Dear all,
As we come to the end of a year that none of us will ever forget, I just wanted to take a few moments to wish you and yours a very happy Christmas from all of us at LauraLynn Children’s Hospice and to thank you all for your support this year.
2020 has brought so many challenges, both in our personal lives and also professionally. I am so proud of our organisation for the resilience shown throughout this pandemic which allowed us to continue providing care and supports to our service users and their families. Our response to Covid-19 showed our values of Collaboration, Excellence and Compassion in action as we came together while needing to remain apart.
I want to thank our incredible supporters, donors, staff and volunteers who made it possible for LauraLynn to continue to be there for our service users and families this year when they needed us most.
Despite so many fundraising events falling victim to Covid-19 we quickly adapted and held some very successful virtual fundraising challenges which saw supporters across the country completing hundreds of press ups and walking, running and cycling thousands of kilometres in aid of our hospice services. A huge thank you to everyone who supported us through taking part in these challenges. Your support raised vital funds allowing us to continue our services.
We also had to overcome lots of challenges around moving elements of our care and supports online. Our Care Team showed immense resilience in moving areas of supports such as Music Therapy, Play Therapy, Family Camps and Bereavement Care online, allowing our families to avail of these services from the safety of their own homes while they were cocooning. Our amazing volunteers became virtual volunteers and stayed connected with our service users and families through online platforms.
We managed to celebrate milestones virtually this year including our 9th Birthday and Light Up LauraLynn. A huge thank you to all our ambassadors, supporters, suppliers, staff and volunteers who made those special moments happen.
Reflecting on the year that was 2020, I am extremely honoured and proud of what we as an organisation achieved this year despite all the challenges that the year brought for us. We are extremely lucky to have such wonderful, dedicated and passionate staff, volunteers, supporters and donors.
Wishing you all a happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas and every best wish for a brighter 2021.
Bevan Ritchie, Acting CEO, LauraLynn
