built, custom-designed annexe to St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington, has recently opened to deliver enhanced services to clients. Family Services Co-ordinator, Deborah Robinson, who was ordained as a Deacon in June, is leading the development and delivery of a range of support, social work and counselling services which are enabling families to adjust less painfully to the changes brought by terminal illness or death in the family. Children and young people are no longer 'the invisible mourners' when a close relative is receiving terminal care from St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington, or following that person's death.

Deborah, who is a qualified Palliative Care Social Worker, heads a team of counsellors, social worker and bereavement support volunteers who help families, and individual adults, young people and children. She works as a 'Minister in Secular Employment' since her role at St Teresa's does not include making any formal use of her religious status, but of course all who know her benefit from her 'way of being'.

She was ordained as a Deacon of the Church of England by the Right Reverend Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham, on Sunday 29th June 2008, at a moving service in Durham Cathedral, attended by members of her family and many of her friends and colleagues from St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington. For the ordination service, Deborah commissioned an Ordination Stole incorporating symbols from her work and Church roles; these included St Teresa's Hospice's Giving to Life Tree and also Celtic Trinity.

Jane Bradshaw, Director of St Teresa's Hospice said:
"St Teresa's Hospice offers holistic care to patients, and carers. We consider that the spiritual care of our patients is the responsibility of all employees. Although Deborah will not be working directly as an Ordained Minister in this setting, her ordination means that she will be fulfilling her personal calling and this can only benefit her work and enrich her relationships with her colleagues."

The Woodlands Annexe also houses improved facilities for complimentary therapies and the administrative offices of the Hospice.

GIVING IN LIEU OF GIFTS

22.09.08

St Teresa's Hospice has a "Giving in Lieu of gifts" scheme which solves the dilemma of planning and shopping for gifts for many different and important occasions. This is a style of 'gift' which is becoming increasingly popular, as more people seek to avoid the spiral of consumerism that has caught us up in recent times. It involves letting your friends and other loved ones know that you'd prefer your gifts from them to be in the form of donations to charity; many people are delighted to do this knowing it's what the recipient wants. If they prefer it, they may also give a tiny token gift or just a card.

As it becomes increasingly fashionable to buy gifts to mark many occasions, the "Giving in lieu of gifts" scheme cuts out those dreaded shopping trips, providing a thoughtful and caring way to mark an important event with a monetary gift to this worthy charity. Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Wedding and other anniversaries, and even 'memorials' can be marked in this way. St Teresa's Hospice sends a letter to the 'Gifts in Lieu' donor detailing the total amount received, and if desired, a list of givers' names (but not the amounts given). The givers each receive a thank you letter if they send the donation by cheque with their own details.

An additional benefit is the knowledge that these gifts can become worth more than the amounts given if they are "gift aided"; this is when permission is given by the tax-paying givers, usually on special donation envelopes supplied by the Hospice, so that we can reclaim tax making the gift worth a fifth or so more, at no extra cost to the giver. A gift indeed!

Recently, for example, Gaynor Williams decided that she wanted to have donations to the Hospice in lieu of gifts for her 50th birthday so she put a little note, humorously worded, along with her party invitations. Her friend responded so well that she donated a wonderful £510 to the Hospice.

Gaynor told us:
"Having been a Day care guest myself, Hospice services are close to my heart and I wanted to give something back. Also, having been bereaved of my husband while my children were only aged 10, 12 and 14, I'm delighted to hear of the extended family and children's support services.
I've made loose change collections for the Hospice before at parties at my home, so when I was planning my birthday party, I thought 'how much does a person really need?' and once again donating to the Hospice came to mind."

And Silver, Ruby and Golden Wedding anniversaries have also been the source of donations in lieu of gifts. (How many of us want another flood of toast-racks?)
Eunice & David Tate, married in May 1967, celebrated their Ruby wedding anniversary at the Jersey Farm, near Barnard Castle. A wonderful £1968 was generously given by friends and family to be gifted to St Teresa's Hospice. Eunice told us:
"David and I felt that, after 40 years married, we have everything we require, so rather than have people 'waste' their money on gifts for us that we neither need nor want, we prefer the gifts to benefit a really worthy cause and this was a way to prevent wasting the presents we knew people would give.
We felt that we really wanted to celebrate these 40 years of marriage; seeing and getting together with the people who came to our party was the gift we most wanted. There are families all across the country affected by terminal illness so, in common with lots of people living in the Teesdale area, we feel St Teresa's is a really worthy cause."

Another Ruby Wedding anniversary was that of long established supporters Gillian and Bobb Wootten, who made buckets available at their celebration in June 2008; in fact, they had set a precedent of donations in place of gifts at their Silver wedding anniversary. They chose a ceilidh as their Ruby anniversary celebration.

Gillian said:
"We love folk dancing, and invited a band in which my brother is bass player. We had about 80 people at the ceilidh and everyone was so generous – the band even put their fee into the bucket!"

Of course, St Teresa's Hospice can still help by using your already received but unwanted gifts by using them in raffles or selling them in one of the four Hospice shops. They all help to raise funds for essential palliative care services throughout South Durham, Teesdale and North Yorkshire.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice director said:
"I'm sure we can all remember times when we have trawled the shopping arcades and boutiques for that little "something different" to give to a partner, relative or friend of discerning taste. And often we feel guilty when we open a cupboard or a drawer and see some unwanted and un-used items given to us which are now becoming more out-dated, all the while wondering how or when they can fulfil some good purpose. Giving in Lieu of Gifts is a practical and thoughtful way of giving and receiving gifts to mark important occasions in our lives. We are happy that this gives people the opportunity to give a gift and remember the work of St Teresa's Hospice in such a personal and meaningful way."

