Light up Life in memory of our loved ones

The evening of Thursday 12th December saw the return of Light up a Life, where our community is invited to come together in a shared act of remembrance.

Held at Event Northumbria in Newcastle City Centre, hundreds of people gathered to shine a light on special people they love and miss, led by Davina Radford, St Oswald’s Hospice Spiritual Care Lead, with many more choosing to tune in and watch the live stream from home.

Guests approaching the venue were treated to the sounds of choral group Vox Populi, and were entertained by Robsons Choice as they arrived inside. During the service, music was provided by Newcastle Concert Band, who played a selection of festive favourites as people took their seats, later accompanied ‘The Gathering of the Stars’ procession ahead of the tree being lit.

The evening opened with a warm welcome from Steph Edusei, Chief Executive of St Oswald’s Hospice followed by a short time of reflection led by Chaplain Fiona Boyd.

Throughout the evening, guests were introduced to Mary O’Sullivan-Fawcett and Laia Easby who bravely chose to share their own personal and inspiring stories. Readings throughout the evening were taken from the book ‘Watching from the Stars’ by Fox Under the Moon. Author and illustrator Stacey McNeill kindly allowed her artwork to be used to accompany the words on the screens at the event and she gifted copied of her book for our guests to take home with them.

The lights on our Tree of Lights were switched on by Liliana and Matteo De Simone in memory of their dad Pietro, who died in March 2023. As thousands of lights illuminated the tree, the room was moved to silence, as each light shone in memory someone special. This was followed by a quiet time for reflection.

The evening drew to a close with Newcastle Concert Band, supported by St Oswald’s Hospice Singing Group and Vox Populi, leading everyone in a rendition of White Christmas and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

To date, our amazing community of supporters have helped raise £86,200 by remembering their loved ones through Light up a Life. Once fundraising and promotion costs have been deducted, that amounts to a net total of £80,500 to support the vital work of Oswald’s Hospice. Thank you so much to everyone who dedicated a light on our tree and chose to support the hospice in this special way.

We’d like to extend an enormous thank you to all who have helped in bringing this event and the Light up a Life campaign together:

The staff at Event Northumbria for hosting us, Mary O’Sullivan-Fawcett and Leia Easby for sharing their personal stories, Stacey McNeill for allowing us to use her excerpts from her book, Liliana and Matteo De Simone for switching on the tree lights, Robin Shield for donating the beautiful tree and Applebridge for delivering it, Robson’s Choice, Vox Populi, St Oswald’s Hospice Singing Group and Newcastle Concert Band for their musical contributions, Greggs for donating mince pies and of course, thanks to our campaign sponsors, Iain Nicholson & Co Solicitors and David Auld & Co Solicitors.

Thank you to St Oswald’s Hospice Staff and Volunteers for their contributions and a very special thank you to everyone who came in person or watched at home. Light up a Life can only exist with your support and kindness. We hope it has brought you and your family some comfort.

If you missed the service or would like to watch it back again, you can view it on our YouTube channel here.

View some images from the night below: