Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
‘Uplifting’ gathering
Hundreds of visitors to the Pilgrims Hospice Sunflower Memories gathering on Sunday helped raise thousands of pounds for the charity.
The event drew families and friends of lost loved-ones to the hospice in Canterbury, keen to make a dedication and donation.
It was the fourth fundraiser of its kind held by the charity and the most successful to date, with £10,000 collected in Canterbury alone. Together with similar events at the other two hospices in Ashford and Thanet, a record £27,000 has so far been collected.
The charity’s Sara Scriven said: “The sunflower events are so uplifting. There was a lovely atmosphere of warmth and kindness as visitors took comfort in sharing their stories of loved ones and speaking with the Pilgrims team.
“As well as the sunflower memory marker displays, our gardens were decked with beautiful sunflower seedlings, grown by Pilgrims gardeners and volunteers, and visitors enjoyed gentle music and refreshments in the beautiful hospice grounds.
“We would like to thank everyone who has made our remembrance day so very special. This is such an incredible amount of money to raise for hospice care.
“Every £100 could pay for therapy sessions for a child coping with the loss of a loved one, so as you can see it will help to make a real difference to families needing our support.”
The sunflower memory markers will remain in the grounds of the three Pilgrims Hospices in Canterbury, Ashford and Thanet over the coming two weeks with visitors welcome to view them.
The charity will accept contributions until mid-august via pilgrimshospices.org/sunflower or on 01227 782062.