Please take along unwanted gifts to either the Hospice or to any of the Hospice shops, or to arrange collection ring the Hospice on 01325 254321.
To use "Giving in Lieu of Gifts", either to give a gift or to arrange to receive donations in lieu, please contact the Hospice on 01325 254321.

A FINE CROP FOR THE HOSPICE

19/09/08

Gardeners of the Hummersknott Gardeners Association at allotments in Pondfields Close, Darlington, sold produce they had grown at their Open Day on 16th August, and "cropped" a grand total of £511.08 which they donated to St Teresa's Hospice. This was double what they had raised by last year's event for charity. Gardening has long been a popular pastime and allotment gardening is enjoying a revival, especially since locally grown produce is reassuringly 'green', in more ways than one.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said:
"St Teresa's Hospice greatly values the support of the local community, and we are delighted to be the recipients of this home-grown donation. We wish the Hummersknott Gardeners Association continued success with their healthy hobby."

BLOOMING MARVELLOUS TOTAL RAISED BY THORNTON HALL GARDEN

05/09/08

A 'blooming marvellous' £2698.46 has been presented to St Teresa's Hospice by Sue and Mike Manners, who held an 'open garden' day in June. The poor early summer weather redeemed itself when visitors went along on a gloriously hot, sunny Sunday to view the magnificent handiwork of keen gardener Sue Manners at 16th century Thornton Hall.

All who came were richly rewarded by the restored gardens in magnificent bloom, a fine display of hostas, some unusual perennials, two ponds, two summerhouses, as well as intimate seating areas. Arranged by our Teesdale Support Group, among the attractions were refreshments, bric-a-brac, a hand-made soft toy stall and also a portrait opportunity by renowned local artist, Christine Redhead, who also raffled one of her lovely watercolours at the event.

Other open gardens in aid of St Teresa's Hospice this summer were Lady Bolton's beautiful Bolton Hall garden in Wensley, 6 gardens in Hurworth-on-Tees as arranged by Mr & Mrs Noble and the internationally renowned garden of Austin Lynch and Tim Culkin at Millgate, Richmond.

Jane Bradshaw, Director, St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"Kipling's famous poem says:
'Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing: "Oh, how beautiful" and sitting in the shade',
reminding us that even the least green-fingered have a part to play in helping the garden towards its full potential, and of how it takes plenty of effort from everyone to bring about its loveliness and usefulness. These sentiments find a parallel in all the various work which supports the Hospice. Everyone can make their contribution, whether involved in hands-on delivery of our services, or in many of the hugely important but less visible tasks."

EVEN THE WEATHER SUPPORTED THE HOSPICE ON FUNDAY SUNDAY

01/09/08

It was fun and entertainment all the way on Sunday 31st August in Darlington Market Place, when St Teresa's Hospice held its "Funday Sunday" all afternoon. Even the weather supported the event, staying rain-free until 5 minutes after the event closed at 4pm.

Darlington's Town Crier, Mr Pete Stemmer, attracted the public's attention for the Hospice Director Jane Bradshaw to open the event. Displays and activities entertained all ages, with a martial arts exhibition by Darlington Boxing and Martial Arts Academy; the Fire Service mounted a chip pan fire display, and Shildon Jubilees Jazz Band performed two wonderful displays of marching and music. A Magic and Punch and Judy Show entertained the crowds in traditional style.

Hurworth Concert Band supported St Teresa's Hospice yet again and entertained the public throughout afternoon.

The Army Recruitment Climbing Wall proved to be a very popular activity especially with the young folk, while Wildchilds, which has adopted the Hospice as its chosen charity, provided a face painter free of charge. Other attractions were a children's Tea-cup Ride & Fun House, a Treasure Island game, rattle balloons, home-made cakes stall, a craft stall, bric-a-brac and garden stalls, a raffle and a tombola. It was a fun-filled afternoon for all the family raising over £2000 towards the Hospice running costs.

Jane Bradshaw, Director of St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"Many thanks to the public for their support, and to all volunteers and staff whose efforts made the day such a success. St Teresa's Hospice is now well known in South Durham, Teesdale and North Yorkshire for its wide range of quality care, which is only made possible by the wonderful support we receive from the community."

LORD LIEUTENANT LEARNS OF EXTENDED SERVICES AT HOSPICE

18/08/08

On a visit to Darlington on July 18th, The Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, Sir Paul Nicholson and his wife, Lady Sarah, paid a visit to St Teresa's Hospice where they were hosted by the Deputy Lieutenant, Hospice Chairman, Alasdair MacConachie OBE and Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director.

The couple were shown the Hospice's newly built extension, the Woodlands Annexe, where up-to-date facilities offer extended services, especially in the care of children who are bereaved or living with a terminally-ill parent. They heard about the Family Service which extends services to children and young people and includes counselling and group work. They also learned about the renovation and refurbishment work currently transforming the former administration offices of the Woodlands into more bedrooms for in-patients.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice director, said
"It was an honour to tell Sir Paul and Lady Sarah Nicholson about the exciting developments which are afoot at the Hospice. Darlington and District is rightfully proud of the ways in which St Teresa's Hospice delivers holistic palliative care and we are pleased about the current interest and debate regarding choices for the terminally ill."

FUNDAY SUNDAY FAMILY FUN

15/08/08

Sunday 31st August is St Teresa's Hospice "Funday Sunday" in Darlington Market Place. Starting at 1pm and running till 4pm, there are displays and activities aplenty to entertain all ages.

Among the displays planned are a martial arts exhibition, a chip pan display by the Fire Service, and plenty of music performed by Shildon Jubilees Jazz Band, Hurworth Concert Band and Middlesbrough West Central Timbrels. Other attractions include the Army Recruitment Climbing Wall, a children's tea-cup ride, Treasure Island game, Pick-a-bag game, rattle balloons, cake stall, craft stall, bric-a-brac and garden stalls, raffle and tombola. There are refreshments too, so it promises to be a fun-filled afternoon for all the family. Make sure to bring all your friends along!

