Big boost for our hospice

A local woman has raised money to the tune of £1250 for a our Doncaster hospice through the power of music.

Kate Smith set out to raise money for our hospice in Balby, Doncaster in memory of her dad.

Kate’s dad, John Millington passed away in our hospice after spending three days there in 2016. Kate said: “When dad was poorly me and mum had to look after him, we didn’t feel like a family anymore as we were now dad’s carers, so when Dad went in to the hospice, it felt like we could get our family back as we could spend quality time with him while the staff cared for him.

“The hospice gave us, as a family, a positive experience with dad and for that we are eternally grateful. I knew one day I would like to thank them for everything they did for us. Dad raised money for the hospice back in the 90s and I thought it would be great if I could follow in his footsteps and do the same.”

Kate’s dad was a keen folk singer who often performed locally. This led Kate to develop a love for music and that is what fueled her fund raising idea to get friends and family to donate money. She chose two of his best loved songs within the family and asked friends and family to donate money in order to vote for which song they liked the best.

The songs to choose from had already been recorded by Kate’s dad, but as a tribute to him, Kate then rerecorded the winning song which was ‘Rebecca’s Lament’ by James Keelaghan.

Kate was overjoyed with the amount of money she raised. Kate said: “Dad was a keen gardener so his hospice room overlooking the courtyard brought him some joy in his final days. I would love for the money raised to go towards revamping the courtyard for others to enjoy.”

Hospice Fundraiser Lindsey Richards, said: “It makes us happy at the hospice knowing we made such a positive impact on the families lives. We are so grateful for the donation and want to say thank you to everyone who donated and a big thank you to Kate for thinking of us.”

To find out about supporting your local hospice by becoming a sponsor or to fundraise by holding an event, please contact the fundraising team on 01302 796662 or 01302 798391. Alternatively you can donate here:

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St John’s Hospice is run by Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH).