Street party raises £400 for the hospice

A social media account set up by a group of Doncaster neighbours during lockdown was the starting point for a massive street party that boosted our hospice funds by £400.

Mark Turner, from Branton’s Poppyfields development started a WhatsApp group to keep in touch, which quickly led to ideas being generated on how to celebrate eventually being lockdown-free.

The group decided to stage a street party on a field near their homes on 31^st July this year and a committee was formed along with a Just Giving fundraising page to pay for a live singer, disc jockey and other organising costs.

Committee member Trish Lee, a Nurse Shift Lead in the Covid Clinic with Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We invited everyone on the estate and their families and on the day around 160 came along, bringing their own chairs to sit on picnics and drinks. Alongside the music there was a lot happening, including lots of fun and games including an obstacle race and quizzes. It was a brilliantly fun day, which started at 2pm and went on until around 10pm, and really brought people together in a carnival atmosphere.”

Poppyfields residents were invited to donate towards the cost of running the event if they wanted.

“No pressure was put on anyone to contribute but people were really generous and we raised around £1,000. After the bills were paid we rounded up what was left to £400 to give to St John’s, which everyone agreed was a great idea, added local publisher, Michelle Sidebottom who was also a committee member.

“We’re now planning to run a similar event again next year.”

St John’s fundraiser Lindsey Richards thanked the Poppyfields residents for their donation, adding: “St John’s supports all of Doncaster’s communities and we are grateful for kind gestures like this, which help to pay for those little extra comforts that make life a little easier for our patients and their families.”