North Devon Hospice: Why Light Up a Life is still so important this Christmas

This winter, North Devon Hospice fundraiser Robyn invites you to remember someone special through the hospice’s Light Up a Life appeal and help others make memories to cherish this Christmas time.

For most of us, Christmas is a truly special time for lots of reasons. As well as presenting a welcomed opportunity to enjoy a break from the busyness of everyday life, this festive holiday is also a chance to come together with family or friends and spend precious time together making magical memories, many of which often stay with us for years to come.

But for those missing a loved one, Christmas can also be a difficult time and serve as a poignant reminder that someone we cherish is no longer with us.

This Christmas time, on behalf of everyone here at North Devon Hospice, I want to invite you to be part of our very special Light Up a Life campaign to remember your loved one at this reflective time of year.

Join us and hundreds of others across our North Devon community as we come together in solidarity and take a moment to mark the memory of those we miss, keep their memory alive, and treasure the times we shared together.

There are lots of ways you can take part in Light Up a Life, but whoever you’re remembering, we encourage you to do whatever feels right for you.

For some, this will be joining us at one of our special Light Up a Life services out in the community and lighting a candle to honour the memory of someone missed.

For others, it will be writing their loved one’s name on one of our delicate Light Up a Life stars, which we can send to you through the post, to hang on your Christmas tree for all to see.

When we send out these stars, we also include a star for you to return to us so we too can hang it on our Christmas Tree here at the hospice to display your loved one’s name.

Another way to mark the memory of someone special through Light Up a Life is to make an online dedication, which will feature in our beloved online Book of Remembrance and can be viewed all year round, not just at Christmas time.

The person you’re remembering doesn’t have to have been cared for by the hospice but the donation you make in their memory will help to ensure that we can be there for those who do need hospice care this Christmas and beyond. It will mean that patients and families facing their toughest times can receive the care and support we all deserve in our final days and focus on making this a memorable time, in as much comfort as possible.

To anyone who will be missing someone this festive season, I wish you love and peace and hope that despite those inevitably difficult moments, you can take comfort in knowing that you’re not alone. Together, through Light Up a Life, we can celebrate the life of your loved one and help keep their memory shining bright this Christmas and always.

From next week until Christmas, the North Devon Gazette will be running its annual Light Up a Life campaign, focusing on the meaning of the appeal and meeting some of the people for whom both local hospices make a real difference.