Models needed for St Mary's Fashion Show

We are looking for models, male and female, of all shapes and sizes, to take part in our fashion show on Thursday 18^th March 2010 at the Nines, Barrow in Furness.

Models will perform on the catwalk in front of an audience, wearing clothing collections from the St Mary’s shops and Debenhams. Hair styling will be done by Paul French and makeup by Dior, Clarins and Lancome.

Models will be expected to arrive at 6pm on the night.

If you are interested please call Hannah on 01229 580305 or email hannah@stmaryshospice.org.uk

With thanks to Rebecca Thompson and Katie Gaskell

We would like to thank Rebecca Thompson and Katie Gaskell for raising a wonderful £172 for St Mary's Hospice. The girls raised the money by carol singing over the festive period.

Celebrations and a cheque for £163,000...

In the present economic climate, funding for the charity sector has become increasingly difficult and St Mary's Hospice must contend with an ever-increasing number of local and national charities for that elusive ‘pound in the pocket.’ It is a challenging task to maintain donor giving and the success of fundraising events, as well as to expand on current activity in order to meet higher targets year on year. We were therefore absolutely delighted to be informed in August 2008 that we had been chosen as the BAE Submarine Solutions partner charity for 2008/2009.

It has been a great 18 months for St Mary’s working together on a jointly coordinated fundraising campaign. The partnership has gone from strength to strength and we are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with the BAE team at events and on a number of improvement projects at the Hospice. Many BAE employees have given up their free time to carry out decorating, gardening or general works to improve the Hospice building.

To mark the end of the partnership a Ceildih night took place on Friday 29^th January 2010 at the Nines in Barrow in Furness. It was a wonderful event and everyone who attended seemed to enjoy it. We are delighted to announce that on the night St Mary’s was presented with a cheque for £163,000, which is an amazing contribution to our fundraising target. This money raised through the campaign, represents a major contribution to our funds, and means, for example, that five nurses have been funded for a year. We are very grateful to everyone at BAE for contributing so generously in so many ways. We cannot thank you enough.

Volunteer recruitment for St Mary's furniture shop

We are actively recruiting volunteers to assist in our new furniture outlet which will be opening in Barrow in April 2010.

There are a number of opportunities available that require different skills and time commitment.

We would be delighted to hear from you, or please come along to our coffee morning on Friday 26th February at St Mary's Hospice from 10am until noon. For more information please contact Zoe or Janet on 01229 580305 or email volunteers@stmaryshospice.org.uk

St Mary's values all aspects of support it receives from its volunteers.

Volunteer recruitment for St Mary's cafe

We are actively recruiting volunteers to assist in our new Cafe area, which will be opening at St Mary's in Ulverston in April 2010.

There are a number of opportunities available that require different skills and time commitment and we would be delighted to hear from you.

Please come along to our coffee morning on Friday 26th February at St Mary's from 10am until noon. For further information please contact Zoe or Natalie on 01229 580305 or email volunteers@stmaryhospice.org.uk

St Mary's values all aspects of support it receives from its volunteers.

Kind donation from The Freemasons

St Mary's Hospice Funding and Operations Manager Zoe Guest receives a cheque from The West Lancashire, Furness and South Lakeland group of Lodges and Chapters of the Freemasons. The cheque for in excess of £2,100 is part of The Freemasons Grand Charity's extensive support of hospices in England and Wales. Over £8,000,000 has been donated over the past 25 years.

Left to right are Phil Gardner, assistant provincial grand master, Zoe Guest, Geoff Waters, publicity officer, and Rowley Saunders, The Furness Group chairman.

Ross's Estate Agents staff raise £200 for St Mary's

We would like to thank Ross's Estate Agents, Ulverston for raising £200. The money was raised at a birthday party held for valued member of staff Ken. Ken kindly expressed his wishes for all attendees to donate to St Mary's rather than bringing a gift. The staff at Ross's commented on the party being fantastic fun, and they all knew that they were contributing to a worthy cause.

(Ken is pictured front centre with Zoe Guest, St Mary's Funding and Operations Manager).

Many people choose to give a donation to St Mary's, in lieu of gifts, when celebrating a special occasion. Whether it's a special birthday, anniversary, wedding or christening we can provide your guests with a special card inviting then to give a gift to the hospice. Gifts in celebration are an increasing source of income for St Mary's and we are very grateful to everyone for the generosity they show in helping us in this way.

Contact the fundraising team to discuss your celebrations and gift card requirements on 01229 580305 or email events@stmaryshospice.org.uk