It’s the third year in a row that our Ottery St Mary garden centre has raised funds for Hospiscare, in what has turned out to be an epic success with the 2021 fundraising total topping £14,700!

This is particularly impressive in yet another year where the pandemic impacted so many charities with postponed or cancelled events.

During the year, efforts included participation in the Hospiscare walk, this year renamed ‘Twilight with a Twist’. The routes were planned by team members Lauren Pearcy and Sally Bright and 33 walkers completed either 6 or 13 miles. This event alone raised £3,739 and the team have already signed up to take part in the walk again on June 25.

Other successful fundraisers took place throughout the year, adding sums large and small to the total. Over the festive period, an animated show of singing penguins proved to be a real draw, with customers encouraged to pop spare change into a collection bucket. The memory tree gave everyone the chance to remember loved ones through a donation enabling them to put a message and ribbon on a Christmas tree. A team from Hospiscare came to the garden centre to run a tombola which was a great success with customers.

Our Managing Director, Jacqui Taylor said: “This is, quite simply, a brilliant total. It shows just how much this local charity means to our team and customers. We are so incredibly grateful for the ongoing support and enthusiasm shown by everyone.”

Steve Pearcy, a member of the Otter Vale Friends of Hospiscare who co-ordinated the fundraising with Otter added: “Everyone at the garden centre has been so supportive with all the events from bingo and quizzes to the tombola and walk; we all worked as a team and it really has paid off.”

In addition to fundraising, we sponsored the charity’s popular Open Gardens for 2021, where gardeners open up their gardens to be enjoyed by members of the community in return for a donation to Hospiscare – and we have just agreed to sponsor the event again for 2022.

As the hospice charity for Exeter, Mid and East Devon, Hospiscare cares for over 2,000 patients and their families every year. The charity relies on local support to provide this care at no cost to patients.

Find out more: https://www.hospiscare.co.uk/