Bettys York raises £17,000 for local Hospice in memory of colleague

The staff of Bettys York has shown more than a cup of kindness as they raised an astonishing £17k for St Leonard’s Hospice in a fundraising effort initiated by their colleague who sadly died.

They carried out their fundraising mission in memory of their dear colleague, Bev Watson, a long-serving member of the team at Bettys who “died too young”, and was cared for by St Leonard’s Hospice.

Before her death, Bev nominated St Leonard’s Hospice to be Bettys York branch charity because of the ‘great care’ she received there.

The team came up with lots of creative ways to raise the cash. These included Valentine’s treat boxes, a lockdown photo competition, an Easter raffle, a quiz night, a bingo lottery, taking part in the St Leonard’s Hospice Midnight Walk, open gardens, and a fayre at St Crux Church in York.  The team at York raised over £11k from their activities and this was topped up to £17k by Bettys.

A spokesperson from Bettys York, said:  “Bev nominated St Leonard’s Hospice because she had received such great care during her stay there and we instantly wanted the Hospice to be our branch charity. Bev was a wonderful, understated, caring, gentle and funny lady who sadly died far too young. It was an honour to raise funds in her memory. Lots of us at Bettys York have a personal connection to St Leonard’s Hospice and its locality means that we or our friends and family will almost certainly need its services in the future. Knowing that Bev received such wonderful care and how appreciative she was of the time she spent there meant we were determined to raise as much money as possible.”

Jenny Brandom, Director of Clinical Services at St Leonard’s Hospice, said: “The team at Bettys have done so well to raise such an amazing amount of money for the Hospice. We are extremely appreciative to Bettys and their staff for their support which will help us care for local people and their families, living with life-limiting and terminal illnesses.”