RESIDENTS in the Okehampton area are being invited to a special 21st birthday celebration this month by Hospiscare, which is based in Exeter.
The charity hopes many people from this area will attend the celebration of thanks, remembrance and hope being held in Exeter Cathedral on January 21.
The ceremony will reflect Hospiscare?s base in the local community: music will be provided by a choir and orchestra made up of volunteers trained specially for the day by Andrew Maries of the Keynote Trust.
Central to the celebration will be a Tree of Life, sculpted from willow by artist Barbara Clift of Dulford. Everyone will be given a leaf and invited to write on it a thanksgiving or remembrance or a comment to hang on the tree.
The service, which will be led by the Bishop of Crediton and Hospiscare?s chaplain, Rob Yeomans, is at 7pm on Tuesday January 21 ? Hospiscare?s actual birthday.
Rob said: ?We are looking forward to bringing together patients, their families, supporters, volunteers, staff and members of the local community to give thanks for 21 years of dedicated service.
?We will also remember those who have died, and look forward with hope to the future. Hospiscare is about making the most of life, and the service will reflect that.?
Cathy Debenham, Hospiscare?s head of fundraising and communications, said: ?Hospiscare?s beginnings are firmly rooted in the local community. Without the enthusiasm and energy of our early volunteers the charity would never have got off the ground.?
She said Hospiscare needs £2.4-million a year to provide its service ? only a quarter of that funding comes from the NHS ? the rest comes from the community and shops such as the Hospiscare shop in Okehampton.
?As well as celebrating the help and support we have given and will continue to give to patients and their families, we also want to celebrate the enormous dedication of all of our supporters and thank them for their continuing commitment,? said Cathy.
The service in Exeter Cathedral marks the beginning of a year of celebration for Hospiscare. The organisation hopes that individuals and community groups will join in by holding an event during the year to raise money for Hospiscare.