Celebrating 25 years

We were so delighted earlier this year when we got the news that 2016 marks 25 years since Children’s Hospice South West was founded. We have been fundraising for this incredible charity for the last three years with a running total donated so far of over £6,200. We have loved being able to support such a worthwhile charity and have seen it go from strength to strength over the years. This year, under the slogan ‘celebrating the past…looking to the future’, they have been holding special events to celebrate this special anniversary and have been encouraging their supporters to hold ‘silver’ parties to mark the occasion. Additionally, they are also one of the chosen charities for this year’s Great West Run in Exeter. As part of this partnership, they have some running spaces available…check out http://www.chsw.org.uk/gwr if you’re interested in finding out more. 

In case you’ve not heard of them though, we’ll fill you in with a little bit on what they do. Children’s Hospice South West provides hospice care for children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and their whole family across the South West region. This care is based in three hospices across the area and ranges from respite and short breaks to emergency and end of life care. They make an incredible difference in the lives of hundreds of families and help to provide support and to make memories for some very poorly children and their loved ones. It was founded in 1991 by Eddie and Jill Farwell  ‘after they experienced for themselves the urgent need for hospice care for children in the South West’ as they had to travel over four hours from their home to the country’s only children’s hospice at the time with their two eldest children. The first hospice, Little Bridge House, opened in 1995, followed by Charlton Farm in 2007 and finally Little Harbour in 2011.
Here at the Passage House Inn, we feel privileged to be in a position where we can regularly organise events and fundraising efforts for such an amazing charity. This October, we hope to continue in doing so with a Halloween spectacular fundraising event and hope that the people of Topsham will once again dig deep to help support the work that Children’s Hospice South West does. We are so incredibly grateful for the people who have helped us in these efforts in the past few years and to those that have got involved and donated, we couldn’t do it without them! So why not head over to their website (www.chsw.org.uk) and have a bit more of a look at the work they do and at the fundraising events that are happening over the next few months. And here’s to the next 25 years! 

A growing tradition

I was never particularly bothered by Halloween growing up. Our family didn’t celebrate it and as I grew older, it felt like a particularly commercialised ‘festival’ with a bit of nastiness (in the form of the trick option of trick and treating) thrown in. I could definitely take it or leave it. But for the last two years, I have been pleasantly surprised by having an excellent time on Halloween and both times, they were at the Passage House Inn. Incorporating fancy dress, good music and fundraising into the night, they seem to have got it down to a fine art! Last year, was particularly spectacular with their three day extravaganza including a sponsored head shave, raffle, live music and marquee full of activities for children including pumpkin carving and face painting. It was also incredibly successful in that they raised over £3000 for the very worthy cause of Children’s Hospice South West.

I was gifted a lovely book (Festivals, Family and Food) by a friend and was interested to learn that Halloween corresponds to May Day (or Beltane) which marks the beginning of summer’s warmth and vegetation as it recognises November 1^st (Samhain) as ‘the first day of Winter’s cold and barrenness’. Obviously, there was a lot more to it than just an observation of changing seasons as they also remembered the dead and anticipated ghosts, ‘general mischief, witchcraft, magic and hobgoblins of every sort’. Personally, I shy away from the connotations of spirits, magic and otherworldly activities but I can very much get on board with consciously marking the change in seasons.

Ever since living on a boat for 3 years, I find myself particularly aware of what is going on in nature around me and continue to somehow try and mould our lifestyle so it fits the seasons. I think it’s easy in this day and age to keep the same routine week in, week out, all year round but I think our ancestors had it right. Spending more time outside when we have lighter evenings is undoubtedly good for our bodies and souls and means that when the darker, barren months creep in, we can spend more time indoors, catching up on the activities that might have been neglected during the previous outdoor based season. Being fluid and not fighting the limits or opportunities that the season offers seems like a very sensible approach to me!

Over the last few years, I’ve started to find myself relaxing when it comes to Halloween. I think even if you don’t like the darker side of it, there is still a way in which everyone can engage with it. So this year, I’ll be heading down to the Passage again as they continue in their tradition of fundraising for Halloween. This year they will be offering pumpkin carving for the children in the afternoon, live music from Exeter based Dirty Money in the evening, a raffle for Children’s Hospice South West throughout the day and as always, a bit of fancy dress. This year Halloween falls on both a Saturday and the Rugby World Cup final which they’ll be showing inside for all the Rugby fans so there’s no excuse not to bring the whole family down for a brilliant day out. I’ll see you there!