Put the kettle on for St Andrew's Great T-Parties!

Many had their own personal reasons for staging a tea party, including Laura McGowan.

Laura and her family are great supporters of the Hospice and were aware of the challenges it faced during the pandemic.

Explaining why she held a Great T-Party, she said: “The garden party provided a great opportunity for us to get together with our friends and raise some much needed funds for the Hospice.

“My family and I wanted to raise funds for the Hospice in memory of Brian McGowan, a much loved husband and great dad who we lost in 2014 at the young age of 54. He spent his last weeks in the care of St Andrew’s Hospice.

“Everyone who knew Brian knew how much he loved music and to have a good time with family and friends and that’s exactly what we decided to do in order to raise funds.

“Since his death, we have held an annual fundraiser in his memory as a way of thanking the Hospice for all that they did for Brian and continue to do for other families like us.

“We could not have raised as much if it wasn’t for the amazing support from all our friends and family.

“Our friend, Brian Gillen, kindly gave up his Saturday afternoon to put on a DJ set for us. Louise, another friend, provided and set up an extra gazebo and balloons to help with the party atmosphere. The day couldn’t have gone any better. We even got sunshine in September! Everyone had such a great time, it was fantastic, we can’t wait for the next!

“We raised so much more than we thought we would, which was down to the generosity of all of our friends.

“We are always looking for ways to raise money for the hospice and the Great T-Party gave us all that much needed lift after the stress of lockdown, as well as a great sense of satisfaction knowing that we were providing much-needed funds. Brian would have been proud of us all!”

People are being invited to join St Andrew’s Hospice in celebrating the second year of The Great T-Parties, running from now until September 30.

Register for your party pack at www.st-andrews-hospice.com/the-great-t-parties or e-mail [email protected].