The Prince of Wales Hospice is extending a heartfelt thank you to everyone in the local community after a festive fundraising brought in £86,154.

Thanks to their generosity, the hospice will be able to fund around 11 days of care on its 14-bed ward, supporting patients and families across the Five Towns with comfort, dignity and specialist care when they need it most.

Throughout December and into January, people from across the area got involved in a range of festive fundraising events.

From school events to personal challenges, every donation and act of kindness played a part in reaching this total and made a real difference to local families.

The hospice will be able to fund around 11 days of care on its 14-bed ward, supporting patients and families across the Five Towns with comfort, dignity and specialist care when they need it most thanks to fundraisers over the festive season.

placeholder image — The hospice will be able to fund around 11 days of care on its 14-bed ward, supporting patients and families across the Five Towns with comfort, dignity and specialist care when they need it most thanks to fundraisers over the festive season.

Light up a Life: The much loved annual appeal once again gave people the chance to remember someone special. This year, the main remembrance event was held at a new venue, Pontefract Racecourse, offering a peaceful space for reflection. The appeal raised £19,700.

Caring Christmas Appeal and Christmas Raffle: Supporters helped make the festive season as comfortable as possible for carers, patients and their families through both the Caring Christmas Appeal and the hospice’s Christmas raffle.

Kind donations helped create a warm, thoughtful environment for families spending precious time together, including those facing their last Christmas with a loved one.

Thousands of raffle tickets were also sold, adding some extra festive excitement. Together, the two campaigns raised £15,095 for patient care.

Reindeer Run: Forty local schools took part in this year’s Reindeer Run. Playgrounds were filled with children running, dancing and prancing in festive antlers, all to raise money for the hospice. So far, the events have raised £42,456.

Christmas Tree Collection: In January, volunteers collected more than 620 real Christmas trees through the annual collection scheme. The campaign brought in £8,900 for patient care, with 10 per cent shared between two local charities: the Castleford Tigers Foundation and Smiles for Miles.

Adrian Greenwood, Fundraising Manager, said: “Every donation we receive helps someone in our community. From lighting up memories to running in reindeer antlers, people have shown such kindness this festive season.

"Every gift, no matter how big or small, helps us provide life-changing care and support to local families when they need it most.

"We are incredibly grateful for the generosity shown across all our festive fundraising.”