Jane Bradshaw, Director of St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"St Teresa's Hospice is now well known in South Durham, Teesdale and North Yorkshire for its wide range of quality care, which is only made possible by the wonderful support we receive from the community. We hope that there's something this summer to tempt everyone to support our efforts."

ROWATHON CHEQUE PRESENTED

15/08/08

Management and staff at Cummins Engine Company, Darlington, presented a cheque to St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington, for sponsorship money raised by 50 fit employees who kept a rowing machine going continuously for 24 hours in April. Originally, they had hoped to raise around £800 but their superb efforts and imaginative idea resulted, with last-minute sponsors adding to the cheque total, in their raising, £2144.05. The Rowathon was held mainly in Cummins' staff gymnasium at Darlington and partly in their plant in China, the proceeds from China going to local hospices there.

Stuart Barlow, student engineer at Cummins and organiser of the Rowathon said:
"All the rowers and their supporters here at Cummins, and elsewhere, are delighted to have more than doubled our target. Rowing in aid of St Teresa's Hospice was an excellent way to improve our fitness and to celebrate the good health we enjoy: it was win-win to do it to help other people whose health is a cause for concern."

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said:
"The effort that has gone into raising this wonderful total is magnificent. We hope they found the 'fun' in 'fundraising', and that getting fit was a bonus. We are delighted that Cummins in Darlington and China have entered into the spirit of it and that the Hospice has been chosen by them to receive this super support. Our grateful thanks and congratulations go to the rowers, their supporters and their sponsors."

HOSPICE FLAG DAY FLIES HIGH

11/08/08

Volunteers and staff of St Teresa's Hospice kindly donated over 60 hours in total in extremely changeable weather in Darlington and Cockerton on Saturday 2nd August, in street collections, engaging the public, raising a wonderful total of £1944.64

Flag Day stickers acknowledged the generosity of shoppers and patrons of Pubs and Clubs, while street collectors braved short-lived torrential downpours followed by baking-hot sunshine.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"The weather was that of a typical English summer, but didn't dampen the spirits of our collectors. Funds are essential to keep our services, which are free to users, fully available. The wonderful public response is testimony to how the community values having its own local Hospice."

BIB INSURANCE GIVE "GRAND" SUPPORT TO HOSPICE

08/08/08

Bright ideas came thick and fast to the staff and the Charity Committee of BIB Insurance on Northgate, Darlington as they organised fundraising events for their chosen local charity, Darlington & District Hospice, St Teresa's.

With just under one hundred members of staff, the four members of the Charity Committee had lots of support in a variety of events, which included a Valentine's Day Raffle, using gifts donated to the firm at Christmas, and an Easter Egg Tombola and various raffles held across the year with prizes donated by individual staff members or bought from Charity Funds. From these efforts came a wonderful cheque for £1000, presented to Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, by BIB Director, Peter Atkinson and the Charity Committee of BIB Insurance.

One popular event was the Treasure Hunt, when staff formed teams and took to their cars to search out clues in the nearby villages of Stapleton, Manfield, Cleasby and Barton. A Quiz Night with a raffle is planned for the near future.

Nicola Stephenson, a member of BIB's Charity Committee, said:
"The staff here have been so supportive of the fundraising and have come up with some great ideas so that we have raised money for this local good cause while enjoying the fun of the social events."

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"This local, well-known company has made a fantastic contribution to the work of the Hospice; we are so grateful to them, and we are delighted to hear that they have enjoyed it too. We look forward to their continued, valuable support."

Any other Company, or their charity committee, which wishes to fundraise for the Hospice, please contact:
Fundraising at St Teresa's Hospice on 01325 254321.

DEBORAH ORDAINED

04/08/08

Family Services Co-ordinator, Deborah Robinson, was ordained as a Deacon of the Church of England by the Right Reverend Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham, on Sunday 29th June 2008, at a moving service in Durham Cathedral, attended by members of her family and many of her friends and colleagues from St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington.

Deborah, who is a qualified Palliative Care Social Worker, heads the Family Services team at St Teresa's Hospice: a team of counsellors, social worker and bereavement support volunteers who help families, individual adults and children both before bereavement, and with bereavement support after a death by terminal illness.

After ordination, Deborah is designated "Deacon" and works as a 'Minister in Secular Employment' since her role at St Teresa's does not include making any formal use of her religious status, but of course all who know her benefit from her 'way of being'.

For the ordination service, Deborah commissioned an Ordination Stole incorporating symbols from her work and Church roles; these included St Teresa's Hospice's Giving to Life Tree and also Celtic Trinity.

Jane Bradshaw, Director of St Teresa's Hospice said:
"St Teresa's Hospice offers holistic care to patients, and carers. We consider that the spiritual care of our patients is the responsibility of all employees. Although Deborah will not be working directly as an Ordained Minister in this setting, her ordination means that she will be fulfilling her personal calling and this can only benefit her work and enrich her relationships with her colleagues."

BUTTERFLIES FOR BUTTERFLIES

01/08/08

At a recent school assembly, the winners of a Butterfly competition were congratulated and rewarded and a cheque for £250 was presented to Jane Bradshaw, Director of St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington, in support of the Hospice's own "Butterflies" service. Fundraising was organised by the Friends of Yarm at Ravensthorpe in a variety of events, and pupils showed their art and design talents in producing colourful and imaginative butterfly pictures.

The Hospice has recently expanded its bereavement and counselling service for children and young people, and unofficially uses the name and symbolism of "Butterflies" to represent the change and challenge faced when a beloved close family member is terminally ill or dies.

