£5,000 top prize as hospice Christmas raffle launched
A hospice charity is promising someone a £5,000 Christmas present in a bid to raise funds.
Severn Hospice’s Christmas raffle helps raise thousands of pounds for the charity, which provides its caring services for free to people in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Mid Wales.
Lynn Davies, from Ludlow, who leads the hospice’s outreach community nursing team, has been a nurse in Shropshire for almost 40 years and says supporting the hospice has never mattered more.
“Today, more people than ever before are receiving the heart-breaking diagnosis of an incurable illness and coming to us for our specialist care,” she said.
“At the same time, the hospice is facing enormous financial challenges because of rising costs across the board.
“It is an honour and a privilege for my colleagues and I to be there for the community when it needs us, but we can only do that with the help of our incredibly kind and generous supporters,” she added.
As well as a £5,000 jackpot in the raffle, there are a further 42 cash prizes to be won, with £1 tickets available online and from the charity’s 30 high street shops.
Supporters of the hospice’s raffles and its weekly lottery contribute almost £1 million towards its caring services.
“Buying a raffle ticket means we can be there for thousands of people when they need us and who are living with incurable illness – people like Tracy and John,” said Lynn.
Tracy’s husband John was diagnosed with multi system atrophy in 2016.
He died last year but Lynn and Tracy kept in touch.
Tracy, from Stretton Westwood, near Much Wenlock, said: “Although John is gone, it doesn’t mean the care and friendship has stopped. I can’t thank Lynn and everyone at the hospice enough for the love and care they gave us.”
Lynn added: “Supporting people like them is a privilege. To be there for them when they are facing the toughest of times is an honour.”
Karen Swindells, head of lottery at the hospice, said: “Like our weekly lottery, our Christmas raffle is a major fundraiser for us and the kind generosity and support we receive enables us to provide care to thousands of people. And for everyone who buys a ticket, there’s the chance to win an incredible £5,000 – a truly magical Christmas present.
“Our care is round-the-clock, 365 days of the year, and is especially important at Christmastime – we can’t stop caring."
To buy a ticket online go to severnhospice.org.uk - players must be 16 or over.
