Together at Christmas

Help support local charities

With only a few weeks until Christmas, local charities Pepenbury and Hospice in the Weald are working together to take a charity chalet at the Tunbridge Wells ice rink in the run up to the big day!

Visitors can buy beautiful handmade gifts whilst at the same time supporting a charity that continues to provide that vital care to those who need it.

Local learning disability charity Pepenbury will be selling some of its beautiful handmade pieces of art and pottery made by staff and service users specifically for this event. The first two weekends of December they will also be selling Christmas trees down at the Ice Rink in Calverley Grounds. There will be plenty of wonderful items to get you set up and ready for Christmas. All proceeds made will go towards supporting people with learning disabilities and complex needs that live in our local community. Pepenbury will also be selling trees from the 26 November at the main site in Cornford Lane, Pembury every day all the way through to Christmas.

Fundraising and communications manager Camilla Slattery said, ‘We are delighted to be taking part and working together with Hospice in the Weald in the Charity Chalet. There is a real synergy between our charities as we both provide care and support to the people of Tunbridge Wells and around Kent. We are looking forward to being part of this fantastic event and meeting lots of new people. Please do stop by and say hello!’

Hospice in the Weald will be selling its Hospice Christmas cards, as well as promoting its annual remembrance event, Light up a Life – until Sunday 18 December

The charity provides care completely free of charge to patients with a terminal illness, their families and carers, in the community we serve.

Rachel Heath, fundraising manager, said: ‘Our care and vital services provide physical and medical support to help with pain or other symptom control, as well as emotional support (psychological, social or spiritual) from the day someone is told they have a terminal illness, throughout their treatment and continuing illness or death. We are reliant on the generosity of our community to help us fund our vital services which are provided completely free of charge to patients with a terminal illness, families and carers. Every donation, no matter the size, helps us to reach the £7 million we need each and every year just to maintain our existing services; only 11% of our funding is provided by the government.’

The Royal Tunbridge Wells ice rink is open until Monday 2 January 2017. Skating tickets are: adults from £10.50, children from £7.00 and on sale at www.tunbridgewellsatchristmas.com or 01892 554645 or in person at the ice rink box office or at the Assembly Hall Theatre box office.

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