Their efforts were appreciated by Jane Bradshaw, Director of St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington, who said:
"It is wonderful that the children have supported other children and young people by their efforts both in fundraising events and this painting competition. It was a difficult task to choose only three winners from the plethora of wonderful entries, as they were so full of originality, ability and effort. In fact the children produced butterflies as diverse and individual as they themselves are. Thank you to the Friends of Yarm at Ravensthorpe, the pupils, staff and parents who have supported our important work in the often-overlooked area of childhood grief."

If you have a good idea of how to raise funds for St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington, then the Fund Raising team will help you: please ring on 01325 254321.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! IS THIS FOR YOU?
URGENTLY WANTED - FLEXIBLE, FIT AND WILLING VOLUNTEERS FOR HOSPICE RETAIL OUTLETS

21/07/08

If you are flexible in both your attitude and the time you have available, if you are physically fit and want to do a voluntary job for a few hours a week, making a difference to your community by helping a worthwhile local charity, then we may have just the job for you!

St Teresa's Hospice is a registered charity, which provides Hospice at Home, Day Care and In-patient Care for people across South Durham and North Yorkshire. The Hospice Philosophy is to help, free of charge, all those people suffering from life-limiting illness towards the best possible quality of life, and to help and support their family and carers.

We use many volunteers in a wide variety of roles. Volunteers are essential not only to help in delivering care services, but also to help in our retail operations which raise large amounts of the money so necessary to provide the range of services so valued by those who use them.
Our urgent need just now is for help at both the distribution centre and at the Hospice shops.

At our Distribution Centre, where our stock of donated goods for retail is stored and controlled, volunteers are needed for the day-to-day tasks which ensure smooth running of our shops, including our e-bay shop.

So what are the duties of a Distribution volunteer?
Here they include receiving and locating stock; keeping the inventory of stock continually updated - checking availability of items and doing stock counts; and "picking and packing" which means selecting appropriate stock for our retail outlets and even some packaging for dispatch to e-bay customers.

Donors either bring goods to the Distribution Centre, or ring the Hospice for our volunteer van drivers to collect them from the donor's home, so another important duty is helping to unload vehicles. The Distribution Centre volunteer needs to liaise with Hospice van drivers and our generous donors.

Goods are then selected for stocking the various Hospice Shops, so volunteers load goods into the Hospice van. Having an e-bay shop may mean photographing goods for e-bay and weigh them for delivery. And of course, wherever there are donated goods, there's also the task of sorting items for disposal and recycling.

What can we give our distribution and retail volunteers in return?
Certainly we can offer you no wages, but you will get the definite satisfaction of making a difference, and of working alongside some wonderful people in good working conditions; shortly our Distribution Centre moves to a newly-built warehouse unit on Faverdale estate.

And how about trying a stint as a Hospice Shop voluntary assistant? Our shops in Darlington town centre and at Cockerton urgently need assistants but we are also grateful for volunteers to help at our other shops, based in Shildon, Barnard Castle and Leyburn, and shortly coming to Richmond.

For more information please contact:
St Teresa's Hospice on 01325 254321.

LORD LIEUTENANT LEARNS OF EXTENDED SERVICES AT HOSPICE

18/07/08

On a visit to Darlington on July 18th, The Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, Sir Paul Nicholson and his wife, Lady Sarah, paid a visit to St Teresa's Hospice where they were hosted by the Deputy Lieutenant, Hospice Chairman, Alasdair MacConachie OBE and Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director.

The couple were shown the Hospice's newly built extension, the Woodlands Annexe, where up-to-date facilities offer extended services, especially in the care of children who are bereaved or living with a terminally-ill parent. They heard about the Family Service which extends services to children and young people and includes counselling and group work. They also learned about the renovation and refurbishment work currently transforming the former administration offices of the Woodlands into more bedrooms for in-patients.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice director, said
"It was an honour to tell Sir Paul and Lady Sarah Nicholson about the exciting developments which are afoot at the Hospice. Darlington and District is rightfully proud of the ways in which St Teresa's Hospice delivers holistic palliative care and we are pleased about the current interest and debate regarding choices for the terminally ill."

COMIC RAISES MORE THAN A LAUGH ON 410 MILE TREK

23/06/08

Top comedian Mark Olver is walking 410 miles from his home town of Bristol to perform his solo show 'Ramble On' at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and stopping off at Darlington to raise money for St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington en route.

Mark set off on his epic trek on 9th June and expects to reach Darlington on 30th June in time to perform a comedy gig together with special guests at Seen, Beaumont Street, Darlington at 7.00 - 10.00pm. All the money raised from ticket sales for the show will be split between St Teresa's Hospice and Help the Hospices, the hospice movement's national charity.

Olver explains: "My uncle was cared for by St Peter's Hospice in Bristol and I wanted to do something positive for hospices all over the UK. Plus this is my third solo show in Edinburgh and in previous years I've travelled by train and car, so the only thing left to do was walk. I'm 33 this year and it feels like a big significant age. I've wanted to do something like this for years and it could be my last chance. I've been training for months."

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, St Teresa's Hospice, says:
"This is such a great idea and we are absolutely delighted that Mark is passing through Darlington on his route to Edinburgh. I'm really looking forward to watching him 'Ramble On' and I hope that lots of people will come along to give their support and have a great night out to boot."

Olver continues: "As well as the challenge of getting my chubby little frame all the way along the route, I will also be attempting to do the whole journey without paying for any accommodation (any spare bed...caravans...hammocks?). This is my way of seeing Britain and meeting real people, which you don't get to do when you're on the road. The prospect is petrifying!"

Mark's journey will take him through England, Wales and Scotland, averaging around 15 miles a day, and relying on the generosity of strangers to give him a place to sleep at night. Leading outdoor company Berghaus is providing him with all the kit he needs to brave the elements on his route and Mark will be blogging on a special page on the brand's website (www.berghaus.com) as he makes progress. He is performing shows at each stop-off point in aid of local hospices. The overall experience will form the basis of his Edinburgh show which will run from 31st July to 24th August at the Fringe venue Underbelly.

