Derian House's Christmas lights tour raises £13,000

Derian House Children’s Hospice’s Deck the Halls Christmas event has raised almost £13,000 from supporters.

The charity encouraged homes, schools, workplaces and clubs to decorate their premises with lights, then created a map for families to go on a Deck the Halls tour and donate.

The charity has now counted the donations and announced that it has exceeded its £10,000 target, hitting almost £13,000.

The money raised will help Derian House look after 450 children and young people with life-limiting illnesses across the North West, and their families.

Paul Spann, whose Westhoughton display raised more than £3,000, said: "Our light display used over 60,000 LEDs to brighten up our street and over 2,000 people came to see it throughout December.

“I created the show myself and it took almost a year to develop - it was a huge learning experience. We have some really supportive neighbours who brought their friends along to watch the shows. There was a great atmosphere – it was fantastic to see all the kids faces when the shows started."

Kerry Salmon, community fundraiser at Derian House, said: “This year’s Deck the Halls event has been a huge success and I just want to thank everyone who put in so much effort – we simply couldn’t have done it without you.

“It has been great to see communities come together, especially during another Covid winter, to switch on their lights and shout about what we do here at Derian.

“As a charity, we have been hit hard by the pandemic, with donations taking a huge hit because of cancelled events and the closure of our shops. This makes us even more grateful to everyone who took part and raised vital funds to help us care for our children.”

Although care for families is free, it costs Derian House Children’s Hospice £5m to run services every year, and with just 12 per cent of this coming from government funding, the charity relies heavily on the support of the local community.

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