An extra special guest arrived at our hospice this week.
Pip Haywood, his mum Becki and brother Oskar dropped by after being specially chosen to receive one of our brand-new robins.
Following the success of our sell-out ironwork forget-me-nots back in 2016, we have launched our seasonal hand-painted keepsakes.
Presented
Pip, 10 was presented with one of the first by our matron Helen Duce.
His father Paul was cared for by us before he passed away nine years ago.
Since then, the Haywood family have raised hundreds of pounds for us. They have sold their innovative Lego subscription boxes, called Babacorn-Bricks, eldest son Rayph created glitter art and Pip designed bookmarks.
Delighted
Becki said Pip was delighted to be presented with the hand-painted robin.
She said: “We love robins in our family. When I was pregnant with Oskar, Paul and I thought perhaps we would choose the name Robin.
“Although we decided on Oskar, robins have a very special place in our hearts.
“We want to do whatever we can to help support Severn Hospice. It’s a lovely gesture of them to present Pip with one.”
Pip knows the perfect spot for his in the garden – right by the pond where the frogs can keep him company.
Popular
Elodie Home, our legacy and in memoriam advisor said: “Our forget-me-not flowers were hugely popular. They brought a lot of comfort and pleasure to people, so I’m hoping our robins will do the same.
“We know the importance and value of remembrance to families. So we wanted to create something which would help them capture those feelings. The robins are there to embody the saying that when robins appear, loved ones are near.
Supporters
“We have so many lovely supporters and when we were thinking who to present a robin to, we just knew it had to be Pip.
“Along with his mum and his brothers he has done so much for us here.
“Even now, as our fundraising starts to build back up, we have a long way to go before we recover from the £100,000 we lost each week since March when we were forced to close our shops and events were cancelled. The sales of these robins will help with our fundraising efforts.”
Family
Becki added: “Paul was in the hospice for two weeks before he died. The nurses were so kind, they were like a little family to us – nothing was ever too much trouble.
“I know what people are going through and when I hear about how other hospices are being affected because of the pandemic, we want to do all we can.
“I want other people to have the resource we did. We do all that we do in Paul’s memory and so the hospice will always be there for everybody who needs it.”
The robins can be bought in our online shop and each purchase will help support local families in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Mid Wales living with incurable illness.
Comfort
They are the perfect way of providing comfort when you are remembering someone close to your heart.
The keepsakes, which measure 14cm tall, are hand-painted and made from hard-wearing metal. They are suitable for outdoor and indoor use.
They will be delivered by post in time for Christmas, and come in a presentation box which can be personalised and given as a gift.