If you would like to put Mark up for the night, email him at rambleon2008@hotmail.com.
For more information about his trek and the shows he will be performing en route or to make a donation, visit www.justgiving.com/markolver.

To buy tickets for 'Ramble On' at Underbelly at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival go to: www.whatareyoulaughingat.co.uk.

To read Mark's blog visit www.berghaus.com.

WANTED : KNOCK-OUT TEAMS

16/06/08

Can you form a team of six to ten enthusiastic, fun-loving people for a Knock-Out challenge? You don't need to be very athletic or super-fit to come along with your mates and have some fun at this challenging, hilarious event, based on TV's popular "It's a Knockout".

Teams from local businesses, pubs and groups are invited to compete in the Knock-out 2008 tournament organised by St Teresa's Hospice, at Blackwell Meadows, home of Darlington Rugby Football Club, on Sunday 27th July. There are only 24 places so hurry along to sign up as they are going fast. Teams currently signed up to compete include Darlington Operatic Society, Barclays Bank, Sherwoods, Sanderson's Property Centre, Cummins, and Asda.

Giant inflatables, water pools, colourful props and a prize for the best Joker on the day; this is an exciting day for spectators and participants alike, as teams battle it out for winners' medals and the Team Trophy. All competitors will be awarded a certificate. Blackwell Meadows is open for the purchase of refreshments, and have generously donated the venue and its excellent facilities.

The competition has become an annual event and teams are helped with how to achieve the £400 target. Even if you aren't on a team, come along to support the teams, play the instant-win Tombola and enjoy a family fun day out.

Jane Bradshaw, Director of St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"Fun, laughter and exercise are the order of the day at Knockout 2008. Whatever the weather, the competing teams always enjoy the games and challenges, knowing that while they're entertaining themselves and others, they are raising the where-with-all to provide vital services for those less fortunate."

If you are able to form a team and want to have fun at this event, please contact the Hospice on 01325 254321.

VOLUNTEER ASSISTANTS NEEDED FOR HOSPICE SHOPS

19/05/08

Would you like to use your free time getting lots of satisfaction from a spare time occupation, knowing you are helping others by donating your time and efforts to a good cause and gaining a sense of purpose?
Perhaps you'd like to meet people, join a welcoming team, serve the public in a shop and know that you are helping a worthwhile local charity?
That's what lots of folk do in Darlington and Barnard Castle - they are the happy team of Hospice Shop Volunteers and YOU are invited to join them, at one of our branches in Darlington town centre, Cockerton or Barnard Castle!

Perhaps you're a student looking to fill your free vacation time, or perhaps you're a retired person with time and skills to offer, maybe even previously having worked in retail, or are you unemployed and looking for a way back into employment but need that first, confidence-building experience? This is your opportunity!

For Hospice Shop Volunteers there are a variety of tasks and a choice of locations. Carol Green, Manager of the Darlington and Cockerton Shops, and Jo Crowe, Manager at the Barnard Castle Shop, described the work involved: on the shop floor: volunteers greet customers, arrange and keep the rails and shelves tidy, help and advise customers and serve at the counter. Behind the scenes, volunteers help to sort, size, steam and price the incoming stock, and also pack up textiles and clothing unsuitable for the shop front for recycling, which also generates funds for the Hospice.

Jo Crowe, Manager of St Teresa's Hospice Shop in Barnard Castle explained "It's a happy group, full of team spirit and very welcoming to newcomers. As well as the volunteers who have committed to a regular slot, we also have people who cannot come weekly, but who are willing to help us at especially busy times or to cover for absences. Some of our regular customers tell us that, we may not have the biggest, but we do have the best charity shop in Barnard Castle!"

Carol Green, Manager of St Teresa's Hospice Shops, at both Darlington branches - the town centre shop in Skinnergate and the Cockerton shop in West Auckland Road - is appealing especially for volunteers to work on the shop floor in both branches but especially at Cockerton branch.
Carol says: "It's a great help, but not essential, to have some experience in shop work."

Jane Bradshaw, Director of St Teresa's Hospice, said:
"We depend on these wonderful Shop Volunteers to help us to meet income targets so that we can provide the full range of Hospice services. So many of our volunteers enjoy the mutual benefits that their work for us brings."

Anyone wishing to become a Shop Volunteer, or to enquire about the opportunity, please contact Aileen Little, Hospice Volunteer Co-ordinator on 01325 254321, or call in to meet with the shop manager at any of the above named branches.

YOUR INVITATION TO THE TEDDY BEARS' HEN AND STAG PARTY!

02/05/08

When two Teddies fall in love and decide to tie the knot in a most romantic fashion, they need to celebrate in style with a unique Hen & Stag Party! You are cordially invited to come along to The Aston Hotel, Coatham Mundeville, at 7.00pm on Saturday, 10th May 2008 to help celebrate with the happy couple, Isobel Bear and Monty Bear.
Enjoy live music, comedy, food, a raffle, tombola and much more at their joint party, celebrating with the betrothed couple before their wedding at Gretna Green on May 17th.

Do bring along your own Teddy Bear, since entrance is with 'a ticket and a bear' : tickets are free to accompanying humans, and cost £5 for the bear (or £2.50 if the Teddy is accompanied by an under-16 year old.) Heather Thompson, organiser of the 'Teddies to the Arctic' campaign in aid of St Teresa's hospice, said:
"We have enjoyed a great variety of Teddy Bear events and this is one of the most novel, so we hope lots of people will respond by coming along to what promises to be a fun evening. After all, everyone loves a Teddy!"

