Our Heanor funeral home drew a bumper crowd when it launched its 2022 Christmas tree charity appeal last week and now it’s the turn of our Stapleford office to unveil its tree this weekend.
The event will take place tomorrow from 2pm until 4pm, when families who have lost a loved one during the year can visit the office to leave a message of remembrance on the branches of our newly installed Christmas tree.
For each message left between now and Christmas, we will donate £1 to charity, which this year – as it has been for the past two years – is the Haven Centre Food Bank in Wadsworth Road.
However, there is another reason to pop in. Not only will we be serving coffee and other hot drinks as part of a belated Macmillan Coffee Morning, our funeral arranger, Hannah, will be selling her handmade remembrance jewellery for anyone who wants a keepsake for a loved one.
Hannah started making jewellery during lockdown after she was placed on furlough with her previous employer and before long started selling her creations to her friends.
She now sells them via her Instagram page @hannahrosejewellery and will be bringing a selection along, with half of the proceeds from each sale being spilt between Macmillan and the food bank.
Joanne Hutsby, a partner in Gillotts Funeral Directors, said: “Our memorial Christmas tree Appeal is a chance for everyone to come together to pay tribute to their loved ones and help us raise money for a local food bank at the same time.
“We’re also really pleased to be holding our MacMillan Coffee Morning event, which we had to postpone from September, and also give our clients a chance to see Hannah’s jewellery and, if they see something they like, to buy it to remember someone special.”
Our other offices in Eastwood, Kimberley and Selston will all launch their Christmas trees next week to coincide with the switch-on ceremony at Eastwood on Tuesday.
We will also be holding our annual remembrance church service again this year, with the event taking place at St Mary’s Church in Greasley at 4.30pm on Sunday, December 4.