Christmas events planned to support Saint Catherine's hospice during Cost of Living crisis

It needs to raise £11,000 every day to keep services running

Author: May NormanPublished 30th Nov 2023
Last updated 30th Nov 2023

Greatest Hits Radio is hearing the cost of living crisis continues to put pressure on already stretched budgets among charities in North Yorkshire.

One of those is Saint Catherine's Hospice in Scarborough - who says costs have gone up, but donations are slowly dipping, as people tighten their own purse strings.

Tom Thornton from the hospice says everyone is feeling it at the moment:

"The cost of living crisis is effecting all of us day to day - both personally and in business - everyone can appreciate the climate we're in at the moment.

"We've seen a lot of our costs going up over the last year or so - things like heating and energy - that sort of thing. But everyone is feeling it.

The hospice has to raise £11,000 every day to keep services running.

Tom continued:

"I have the appreciation that our supporters are looking at penny pinching and where they can save money themselves. What we're having to do is be a little more proactive and look at different ways of raising money - rather than doing the same things that may have worked in the past."

To help with fundraising, the hospice has some Christmas events coming up - the big one being the Christmas Extravaganza.

The event, which is set to be a spectacular of all things Christmas, will be held this Saturday (December 2) from 10am to 3pm.

Admission is free and there will be a huge variety of Christmas gift stalls, entertainment and things to do on the day, with everything from Santa’s grotto and live animals to food and drink, choir performances and even appearances from some of Christmas’ most-loved characters.

Richard Barwick, Fundraising and Marketing Manager at Saint Catherine’s, said:

“We are thrilled to be putting on a Christmas Extravaganza – bigger and better than ever before – for our community to come and enjoy this December! Our markets and fayres have proved very popular in previous years and we hope to see lots of familiar and new faces on the day to enjoy this wonderful event.

“There will be a mix of things for everyone on the day, such as live performances of Christmas carols from local choirs, a whole host of Christmas gift stalls, facepainting, demonstrations and Santa’s grotto. We invite everyone to come along for a day of entertainment and Christmas festivities.”

For information on how to help the hospice, click here.

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