For tickets, or if you are unable to join us but would like to send a donation in lieu of a wedding present, please contact Fundraising, St Teresa's Hospice, on 01325 254321.
Visit: www.teddiestothearctic.com for the latest news and events!

ROWATHON IN UK AND CHINA

25/04/08

The Boat Race contested by Oxford and Cambridge covers 4.2 miles: now imagine rowing a boat non-stop for 169.2 miles (more than 40 times as far)! This is the equivalent effort made by 50 fitness enthusiasts from Cummins Engine Company, Darlington, who kept a rowing machine going continuously for 24 hours, noon to noon on Thursday to Friday 17th to 18th April, mostly in the staff canteen at Darlington and partly in their plant in China, in order to raise money for St Teresa's Hospice.

Fifty employees, including a Plant Manager and one lady rower, volunteered to make up the rowing and support team, and come from many Cummins departments including Human resources, Marine & Design and Product Development. Committing to one or more 15 or 30 minute stints, each rower found his/her own sponsorship, with hopes of a grand target of £800.

Taking advantage of international time differences, the midnight to 3 am slot was covered in Wuhan, China, where employees of Cummins East Asia Research and Development Centre rowed the three hours in aid of Chinese local charities.

Stuart Barlow, Cummins employee and organiser of the Rowathon said:
"As many of the participants will tell you, 30 minutes on a rowing machine is no mean feat as it uses 80% of your muscles, is excellent exercise for the heart and lungs, and sheds 200 to 450 calories."

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said:
"It's so good to have people keeping fitness levels up while assisting those who are unwell through no fault of their own. Our grateful thanks go to the entire team of rowers and those who so generously supported and sponsored them, and our best wishes to Cummins employees world-wide."

BOTHAM HIT BY FOUR AT GOLF CLUB DINNER

25/04/08

A year in office as Captain of Darlington Golf Club was celebrated in style at a dinner on Friday 11th April, with world-renowned cricketer and celebrity guest speaker Sir Ian Botham joining retiring captain, Geoffrey Charlton, in presenting a cheque for £4073.88 to the Golf Club's adopted charity, St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington.

Geoffrey Charlton, retiring Men's Captain, said:
"! have greatly appreciated the high level of support from Golf Club members in our adoption St Teresa's Hospice as our chosen charity, and feel this is because it is a local charity; many of the members know of someone who has received the help of the Hospice. This is also one of the reasons that the in-coming Captain, John Welsh, has chosen to continue the adoption of St Teresa's Hospice as the chosen charity of Darlington Golf Club."

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said:
"All at the Hospice join me in congratulating the retiring Men's captain, and all the club members and supporters, in raising this magnificent total over a year of golfing activities. We are hoping that being adopted by the new Men's captain indicates the Club has found pleasure and satisfaction in its charitable efforts for St Teresa's Hospice. We continue to look for ways to help organisations to support our work."

LADETTE TO LADY MRS HARBORD . . . FLOWERS FOR ST TERESA'S

14/04/08

Nationally known TV personality, local lecturer and renowned flower arranger, Gillian Harbord (of 'Ladettes to Ladies' fame) is talking about, and demonstrating, flower arranging skills at Jersey Farm Hotel on Wednesday, 14th May, at a flower festival, 'Flowers for St Teresa's Hospice'. Mrs Harbord, a tutor at Eggleston Hall Finishing School and well-respected in the floral community, is giving her services free of charge on the evening.

The flower festival begins at 7.30pm, and tickets are now on sale for a grand Raffle to be drawn at 8.30pm at the event, which has been organised by the Hospice's Teesdale Support Group.

Jane Bradshaw, St Teresa's Hospice Director, said:
"Flowers speak volumes and we are thrilled to be helped by the Teesdale Support Group in this way. Mrs Harbord is well known and respected in flower arranging circles so we are greatly appreciative of her services, given so generously. We are looking forward to its being a very pleasurable evening."

To purchase tickets, costing £5, for 'Flowers for St Teresa's Hospice', please contact the Fund Raising Office at St Teresa's Hospice (01325 254321), or pay at the door.

'POOR CIRCULATION' WORLD TOUR SET TO BE A TRIUMPH

11/04/08

Two motorbike enthusiasts set off on an epic round-the-world tour, in order to raise funds for St Teresa's Hospice and Farleigh Hospice, Chelmsford. They leave from the grounds of St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington on Wed. 23rd April at 11am. Calling their tour 'Poor Circulation' - the budget version of 'Long Way Round' (Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman's motorbike adventure) - they will ride their Triumph bikes across 21 countries and about 25,000 miles :
from England, through Scotland, Wales, France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Japan, Canada, USA and Mexico.

Geoff Thomas, formerly from Darlington and now a despatch rider in London, is doing this in memory of his parents. Geoff's father George was a patient in the Hospice and his mother Barbara, volunteered. He and Alan Kelly plan taking six months to complete their trip and can be followed on their blog, with weekly updates and photos: 'Poor Circulation Blog' on eTribe and MySpace.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director said:
"What an exciting and novel way for Geoff to raise funds. It was our privilege to care for Mr Thomas and we all miss Barbara very much, who was a much valued Day Care volunteer. We wish Geoff and Alan all success on their trip and everyone at the Hospice wishes them a safe and exciting journey; we'll be following the blog."
Anyone wishing to Poor Circulation can either log on to 'Justgiving.com/geoffgthomas' or contact the Hospice on 01325 254321.

