Strictly Fever

The hospice has been hit with 'Strictly' fever as our fantastic 'Strictly Come Prancing' event fast approaches. This was a sell out event last year when we held our first ever 'Strictly Come Prancing' at the Normandy Hotel in September 2012 and raised a staggering £26,000! The dancing bug soon filtered out through our supporters and we are delighted to have 18 couples taking part over two nights this time around!

The support for this event has been tremendous and we are very lucky to have such a talented dance coach on board. Michelle from GX Studio based in Pro Life in Paisley has been rehearsing with all of our participants and putting them through their paces, getting them ready to tread the boards in aid of the hospice.

One of our couples said, "When we heard about this opportunity to not only learn to dance but to combine it with raising money for a great cause and also providing entertainment for our friends ... well we just had to go for it!"

Another one of our participants said, "Never one to shrink from a challenge, when it was booked for this year and there were spaces available I couldn't resist. Being the year of the 25th anniversary also makes it a special time to do it."

It really is a star studded affair - well almost, we have our very own Brucie and Tess and of course it wouldn't be a strictly event without the judges!

Taking place on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th April, these are two of the best nights the month of April will ever have. Tickets for the Saturday night have sold out, but there are still limited tickets available for Friday, and at just £25 with a drinks reception, 2 course meal and entertainment included how can you resist.

With just over one week to go our budding Fred Astaires and Ginger Rogers' are all ready and raring to go with their music from the movies theme, to dazzle and delight with their dancing on the night, and we can't wait to see them all in the spotlight.

Last years winners Justin and Stephanie

Stepping into Spring at St Vincent's Hospice

It's hard to believe that we are at the beginning of April. The year has got off to a flying start - quite literally!

We recently invited our Ambassadors to a small lunch reception to celebrate the hospice's 25th  anniversary. We are very lucky to have committed and generous support from all our St Vincent's Hospice Ambassadors, who include the Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, STV's Sean Batty and Radio Scotland's Shereen Nanjiani - we continue to be very inspired by their dedication.

Following the lunch, Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander told the press " I met with St Vincent's Hospice's Chief Executive, Kate Lennon, and my fellow Ambassadors as part of the hospice's 25th anniversary celebrations. It was an opportunity to hear directly about the incredible work the hospice does week-in, week-out, supporting patients and families' right across Renfrewshire and beyond. Providing such excellent specialist palliative care at the most sensitive time for families is a precious gift to our community."

Sandy Stoddart, Sculptor in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen and St Vincent's Hospice Ambassador has announced 3 exclusive tours that he is hosting to celebrate the 25th anniversary. See our website for more information here.

The influence and support of our Ambassadors will ensure that it really is a special year for St Vincent's Hospice.

We have also received tremendous support from our local business community across Renfrewshire; as a result we are now developing important corporate partnerships and our sincere thanks go to everyone involved - you can see all our corporate partners here.

Our website has dedicated pages for our Executive Club 25 members and our Corporate Partners, which include logos and links to our partners' websites. As a local charity we are extremely grateful for the support we receive from our communities; being partnered with so many supportive businesses demonstrates the kindness and compassionate within our communities.

There are still plenty opportunities to become a 25th Anniversary corporate partner for St Vincent's Hospice, for as little as £100. Just contact the fundraising team on info@svh.co.uk and they will get all the information you need.

It's that time of year again when the running shoes are getting pulled out and dusted off! As Spring fast approaches everyone is getting into gear and starting to train for various runs. Some of the big events this year are; the Women's 10k on 12th May, the Edinburgh Half Marathon on 26th May and the Great Scottish Run on 6th October.

We are very lucky to have a brand new 5K road race right on the hospice's doorstep taking place on Sunday 14th April! The Bowfield Hotel & Country Club are running their inaugural 5K road race in aid of St Vincent's Hospice and we are delighted to be involved - Bowfield 5k.

Within the hospice there has been a real buzz about this new run and our staff are forming a cheer station to encourage all the participants to keep going. Howwood Primay School has also gathered pupils together to help lime the road and cheer all the runners along.

We are also looking for some volunteers to help marshal the route on the morning of the run, you will be helping to line the route and keeping our runners on the right track! If you are available to help for just 2 hours contact ashley.moran@svh.co.uk or 01505 705635.

Equally if you want to take part in the 5k please contact the Leisure team at the Bowfield at enquiries@bowfieldhotel.co.uk or 01505 705225.

If running is not your thing, our weekend cycle and trek on the Isle of Arran could be for you, our Challenge 25. Already we've had some very enthusiastic supporters register to take part, and there are still spaces available. The Challenge 25 group is very driven and are organising some training dates, making it a real team effot.

Our Director of Fundraising Karen is taking part and said "It's going to be a fantastic weekend - a good luck breakfast at St Vincent's, bus then ferry to Arran before we begin a beautiful cycle to Lochranza followed by a celebration dinner. Then on Sunday we cycle to the foot of Goatfell before trekking up and getting the most incredible West coast views, before returning to the hospice before sunset. What a terrific weekend!"

With just over 2 months to go until Challenge 25 there is still time to get your bike our of hibernation and grab your walking boots. Now spring is fast approaching it's the perfect time to get active and get involved. If you fancy finding out more or signing up for this fantastic duathlon contact us at info@svh.co.uk.