Give a Gift This Christmas: Rangeford Villages’ Homewood Grove, Chertsey, Launches Campaign for Children in St Peter’s Hospital

Rangeford Villages new brand-new lifestyle community for the over 60s, Homewood Grove, in Chertsey, Surrey, has launched a campaign for local children who are spending Christmas in hospital this year.

Dozens of sick children in Surrey will be spending the festive period in the children’s Ash and Oak wards at the St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey this year.

With this in mind, the retirement village will be looking to spread some Christmas cheer this year with their ‘Gift a Gift’ campaign, which aims to support the hospitalised youngsters by delivering a gift to every child, ensuring that no child wakes up in hospital on Christmas morning without a present to open.

The campaign launched at the beginning of December and will run until December 22, and invites local people and friends of Homewood Grove to donate items needed for the under-fives to 18-year-olds including puzzles, books or colouring books, travel sized toiletries and bathroom essentials, fluffy socks and scarves. Donors are also being asked to wrap the items and identify whether they are for males or females.

The donations will be distributed to children at the hospital in time for Christmas day by one of Rangeford Villages’ Christmas elves, who are guaranteed to put a smile on the children’s faces.

Speaking about the campaign, Beccy Gunn, Village Manager at Homewood Grove, said “We are so pleased to have launched ‘Give a Gift’, a collaborative campaign between Homewood Grove and St Peter’s Hospital, which is located next to the retirement village.

“Every year, so many children spend Christmastime in hospital as they are too ill to leave and spend the season with their loved ones. Therefore, the campaign aims to spread a little happiness to the children and their families at this time and ensure that we are bringing a little bit of joy to them.”

Ellen Bull, Interim Chief Nurse for Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “On behalf of the Trust, I’d like to thank Rangeford Villages for their very generous campaign to support our paediatric patients who are spending the Christmas period in our hospitals. We know the gifts children in hospital and care receive during this time make a lasting positive impact on their experience.”

Those wishing to donate can do so by dropping off their donation daily at the collection point between the hours of 10am to 5pm. The point is located next to St Peter’s Hospital at Homewood Grove Retirement Village, Stonehill Road, Chertsey, KT16 0AG.