St Luke’s Hospice will hold their 27th celebration of lights on 3 December 2023 in the garden of St Lukes, Little Common lane, Sheffield.
John Highfield, 62, Media Relations Manager of St Luke’s hospice, said: “The evening is a truly magical, moving and a lovely evening.
“All the lights are dedicated to somebody, many patients at St Luke’s, but they can be for anyone in Sheffield who wants to remember a loved one.”
The touching evening will hopefully offer some comfort during an often particularly difficult time of year for those dealing with grief.
Over the past year, St Luke’s has given palliative care to at least 1,800 patients and including family and friends of those patients, over 6,000 people.
St Luke’s provides end of life care for anyone with a terminal illness, not just for those with cancer. They are looked after in their home or some at the hospice, which currently has 20 beds.
Mr Highfield shared St Luke’s goal is: “giving people and their families the best possible experience in the period before their death.”
It costs 12 million pounds to keep the hospice running and St Luke’s are responsible for raising over seven million of this.
Mr Highfield said: “We are grateful for the money from the NHS, but with that alone we wouldn’t stay open for more than a few months.”
The hospice offers an open door service 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Patients are not charged anything and they care for anyone over the age of 18.
BBC Sheffield mid-morning presenter, Paulette Edwards, will be hosting The Festival of Light this year and she will be joined by Micheal King, who’s wife was a patient at the hospice.
Lights will be switched on at 4pm, which stay on for the rest of December. Mulled wine, festive food and live music will also be on offer throughout the evening.
Mr Highfield said: “It’s a touching evening, an evening of everyone purely coming together, a really uplifting and moving experience.”
To donate and receive a light for this, tickets can be found online at St Luke’s website.
