A record-breaking £100,000 raised through Christmas Tree-cycle!
We have raised just short of £100,000 through our annual ‘Christmas Tree-cycle’ campaign – our most successful year to date.
Read MoreCelebrating our community of supporters at our annual awards ceremony
It was the turn of our community class of 25/26 as over 200 people gathered to recognise and celebrate our superstar supporters and fundraisers.
In true St Oswald’s Hospice style, the red carpet was rolled out at the Grand Hotel, Gosforth Park for a drinks reception before the ceremony unfolded.
Opening the evening with a warm welcome was Bethany George, Fundraising Co-Ordinator at St Oswald’s Hospice. The baton then passed to our awards host, Davina Radford, Spiritual Care Lead at St Oswald’s Hospice, to kick off proceedings.
This year’s award recipients included bakers and crafters, hikers and bike riders, ultra marathon participants and Great North Runners from the mini, junior and adult races, as well as several supporter-led fundraisers, who held events in memory of a loved one.
Interspersed between the various categories, six special trophies were awarded. Our first recipient was Lisa Robson on behalf of Ringway Primary School. Together, Lisa and teachers and pupils at the school have hosted coffee morning events, alongside selling handmade items on a Community Merchandise stall, all in-memory of a pupil’s mum who sadly passed away at St Oswald’s last summer.
Our second recipient was a group of sisters, known as ‘The Bailey Girls’.
They have been long-term supporters of the Hospice since their brother Ken died at St Oswald’s in July 2018.
In his memory, they have held an annual coffee morning complete with tombola and many delicious homemade treats, raising £1264 at their most recent event.
Our third trophy winners were Ben Fearon and Sarah Stokoe of Fusion Power. Back in March 2025, they turned the Carabao Cup Final into a fabulous family celebration, with over 400 people joining them to see Newcastle United lift the trophy. At Christmas, the couple organised a festive fundraiser, attracting families from across the North East – all in support of the Hospice, raising a combined total of £9000.
Ahead of the interval, Davina invited Jill and Megan to the stage, the mums of two girls who attend our Children and Young Adults Service for short breaks. Their daughters, Lucy and Sophia, have become best friends, and both parents shared just how special the care is at St Oswald’s Hospice, and the positive impact this has for their families.
Jo Williams, Fundraising Co-ordinator at St Oswald’s Hospice, then took to the stage to introduce our new Donate Monthly initiative – a simple and effective way to support the Hospice, for as little as the cost of a weekly cup of coffee.
Celebrating Community fundraising. If you’re inspired to support us, please get in touch
After a short interval, Davina welcomed Angela Egdell, Director of Care at St Oswald’s Hospice. Angela shared an overview of the care at St Oswald’s Hospice, adding that 2026 is the 40th birthday of the hospice, where we will celebrate forty years of offering free expert care to the people of the North East.
Angela said, “Now, more than ever, the support of our community is vital as we seek to ensure our services remain available for patients and their families. Thank you to everyone in this room who has fundraised and supported the Hospice. We couldn’t do this without you.”
The fourth trophy was awarded to Andy Greenwell, who raised over £11,000 in 2025. In his ‘Cloud 9 Challenge’, Andy took on a series of ultra marathons, testing him mentally and physically. In total, Andy covered 665.5miles (107km) in the UK and Europe, all in support of St Oswald’s Hospice, motivated by the care and support he saw first hand when completing work in our Children & Young Adults Unit.
Thank you to all of our superstar fundraisers, we couldn’t do this without you
Trophy numbers five and six were presented to two companies who each selected St Oswald’s Hospice as their ‘Charity of the Year’.
Sonia Graham, Fundraising Manager – Business Partnerships, took to the stage to share a little about each winner.
The first recipient was Accenture, whose Newcastle based team raised almost £27,000 through their Charity of the Year partnership.
Dave Scott, Digital Delivery Engagement Manager at Accenture described the year as “transformational”, as the company took part in several activities including a Helvellyn Hike.
The second recipient was Hay & Kilner, who raised £11,038 which was then match funded to £22,076.
Bethany Herbertson, Chair of the CSR Committee at Hay & Kilner said, “Through our fundraising activities, including 11 staff taking part in the Great North Run, we’re delighted to have raised this record-breaking amount for the Hospice.”
As the event closed, thanks and well wishes were extended to all who have supported St Oswald’s Hospice.
A big thank you to Jane and her team at Gosforth Park Hotel for hosting us and looking after us so well. The biggest of thank you’s to all of our supporters for your brilliant fundraising to help ensure St Oswald’s Hospice is here both now and in the future for all those who need us across our communities in the North East.
If you’re inspired to fundraise for St Oswald’s Hospice, we’d love to connect with you. You can email us or call us on 0191 285 0063
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