A History in News Articles
2000 £700
COMPANIES are being invited to sponsor the Pershore Tree of Lights, which is being held in aid of the Acorns Children's Hospice and St Richard's Hospice charities.
The Rotary Club of Pershore and Pershore Town Council have teamed up to provide and decorate the town's Christmas tree, which will be in Broad Street.
Members of the public are also being given the opportunity to dedicate a light to the memory of a loved one.
A total of £700 was shared by the charities as a result of last year's tree of lights.
Organisers are this year suggesting donations of £25 for companies and £5 for individuals, with cheques made payable to the Pershore Rotary Club (Charity Account).
All money received will be acknowledged at the foot of the tree, which will be switched on at 4pm on November 23.
Anyone who wants further information can contact rotary club council member Ken Bouchard on 01386 553985.
2001 £1,700
MAY I through your letters page write to thank the businesses and people of Pershore, who have given so generously to Pershore Rotary Club's Annual Pershore Tree of Lights Appeal.
Last year, by adding to the money collected, we were able to share £800 between our two chosen charities. This year, I am delighted to report that we will be able to present cheques in excess of £800 to both St Richard's Hospice and to the Acorns Children's Trust.
We are very grateful to all who made donations, and best wishes for the new year.
GERALD H CANVIN, President, Rotary Club of Pershore, Church Street, Wyre Piddle, Pershore.
2006 £2,000
A TREE of lights which illuminated Pershore town centre and helped people remember departed loved ones has raised £2,600 for life-limited children.
Pershore Rotary Club's festive fund-raiser in aid of Acorns Children's Hospice has made the highest amount of money in its six-year history - smashing its £2,000 target.
Lights were sponsored by members of the public in memory of a departed loved one and names placed under a tree donated by the rotary club, which stood in the town's Broad Street.
Rotarian John Grantham said up to 200 lights shone when Mayor of Pershore Val Wood pressed the button in a special ceremony on Saturday, November 25, when crowds and carol singers filled the town centre. "It has been our best year and we are very pleased," said Mr Grantham.
"We have been able to go forward and improve on it each year. The fact that the people of the town want to remember their loved ones has really caught on and I am sure in future years we will perhaps do even better."
Mr Grantham said although most of the lights were in memory of loved ones, about 40 traders also made donations. "The highest amount we had for a light was just over £100, which was from one of the traders," he said.
He said a farming couple, Pat and Neal Lightbody, who fled to Pershore from Zimbabwe because of the brutal treatment of farmers under President Mugabe's regime, also made a donation to remember those who lost their lives there.
2011 £3,018
2012 £3,614
FAMILY and friends donated more than ever this year to the Pershore Rotary Tree of Light in memory of their loved ones.
Donations from residents and businesses reached just under £4,000 – nearly £1,000 more than last year. All the proceeds are being donated to Acorns Children’s Hospice and the Pershore public access defibrillator project.
Judith Gath, president of Pershore Rotary Club, said: ”The amount collected this year is brilliant. A big thank you to all those people and businesses who donated at a time when we are all feeling the effects of the economic climate, and Pershore Town Council for decorating the tree.
“I would also like to thank all my fellow Rotarians who have stood in Chapman Court and at the Co-op receiving the donations, often in the pouring rain. Acorns and the defibrillator project are really deserving causes which make the amount collected even more pleasing.”
2013 £3,013
2014 £2,732
2015 £3,524
2016 £4,419
2017 £3,731
2018 £4,210
2019 £5,292
Pershore Rotary’s Tree of Lights Appeal 2019 exceeded expectations by raising just over £5,000 for charities.
President Ken Rowe said: “Thanks to donations received from many local people and businesses we have been able to support the following charities: £1,500 to Midlands Air Ambulance, £1,500 to St. Richard’s Hospice and £1,000 to the PROGS grant scheme for local needs.
"Among other good causes, donations have enabled us to support a ‘Kids Out’ day for disadvantaged children in the local area and a Pershore High School candidate for the Rotary Youth Leaders Award (RYLA).
“Pershore Rotary is again immensely grateful to the Asda and Co-operative stores in Pershore for allowing Rotarians to collect donations from shoppers in the lead up to Christmas.
"Our challenge for the 2019 Appeal was to raise more money for our nominated charities than we did in 2018.
"We have achieved that by extending our appeal within the local community and included many local businesses.”
Appeal organiser Jim Douglas said that Pershore Rotary owed much to the generosity of many businesses throughout the 2019 Appeal.
He said: "I'd like to express particular thanks to Andrew Grant & Clifton-Crick Sharp & Co, for displaying rolling lists of Loved Ones Remembered on computer screens in their office windows; Timothy Lea of Lodge Farm, or supplying the Christmas tree; Vic Haynes Transport, for delivering the tree to site; and Pershore Town Council, for fixing and lighting the Christmas tree."
Rotary organisers also thanked the following businesses in Pershore and the surrounding area: Adder Bookkeeping Ltd, Angel Hotel, Carlton Smith Projects Ltd, Carrick Travel Ltd, Deer Park Hall. Eckington Manor, E Hill & Son Funeral Directors, Faith Property Services, Jackson Family Funeral Directors, Johnsons Property Consultants, KC Carpets Ltd, Lincoln House Dentists, MED Associates Ltd, Memory Lane Memorials, O.H.M.S. Ltd, Penny Raby, Family Lawyers, Pershore Hire Centre, Pershore Tyres Ltd, Riverside Fish Bar, Silver Fern Osteopaths, Simply Stone UK Ltd, TC Fireplaces, Thai Legend, Thomson & Bancks, Water Cooler World, W&D Property Company and Widmer Ltd.
2020 £3,128
2021 £4,267
Over £4,000 was raised as the people of Pershore remembered loved ones at Christmas.
The Rotary Club’s Tree of Remembrance Appeal 2021 not only provided a chance for residents to celebrate the lives of friends and family no longer with us, but also raised £4,200 for three local charities, a 40 per cent rise on the previous year’s total.
Pershore Rotary president, Lucy Thornton, said: “We had a wonderful response to our Christmas Appeal and we are truly grateful to everyone involved.
“We can now donate £1,400 to St Richard’s Hospice, £1,400 to Acorns Children’s Hospice and a further £1,400 to our own Pershore Rotary Grants Scheme (PRoGS).”
Ms Thornton also wished to recognise the support and generosity of numerous local businesses, in particular Ken Tallis of Abbey Butchers who provided the Christmas tree in Broad Street.
Organiser of the appeal, Bob Marchant, added: “It made a big difference to be able to collect outside Asda and the Co-op once again and we had an excellent response to our Appeal notices in the Evesham Journal again this year.”
2022 £3,618
At the end of the second year of Covid, fundraising was difficult and we raised a lower amount than previous years, but we were still able to give Alzheimer's UK, St Richard’s Hospice and Acorns Children’s Hospice £1,320 each.
2023 £3,580
The collection for 2023 was for local charities, and was distributed to help The Pershore Foodbank, The Community Cupboard, The Volunteer Centre and The Riverside Centre.