WALKING THE WALK

14/04/08

Walking and rambling in the countryside are so popular that some of the people who enjoy their many benefits have decided to bring benefit to others who may no longer be able to enjoy a good walk outdoors.
In recent months, groups of walkers have raised many hundreds of pounds for St Teresa's Hospice by walking Scafell Pike, 'The Struggle', Kirkstone Pass, in the Lake District, and Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland. Now plans are afoot for other walkers to enjoy the outdoors and get fit whilst raising funds for the Hospice.
Members of the Commercial Team of HSBC scaled Scafell Pike in September last year, raising four and a half thousand pounds. Easter weekend was spent by employees and friends of Roman Ltd., of Newton Aycliffe, walking Hadrian's Wall in aid of the Hospice. Chris Burton is being sponsored to walk the entire length of Hadrian's Wall between April 26th and May 4th, and the walkers from HSBC Darlington Commercial Team are doing phase two of a "Lake District Three Peaks Challenge" by tackling Skiddaw on Friday, May 9th. Two further fund raising walks are planned: The Lions are doing their walk on Sunday, May 4th and The Great North Walk takes place on Sunday, June 29th.
Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said:
"These wonderful people not only 'talk the talk' of helping others, but they literally 'walk the walk' to help those who need Hospice services. On behalf of all who access our help, I send hearty thanks and good wishes for the enjoyment and wellbeing of all who raise money and morale while taking part in walks, both gentle and strenuous."

Anyone wishing to support these walking stalwarts by sponsoring their efforts is welcome top contact the Hospice for details on 01325 254321.

ATHLETIC JEWEL IN THE CROWN - TEAMS WANTED!

04/04/08

On Sunday, 18th May a prestigious athletic occasion/event is to be held in Darlington, attracting triathletes from across the region, and wider, to compete in a swimming-cycling-running race to raise funds for good causes, supported by the race organisers, the Rotary Club of Darlington.

Beginning some years ago as a fun competition the triathlon has become so well established that it has grown into an annual event, now recognised and adjudicated by the BTA (British Triathlon Association).

Organiser Rotarian Stuart Clark said:
"People across a range of abilities are encouraged to compete - this event is not just for the serious athletes; it is hoped that ordinary, fit people will join in to enjoy the fun and to raise money for Rotary's adopted local charities and the West Africa Trust which we are supporting this year. This is a great event of which Darlington is justifiably proud, and above all it is fun for all who take part."

Teams of three - consisting of a swimmer, a cyclist and a cross-country runner can look forward to a safe, enjoyable race knowing that good causes will receive the sponsorship money they are raising.

The race starts and finishes at Branksome School where the swimmers will enjoy a 400m race in the modern swimming facility, then the cyclists will race for 16 miles along an excellent scenic course, and finally the runners will complete the 3 mile course across country.

An added benefit is that the Rotary Club has negotiated road closures, many thanks to the co-operation of the Council and local residents - this is a real bonus for any Triathlon event.

Triathlon sponsors helping to make the event possible include Sherwoods of Darlington; Blackett, Hart & Pratt (Solicitors); Woodlands Hospital and Northumbrian Water.

If your team wishes to use this wonderful opportunity to compete in this prestigious and fun event, please apply before 11th May (which is the cut-off date) to darlingtontriathlon@hotmail.co.uk; or tel: 01325 469401 for an entry form. The team entry fee is £30 registration and a pledge to raise minimum additional sponsorship of £70.

PEAK PERFORMANCE - EVERYONE WINS !

04/04/08

The group of twelve stalwarts who scaled Scafell Pike in September 2007 in aid of local charity St Teresa's Hospice, are planning to lace up their boots again, this time to tackle Skiddaw - the second highest peak of the Lake District, on Friday, 9th May. All the walkers are employees at HSBC Darlington and Northallerton Commercial Centre, whose business covers an area very similar to the area served by St Teresa's Hospice.
Tony Tulip, a Commercial Manager and walker with the HSBC Team, said:
"Originally, we had the idea of doing the Three Peaks Challenge, which consists of the three highest mountains in Britain but, on consideration, we wanted to do something that more HSBC employees could accomplish and enjoy. so we have chosen to tackle the three highest peaks of the Lake District, one a year for three consecutive years. Next year our challenge will be Helvellyn." "Walking Scafell Pike proved to be a brilliant team-building exercise since there was great support and encouragement shown by the walkers towards one another and at the same time it was great to be doing good for a local charity. You might say our motto is 'Everyone Wins!' "
The Scafell Pike walk raised a wonderful four and a half thousand pounds, and the walkers are holding high hopes for topping that total this time.
Anyone wishing to support these walking stalwarts by sponsoring their efforts, please contact the Hospice on 01325 254321.

BUBBLY BUNNIES RAISE HUNDREDS

04/04/08

Proving that rabbits' tails do bring good luck, a team of "Bubbly Bunnies" who work at the Darlington branch of Northern Rock have sent £600 to St Teresa's Hospice. The money was raised in sponsorship and by matched funding by their employers, Northern Rock Foundation as a result of the Bubbly Bunnies completing the Midnight Walk in South Park on March 14th, 2008.
Sponsorship money is coming in fast from the crowd of 260 women who walked in the dark on what proved to be a beautiful, clear night.
Some of the ladies walked in teams and thought up imaginative team names, including Angie's Angels, Diesel Dames, Frisky Fairies, The Midnight Stalkers, Brinkburn Belles, The Aston Angels, Curves Babes, Blackwell Ladies, Fit-lab, The Gin & Tonic Club, Poker Night... and many others.
Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "We are delighted to be receiving the sponsorship money so promptly, and hope that all the ladies who walked, in teams or as individuals, will send it in as soon as possible so that we can publish the final total, which we are sure will be magnificent. What a wonderful bunch of supporters they are!"

MAGPIES BALL SCORES FOR HOSPICE

14/03/08

When Gary Hinton's wife was an in-patient at St Teresa's Hospice, Darlington, Gary organised the raffle of a football signed by the Newcastle United Football Team to raise funds for the Hospice. The winning ticket was drawn at the Hospice by a Day Care patient.

Sadly, Irene had died by the time the football was won, but Gary had netted a wonderful £369.79. Bill Precious bought the winning ticket at The Tapas Bar, where the presentation was made on January 30th 2008.

