Aroundtown Magazine Nov/Dec 2023 edition

FEELING FESTIVE
Santa brings Christmas cheer to
Rotherham Hospice families
December may be a very busy
time for Santa Claus, yet he
always makes time to bring
some Christmas cheer to
Rotherham Hospice.
Santa has been a supporter of Rotherham
Hospice since before the hospice was even built
27 years ago. For Santa, knowing he can spread
a little Christmas magic during what can be a
difficult time of year is what the holiday spirit is
all about.
Santa usually makes two special trips each
Christmas – one to visit their Sunbeams children,
and one to the Rotherham Hospice Christmas fair
to meet all the good little boys and girls.
Sunbeams is Rotherham’s only bereavement
support group specifically for children and teens.
It’s a safe place to come together with others who
understand what the children are going through,
whether that’s losing a loved one or seeing them
being cared for at Rotherham Hospice.
Through activities and talking, the hospice
team help children cope with their grief and
remember their loved one in a positive way.
Nine-year-old Luke* attended Sunbeams when
he lost his grandad. After his eight sessions,
Luke’s mum said that he was much calmer
and talking about his feelings a lot more, which
was something he’d struggled with before. At
Christmas, Luke went along to the Sunbeams
craft evening to make cards and keepsakes to
put on the family Christmas tree in memory of
his grandad.
As with all Rotherham Hospice services,
Sunbeams relies on the generosity of their kind
supporters to keep going.
This December, you are invited to the
Rotherham Hospice Christmas Fair which
will help boost festive funds for the hospice.
Kindly sponsored by Henry Boot Construction,
the fair takes place on Sunday 3rd December
at Wickersley Old Village Cricket Club on
Northfield Lane.
Between 12pm and 4pm, there will be lots of
fun, food, gifts and games galore. Book your
children a slot to see Santa in his grotto where
they can do Christmassy crafts at the Elf Station,
write their wish list, enjoy a snack and drink, and
receive a gift and photo with Santa.
Or why not take part in the Santa Dash? The
festive fun run event is back for 2023, so get your
Santa outfit at the ready. It costs £5 to enter, plus
any sponsorship you can raise.
Book your visit to Santa’s Grotto and find
out more about the Christmas Fair and Santa
Dash online: www.rotherhamhospice.
org.uk/christmas-fair-2024
Eric the donkey and friends set for
new-look home
In a quiet corner in Thurgoland,
plans are underway to improve
the lives of some rare breed
animals – and the humans who
have sought a moment’s solace
there, too.
Sunflower Sanctuary is home to Eric the sevenyear-old
Poitou donkey, Bert the pygmy goat,
and 102kg Nellie, dubbed the fattest sheep in
South Yorkshire.
It was set up in the summer in memory of two
people connected to the village.
The site, just off the edge of the Trans Pennine
Trail, is managed by Richard Damms who has
had rare breed animals for the last ten years.
Over the years, the animals have become a focal
point of village life, with people coming to sit and
reflect or to escape the world around them.
One person who would often walk his dogs in
the area and sit for a while was Simon Ellis, who
sadly died by suicide in May this year. Simon
had a huge love of all animals and felt very lucky
to live a very short walk from the field. In his
memory, his wife and two daughters wanted to
raise funds to improve the site and turn it into an
animal sanctuary.
The family asked if it could be named
Sunflower Sanctuary after Simon’s favourite
flower – which also happened to be the favourite
of Richard’s partner, Alison, who passed away
from ovarian cancer in September 2020. During
the Covid lockdown, when Alison felt well
enough, she would spend time with the animals
who proved to be great therapy for her.
Losing Alison devastated Richard’s life, but
the animals are what keep him going and he’s
incredibly committed to their welfare.
Simon’s family have been fundraising to
improve the small holding for the animals
and enriching their environment, which will
encourage more people to visit the lovely village
of Thurgoland.
Plans include erecting a new outbuilding for
the animals to sleep in. There will also be new
fencing around the site, plus an area of hard
standing to make the area more manageable in
wet and wintry conditions.
Richard, a joiner by trade, has already been
tinkering away in his workshop making wooden
signs and benches. Throughout the winter, he will
be sorting the land out to make the ground level.
Then after Christmas, he’ll start on the building so
it’s ready for spring.
Next year, Richard also hopes to introduce
more animals to the site, such as goats and
lambs, with the future goal to foster or adopt
abandoned farm animals.
Simon’s family did the Manchester Half
Marathon in October and will continue to raise
funds throughout the festive period. The whole
village of Thurgoland have already jumped on
board to support the project. Thurgoland Out of
School Club regularly take children down to see
the animals and have organised a raffle to raise
money. And Richard says he was humbled to
find an envelope of loose change taped to the
fence left by some local children who gave their
pocket money to the project.
If you’d like to donate to Sunflower
Sanctuary and give these animals a new
home, you can do so online.
www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/
Sunflower-sanctuary
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