Peterborough man’s shining efforts to raise money for Thorpe Hall Hospice

For the seventh year in a row, Peterborough grandfather David Wooldridge has transformed his Longthorpe home into a glittering display.

David’s winter wonderland includes glowing penguins, snowmen and nutcrackers, festive Christmas trees, and thousands of sparkling multi-coloured lights.

New for this year is a magical fairy tale setting in David’s Victorian greenhouse, complete with a blanket of snow and a stunning Snow Queen.

The lights are switched on daily until January 3 2022.

This year is the third year David has fundraised for Peterborough’s Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice. To date he has raised an overall total of £2,235, helping to fill people’s final days with love.

David said: “It all started when I put one light up on the roof – reindeers with a sleigh – one Christmas. It has gone from there and got bigger; you could say it has snowballed! The front changes every year, it is never the same. I’m always buying new things.

“It is a lot of hard work – it takes me over two weeks to put all the lights up. The worst part is taking them down after the festivities have ended. It is rewarding though, and I hope people get a lot of enjoyment out of the lights. When you get a lovely comment, it makes it all worthwhile.

“It doesn’t cost anything to see the lights, but we ask people to make a donation to Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice if they would like to. I support Sue Ryder because they cared for my dad. He had cancer and was cared for at another Sue Ryder hospice. They did so much for him, before he passed away. I now support Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, which is my local hospice here in Peterborough, in his memory.”

Helen Kingston, Community Fundraiser at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, said: “This is a beautiful tribute and a wonderful way to spread joy this Christmas, while helping our hospice to continue to be there when it matters.

“At Sue Ryder we believe that the end of someone’s life is the most important time of their life. Our care teams do all they can to make room for the things that matter to a patient – like spending time with loved ones, sharing stories, jokes and memories, and filling their final days with love.

“It’s truly fitting that David’s magical lights display will be helping to raise vital funds so someone can experience as much comfort and joy as possible at the end of their life, while creating special memories for local families this Christmas too.”

Everyone is welcome to visit the display on Longthorpe Green, Longthorpe, which will be on until 3rd January, where donations to the Peterborough hospice will be gratefully received.

With figures showing every 4.5 minutes someone in the UK dies without the specialist end of life care they need, national healthcare charity Sue Ryder, which runs Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough, is asking people to back an appeal to help them be there for more families when it matters.

Donations to the appeal will enable Sue Ryder to deliver the expert and compassionate palliative care they are so well known for. Helping to manage symptoms as well as give advice on the practicalities, so that patients and their families can place their focus on filling their final days together with love.

For more information and to donate visit www.sueryder.org/careatchristmas