Gary wishes to thank the staff and patrons of The Tapas Bar, The Quaker Bar, No.22 and The Beehive at Lingfield Point, where Irene had worked, for their wonderful support.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said:
"What a wonderful tribute to Irene. We were delighted to be helped in this way. Our thanks go to Gary for securing this wonderful result."

ELVIS IS BACK IN THE BUILDING

14/03/08

Elvis may have left the building, but he turned up in Darlington CIU in Northgate (or so Terry Connor told us!) to the delight of his Darlington fans. Fans of St Teresa's Hospice were equally delighted with the £600 that Elvis impersonator, Terry Connor, donated. Terry is a regular supporter, donating the money he raises singing the songs of his favourite rock star and balladeer.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said:
"Terry (our local Elvis) certainly Loves us Tender with his fun, musical tribute act so that the audience at Darlington CIU Can't help falling in love with him. As a regular donor of funds he has raised as Elvis, he has proved over many events that he's willing to get All Shook Up and he certainly hasn't got a Wooden Heart. His generosity, and that of his fans, ensure that no-one who needs Hospice services would be Lonesome Tonight. Thanks to Northgate Working Men's Club and to Terry for this enjoyable evening and the vital money raised to support St Teresa's Hospice."

ROMAN WALK THE ROMAN WALL

10.03.2008
[as supplied by Alison Green of Roman Ltd.]

St Teresa's Hospice and the Darlington and District Samaritans will benefit from a major fund raising campaign this Easter, backed by a North East company with a national and international reputation.

Roman, the UK's leading shower manufacturer, is organising a sponsored walk along Hadrian's Wall. The Newton Aycliffe based manufacturer is aiming to raise over £10,000 for the two charities throughout 2008.

The Darlington based Hospice is planning an extension of its services to offer a specialist Children's bereavement counselling service. The money raised will go towards funding this excellent service.

The 84 mile walk along Hadrian's Wall will start at Segedunum Fort, Wallsend at 9.30 am on Thursday 20th March, and will finish on Monday 24th March at Bowness-on-Solway.

The walk is being well supported with over 20 Roman employees, family and friends giving up their time on a bank holiday weekend to walk for these worthy charities.

Hospice Director Jane Bradshaw said: "What a wonderful SHOWER our friends at Roman Ltd are. It's terrific that their group of employees and friends are sturdy-hearted walkers, willing to give up their Easter to complete a feat reminiscent of the Roman legions of long-ago, as they walk from the east coast to the west coast along Hadrian's Wall.

"This is a very important time for the Hospice as, in addition to our core services of Hospice at home, Day Care and In Patient Care, in South Durham and North Yorkshire, we are beginning a new service called Butterflies. This service is unique to our area, and will help children who have lost a loved one due to terminal illness. It will be based in our new centre for Family Support & Complementary Therapies - 'Woodlands Annexe', and is due for completion at the end of April."

David Osborne, Roman's Managing Director, said: "As a company we appreciate the services that these local charities offer to the community and understand that without the support from businesses and people in the area, meeting the cost of running these activities would be a tremendous struggle."

HAGGIS FOR THE HOSPICE

03/03/08

Burn's Night was celebrated in traditional Caledonian style by 140 folk at Headlam Hall Hotel on Saturday 26th January 2008, complete with piper, haggis and a Ceilidh.

Rabbie Burns supporters, both Scots and others, were also showing their generous support of St Teresa's Hospice, for which they raised not only their drams but a fabulous £3,518 in total.

Compere on the night, Steve Rose, who along with Simon MacConachie had organised the event, kept 'the Nich's Ongauns' [the night's on-goings] moving along swingingly.

Before the sumptuous, 5-courseScottish 'denner' [dinner], the Selkirk Grace was delivered by Dr Trevor Birnie, Medical director of St Teresa's Hospice. Piper Martin Lowes led in the Haggis which was then addressed in Burn's own poetry [the Scots tongue] by Malcolm Kidd, and toasted by Steve Rose and all present.

Following the raffle, which was match-funded to the value of £750 by Barclays Bank, a lively Ceilidh was enjoyed by one and all to the wonderful music and direction of The Tarbolton Ceilidh Band.

A cheque for the £3518 raised was presented to St Teresa's Hospice on February 28th, 2008.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said "This has become an annual event and is eagerly anticipated and greatly enjoyed by all who attend, whether Scots, Sassenachs or others! The Hospice is here for people when, as Rabbie Burns himself wrote in his poem To a Mouse "the best laid schemes o' mice an men Gang aft agley". We thank all who made Burns Night so enjoyable and raised us so much money to support our services in Darlington and District."

CHRISTMAS CHEER IN QUEEN STREET

22/02/08

Local businesses and schools raised a wonderful total of £4077.32 at Christmas events in Queen Street Shopping Centre in aid of St Teresa's Hospice, and a cheque for this amount was presented to the Hospice Director on Friday, 15th February at the Shopping Centre.

Santa's Grotto, staged by Wildchilds, gave local children a thrill, while beautiful carol singing by thirteen local Primary and Junior schools also proved so popular with shoppers that funds were swelled by £2516.03. Starbucks joined in the spirit of Christmas with a 'Giving to Life Tree', providing a service much appreciated by the community and raising a further £299.23.

Jane Bradshaw, Hospice Director, said: "We greatly value the support of Queen Street Shopping Centre which, like Wildchilds, has continued its adoption of St Teresa's Hospice and shows true Christmas cheer, providing both seasonal entertainment and raising much-needed funds for the local Hospice. We are particularly pleased that Starbucks, a business new to Darlington, has also adopted St Teresa's Hospice. We do appreciate the support of these wonderful businesses, the schools which participated and the generous response of the public."

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