This Christmas, please help our patients and families across Lanarkshire get the compassionate care they need.

The festive season is just around the corner, so we hope you don’t mind us telling you a little bit about what Christmas is like here as we start preparing – and how, with your help, we can make it wonderful for everyone we care for. Because for many of our patients, this Christmas will be their last.

Christmas time really is so special here. The whole Hospice is decorated with sparkly decorations and there are Christmas trees and decorations in each of our patients’ bedrooms – a special touch that makes them feel more at home. Even though it can be an emotional time of year, it never feels like doom and gloom – there’s always a happy atmosphere.

On the big day, Santa visits every patient on Christmas morning to deliver their gifts and we invite patients and their families to have a Christmas dinner, either at the table or in their beds if they prefer. It’s a big menu with choices of different starters, mains and puds – the food’s always delicious! There’s music and crackers and the patients sometimes bring a bottle of fizz. We’ve even got our own bar, so if someone wants a wee half, that’s no trouble.

For the patients that don’t have any family, that’s where we’ll spend time sitting, talking and pulling a cracker with them. And for patients that want to spend Christmas at home with their loved ones, we do everything we can to make it happen. We work closely with our NHS Community Nursing Team to ensure they have everything they need to be at home over Christmas and are always on hand to give additional support and advice if required.

To give patients and their families the best possible care this winter – and the wonderful Christmas they deserve – we need your help.

A gift of £27.99 will pay for a Christmas tree and decorations for a patient’s bedroom this year. £65.40 will allow a patient and their family members to celebrate Christmas with a delicious Christmas dinner. £170 is enough to buy six Christmas Day gifts for Santa to deliver to our patients. And an incredibly generous gift of £1034 would help to fund a patient’s care on Christmas or Boxing Day. Any amount you can give would be so appreciated.

Click here to donate to our Marvellous Christmas Appeal.

Thank you for everything you do for St Andrew’s Hospice.

Thank you to Taylor Wimpey and Whyte and Barrie for supporting the Appeal: