December is one of our busiest times in the fundraising calendar, as well as a time of reflection.

Last Saturday’s Strictly Best Foot Forward event was humbling as well as inspirational to hear the stories behind why our contestants were raising money for Bury Hospice.

You can still donate to support our dancers by giving to their JustGiving page on our website.

Last night we hosted a very special event at Bury Parish Church – our Light up a Life service.

It was lovely to be able to gather families across Bury together to remember, reflect and celebrate the lives of loved ones, and those who have touched our lives.

It was even more special this year having missed meeting up in person last year and sharing the lighting of candles.

If you missed the service there’s still chance to watch it online from this Sunday when it goes live on our website at 4pm.

Running alongside our service is Bury Hospice’s annual Light up a Life donation appeal, which is open until the end of December.

This appeal provides an opportunity where you can donate and send a dedication to feature in our online book of memories, which is available to read throughout the year.

It’s great to see our young people across Bury supporting their hospice.

And if you are free on Monday, December 13, come and join us at Bury Parish Church at 7pm where you will experience our spine-tingling Bury Hospice School Christmas Carol Concert.

Pupils were disappointed when last year’s event was cancelled, so it is going to be very special watching them sing their hearts out for their hospice.

Also, with our youngsters in mind, we are about to launch our first ever Reindeer Run.

We have invited schools, nurseries and community groups to host their own Reindeer Run during PE lessons, lunch breaks and meet ups.

Please can you help us spread word of this fun activity so as many as possible can take part.

While all of our events are here to bring people together, they raise money for us too.

We could not do what we do without the support of our community and we are grateful for every penny raised.

Next week I will be focusing on our Community Outreach service, and talking about how we care and support people in their own homes as well as within our hospice.