News

Emma, 33 from Bideford in Devon, is taking part in the 2018 London Marathon for Children's Hospice South West (CHSW) in memory of her eldest daughter, Imogen. Here, she says in her own words why taking part in the marathon and fundraising for CHSW is so important.

“Imogen was born on 12th July 2011 after a very worrying and anxious pregnancy. We were told that she would have a condition called microcephaly (which basically means she would have a small micro, head - cephaly) but other than this we were uncertain as to what future lay ahead for her.

She was our first child, a much longed for

Finley is a pupil at the All Saints Marsh Primary School in Newton Abbot. Finley, pictured in his favourite Ginsters top, visits our Little Bridge House hospice in Devon with his brother Stanley and his school has decided as a result to choose Children's Hospice South West as its chosen charity for the 2017/2018 academic year.

To kickstart the fundraising year, the school hosted a 'Wear something green in support of CHSW' day and Laura Board, community fundraiser for the area visited the school and said:

We're delighted that All Saints Marsh Primary School has decided to choose to support CHSW

Don't leave your unwanted Christmas gifts lingering in a drawer.

Help us turn them into smiles at our hospices by donating them to your local CHSW shop.

Over 5000 tickets were sold and the raffle was drawn today in Princesshay Exeter by Hannah who uses our Little Harbour Hospice.

The winning ticket was number: 09923

Thank you to everyone who supported the raffle and Snows Toyota - we think that's the best Christmas present ever!

Helen Witcombe of Bath-based Epoch Wealth Management took on the challenge to climb Kilimanjaro back in 2014 in support of Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW). In November Helen’s appetite for extreme overseas adventures returned and, once again in support of CHSW, Helen self-funded a trip that saw her reach Everest Base Camp (EBC).

Incredibly, Helen’s fundraising total has just tipped £20k, money which will go directly to helping CHSW support children with life-limiting conditions and their families from Bath, West Wiltshire, Somerset and Bristol.

Helen said,

‘The trek was tough, really

Tamara Fraser from Canada is 49 years old and lives approximately 2,700 miles away from the beautiful city of Bath and the little girl she is running the Bath Half Marathon 2018 for, Sophie.

Tamara ‘buddied up’ with 14-year old Sophie through a group called I Run 4 which aims to provide athletes of all levels with a motivation, purpose, and power for their workouts. After being on the waiting list for 6 months, Tamara was matched with Sophie and her mum, Faith; a match she says was ‘made in heaven’.

Sophie lives in Bristol and has Rett Syndrome; a rare genetic neurological and developmental

Huge congratulations to the team at recruitment specialists Girling Jones in Exeter, who took on and completed a mammoth cycle challenge for CHSW - in just five days!

They set up three static bikes in their quayside offices and staff took turns to put in some of the miles needed to get them ‘virtually’ from Lands’ End to John O’Groats. On the fifth and final day of their challenge, the team set up camp in Princesshay Shopping Centre in Exeter, where two teams of three took on the final leg of the journey. Cheered on by shoppers and Girling Jones staff, they successfully completed the 874 mile

Children’s Hospice South West’s Little Bridge House received an early Christmas gift on Thursday thanks to a show of generosity from National Lottery winners.

Past winners from across the south of the country spent 24 hours creating a giant ‘gingerbread’ playhouse for children and their families to enjoy.

Armed with plenty of paintbrushes and tools, the winners, with a combined wealth of over £23million, turned a simple wood cabin into the themed house that will be filled with resources.

Allison Ryder

Over 200 Santas on motorbikes rode from Lee Mill down to St Austell on Saturday 2nd December to raise money for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW). The ride culminated in a visit to CHSW’s children’s hospice Little Harbour in St Austell where riders were greeted by members of the Fundraising Team with warm refreshments.

Santas on a Bike events happened across the region on Saturday with two other rides going ahead in Devon and Bristol supporting CHSW’s other two hospices; Little Bridge House in Barnstaple and Charlton Farm in Bristol. Riders started at Lee Mill and then rode through

Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) welcomed over 600 Santas to the Eden Project on Sunday 3 rd December to take part in its annual Santas on the Run event which last year raised £20,000 for the local children’s charity.

Santas on the Run was a 2km sponsored fun run which all ages took part in and was being generously sponsored by Ocean Housing Group meaning more money raised by those taking part will go straight to the charity which hopes to raise around £20,000 once again this year.

There were two runs throughout the day which saw families, work colleagues and friends all dressed as Santa