St Nicholas Hospice Care - Independent charity serving West Suffolk and Thetford

From everyone at St Nic's, we’d like to wish all our supporters a very Merry Christmas. Our staff are here to offer support and guidance over the festive season. Our 24-hour advice and support service is available on 01284 766133, and further information can be found on our website: http://ow.ly/bGuT30hk5gU We are thankful for all those working and volunteering to ensure our care continues throughout the festive season. If you need support, we're here for you.

As many of us will be busy getting ready for the big day tomorrow, we just wanted to take a moment to share this lovely piece of art created by one of the children who has been supported by Nicky’s Way, our bereavement service for children and young people. We think you’ll agree it's a festively fitting elf and we are grateful that we can share it.

We want to say thank you to the family and friends of Gary and Mollie Sharpe for all of their fundraising in aid of St Nic’s throughout 2024. Events like Sharpie's Cup Charity Football Match, Mollies Legacy of Hope’s Disco plus a quiz night have raised a combined total of £1,901.81 for St Nic’s. Thank you, everyone, for your support.

Thank you to Bury Rugby Club for all of your generosity and thank you to all of those who donated to the gift drive. We really appreciate everyone's support.

Earlier today (Thursday, 19 December) the government announced a £100 million boost for adult and children’s hospices and £26 million to support children and young people’s hospices. As an organisation, we welcome this announcement. It is a step in the right direction and an acknowledgement of the critical role hospices like St Nicholas Hospice Care play in providing high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care. However, while this is an investment in hospices, it remains a one-off contribution, and the need for sustainable funding for hospices persists. Following the announcement, we were approached by BBC Look East who wanted to interview our CEO Linda McEnhill for our reaction to the news. BBC Look East visited our Hospice in Bury St Edmunds this afternoon and we expect something will be included in tonight’s BBC Look East programme at 6.30pm

We would like to extend our thanks to Waitrose for their generous donation of £1,750. We are incredibly grateful for their support and were delighted to have Justin Cain from the supermarket join us for Christmas lunch earlier this week.

We’d like to thank John and Denise Maxim for hosting another fantastic St Nic's Does Elvis & Neil Diamond event. This year’s event raised a phenomenal £8,400. In the words of the great man himself, "Thank you very much" to Fisher Stevens, Claire Ross, Ashlar House, our team of volunteers and all the sponsors for their support in making the evening a great success.

There was plenty of festive spirit at the Hospice yesterday (December 17) as Christmas lunch was served up. Staff and volunteers came together to enjoy a delicious turkey or nut roast dinner, prepared by our talented Catering Team and for those who saved room, Christmas pudding with custard rounded off the meal perfectly (or fruit salad for those in need of something lighter). Mince pies were also served after the meal too. A huge thank you goes to Precision for generously funding the meal and to their amazing staff, who volunteered their time to serve it. Your kindness and support is much appreciated. 

Don’t know what to do with your tree after Christmas? Our House Clearance team will collect trees from 9-17 January. Make sure you book before midday on 6 January. A £10 donation supports St Nicholas Hospice Care. Thanks to TCL Landscapes and Grange Farm Christmas Trees for their vital support. Learn more at https://ow.ly/V02w50TNzmB

What a fantastic morning we had at yesterday's St Nic’s Festive Fun Run! A huge thank you to everyone who joined us at Culford School grounds – your energy, festive outfits, and support made the event so special. We’ve put together some photos from the day over on our Facebook page - https://ow.ly/l93u50UrIgF – can you spot yourself? We have a lot of people we'd like to thank, who helped make the event run smoothly. Firstly, thank you to our incredible marshals, volunteers, and every single one of our participants. You made it a truly memorable day. We'd also like to thank our event sponsor, Havebury Housing Partnership, Robbie and Ella from Moreton Hall Health Club, Bramble, Heart of Suffolk Distillery Ltd, Tiger Events East Anglia, Challenge First Aid, MTM Plant, Michael, our support cyclist, Giorgi and the Culford School site team. #StNicsFestiveFunRun