I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas and however you spent it, have been with people you care about. As the Christmas festivities come to a close and the New Year begins, January can feel like a long month with dark nights ahead, but I am delighted to share some Hospice events that we have planned in the coming months.

This week our team will be once again be running its Christmas Tree Collection Service from Friday through to Sunday. As a charity we are always looking for resourceful ways to raise money and our Christmas Tree collection is not only a fundraiser but an incredibly useful service for Bury. We don’t charge to collect your tree – we simply ask for a donation.

Our tree-cycling is also a business-supported initiative, with firms getting behind the campaign by donating vans, people and resources. Warren Senior, who runs Senior Waste Removals, is one of the businesses who supports the collection service. He got involved having experienced the impact and importance the hospice has during the final days of life when his Dad and close friend were patients. Warren now spends much of his spare time raising money for Bury Hospice.

Warren said: “I started helping out five years ago and offered my van and myself to volunteer with the Christmas tree collection. I’ve always been keen to help Bury Hospice as when my Dad was a patient there back in 2010 it highlighted to me how important the hospice’s role is and the support it gives their patients throughout their illness. The Christmas tree collections have got bigger each year. Last year I donated three vans and, alongside the other volunteers, raised a record-breaking amount.”

To celebrate the New Year we have also launched ‘New Year New You’ where we are encouraging our community to either give something up or take something up while supporting the hospice. There are many ways you can support this by either donating savings or gaining sponsorship.

In February we will be having our first ever comedy night featuring Colin Manford. Held at the Stables Country Club in Bury, it will be an evening full of laughter and fun, also featuring Dave Twentyman, Nick Doody and Martin Mor.

We are also encouraging people to sign up and join us for our Forget-Me-Not Memory walk on March 20, which will start at our old hospice site on Dumers Lane through to our current Rochdale Old Road location.

Finally I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year – and thank you for your continued support for Bury Hospice.