St Cuthbert’s Hospice Durham Raises Over £7,300 At Its Biggest Christmas Fair Yet
Written by Lily Ballentine on 4th December 2024
St Cuthbert’s Hospice Durham has raised more than £7,300 at its annual Christmas Fair this year, marking its most successful event in the past three years.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, December 3rd, the hospice shared that the funds raised are equivalent to two full days of hospice care, a vital contribution during a time of increasing financial pressures.
The fair took place on Saturday, November 23rd, at New College Durham—its largest venue yet. Despite heavy snowfall on the day, the event drew an impressive turnout of around 1,000 people, demonstrating strong community support for the hospice’s cause.
(Image credit: St Cuthbert’s Hospice)
Community & Events Manager at the Hospice, Jade McArdle said: “Given the weather, I think that’s a huge achievement in itself and I guess had the weather of been different, had it of been kind to us, we probably would have seen a lot more than that as well […] it just goes to show there’s a lot of people that want to come along and support us.”
Rock Choir North East performed Christmas songs throughout the day, whilst Stuart Wright Funeral Services’ travelling fairground organ also provided music.
Entry was by donation and all proceeds from this, the St Cuthbert’s Hospice fundraising stalls and the Santa’s Grotto went directly to the Hospice. The event also had stalls from local businesses across County Durham.
Due to the snow, catering vans were not able to open, however volunteers from New College were able to quickly set up a tea and coffee’s station.
Although the number of volunteers was down by about 50%, the event was still a great success, with one volunteer travelling all the way from Sheffield to be there.
Stuart Wright Funeral Service’s travelling fairground organ. (Image credit: St Cuthbert’s Hospice)
Community Fundraiser at the Hospice, Erin Wright said: “As soon as the fair opened at 11am and as soon as the Rock Choir started to sing, the whole atmosphere just changed […] it was very stressful to start with but by the end of the day, I think we were actually really happy.”
Jade McArdle added: “We just really didn’t want to let people down because so many people were involved in this, it was a real team effort.”
Although both students and staff at New College work very closely with the Hospice, this was their first time hosting the Christmas fair. They are set to host it again in 2025.
Students from New College made all the cakes and pies for the bakery stall. They also ran the stall, donating all proceeds to the Hospice. They displayed great commitment as some took three buses to get to the event due to the snow.
Alison Maynard, Deputy Principal at New College was on site all day as the Senior Manager. She said: “St Cuthbert’s is one of the charities that we regularly donate to, but a lot of our students get involved in supporting the hospice as well so they understand the importance of either volunteering or charity raising.”
She added: “We’re about getting students ready for work, but also what happens in everyday life and how you support it.”
(Image credit: St Cuthbert’s Hospice)
Five students from the Stephenson College Volunteering and Outreach group at Durham University volunteered at the fair for their second time. Flynn Edwards, a third-year Theology and Religion student is in charge of the group.
He said: “everything was organised really well […] and everyone there despite the weather was really positive.”
He added: “All the volunteers that helped out on the day said they really enjoyed it […] it’s different from normal student life, it’s sort of a break from that.”
Donations are needed now more than ever as just two days ago, on December 11th, St Cuthbert’s Hospice announced the possibility of staff cuts and service closures due to a funding crisis. For more information, see here.
Along with the Christmas fair, the Hospice runs five other fundraising events throughout the year.
Click here for more information about their fundraising events and how you can get involved.
Click here for more information about the Hospice’s other Christmas events.
Follow this link to donate to St Cuthbert’s Hospice today.
