Hospice Holly Trail gift to community
Hospice Holly Trail gift to community
In mid-November 3000 people set out with their maps, boots and brollies to explore the very best of Havelock North and Te Awanga as part of the Hospice Holly Trail.
Winding through country roads, the Trail this year included 11 gorgeous homes, a lunch and picnic venue at Euchre Farm that featured several delicious food trucks, and a silent auction of a beautiful John Lancashire painting at Muse Gallery. Over the three-days, guests were encouraged to take time to enjoy the wonderful local cafés, shops and wineries.
Tickets for the event sold out within hours, and people travelled from all over the country for this popular Christmas celebration in Hawke’s Bay homes in aid of Cranford Hospice.
KK Márffy, Hospice Holly Trail Chairperson reflects,
“Our Trail this year once more inspired guests. Thank you to the homeowners for their energy, enthusiasm and for welcoming us into your beautiful homes. Everybody adored the experience and the utterly amazing work done by our floral designers, which positively sparkled despite the weather.”
This event involves two years of planning, 350 volunteers, 60 organisations who sponsor the event, over 20 floral designers, 11 homeowners who generously volunteer their homes to be part of the Trail, local artist John Lancashire who donated his artwork for the silent auction and 6 Committee Members who manage the event.
Márffy continues, “Without these wonderful people we couldn’t produce the amazing result we do – all are part of a collaborative process which enable us to give back to Cranford Hospice, for all they do in our community.”
The Gifting of Funds ceremony was held on Sunday at Euchre Farm. A record-breaking $400,000 was gifted to local charity, Cranford Hospice.
Andrea Jopling, Cranford Hospice Deputy Chair, shared what this gift will mean for Cranford Hospice.
“The funds raised from this much-loved event will go towards supporting the work we do to provide the best possible care for people at the end of life. A warm and heartfelt thank you to the committee members, volunteers, homeowners, designers and sponsors for making this Trail happen. Every day here in Hawke’s Bay, our team are supporting around 200 patients and their families in their own homes – from Mahia through to Takapau. Our goal is to improve the quality of life that remains, understand what matters most in their life and to focus on the person and their family rather than their illness.”
One of these family members was Aimee. Her dad was cared for by the Cranford Hospice team, and the support her family received meant they could spend quality time together making special memories and appreciating the little things.
“Even a pandemic doesn’t stop the hospice doing what they can to offer support to all involved… I’m extremely grateful that I was able to receive counselling, free of charge through Cranford Hospice. I feel like I was taught so many lessons and this has made me feel like the grieving process has been a lot ‘easier’ or ’healthier’ for me.
The hospice can begin to feel like your home and everyone there feels like your family, getting you through each day.”
This year was a particular special year as it was the last run by the present committee who have been running the Trail for more than a decade. The Hospice Holly Trail Committee has now handed over the reins to a new Committee, which will be Chaired by Penny Manahi.
In her final speech as Chair, Márffy shared, “For 24 years, the incredibly popular Hospice Holly Trail has supported Cranford Hospice to provide the best possible end-of-life care to people when we need them the most. My Committee and I have been so privileged to be custodians of the Trail and have absolutely loved what we have together achieved. We have worked closely with the new committee to ensure a smooth transition and are delighted to hand over the reins to Penny, Leigh and their new team.”
Notes
Since 2000, the Hospice Holly Trail has donated more than $3 million to Cranford Hospice and is one of their largest charitable donors. To view this year’s gallery of photos, and to sign up to the Hospice Holly Trail’s mailing list for the 2024 event, please visit www.hollytrail.co.nz.
To keep delivering services free of charge, Cranford Hospice needs to fundraise over $3 million each year to provide the best possible palliative care for people living in Hawke’s Bay.