This festive season, we invite you to remember someone special by adding a shining star to our Light Up A Life Christmas Tree.
Devon
Appeal runs throughout November & December. Trees to be lit at our free Christmas Concert (18th Dec, 6pm, Barnstaple Pannier Market)
For anyone wishing to honour a loved ones memory this Christmas
Christmas is a time when memories shine brightest—when we remember the moments shared with loved ones and wish we could spend just one more festive season together. Light Up a Life is your way of making their memory sparkle this Christmas.
This year, you are invited to dedicate a star in memory of someone special on our Light Up a Life tree. The tree, glowing with hundreds of stars, will be displayed at Barnstaple’s Pannier Market, a beautiful tribute to the people we hold in our hearts. You are not alone in missing someone at this time of year, and each star will honour those amazing lives that continue to inspire us.
Your donation in their memory will help us ensure that families in North Devon are cared for, during what could be their final Christmas together. For those facing a life-limiting illness, your support brings dignity, comfort, and compassionate care—so families can create precious moments together. Every star represents a cherished life and brings hope to others during difficult times.
THURSDAY 18 DECEMBER, 6PM, BARNSTAPLE PANNIER MARKET
Enjoy free entry, festive food, and live music, and join us for the lighting of the Light Up a Life tree. See your star shine in memory of someone special, alongside hundreds of others who are honouring their loved ones this Christmas.
Throughout the festive period, there’ll be a number of Light Up a Life church services across North Devon. You can come to remember loved ones, with the comfort of being together at this poignant time of year.
You are welcome to attend the services at:
Your donation will make a difference, to people like the Parnell family, who will be forever grateful for the support they received from North Devon Hospice. And it’s all thanks to people like you.
“Mum was such a big fan of Christmas. She had a whole drawer of Christmas brooches and a wardrobe full of festive jumpers!” said Zoe Parnell, from Barnstaple. “The house would be tinselled-up from floor to ceiling, and my favourite thing was watching Mum get out all the old decorations me and my brothers had made at school. They are just
coloured pieces of cardboard, almost 40 years old! But they meant the world to Mum, and she loved bringing them out every year, no matter how old us
kids got.”
After Julie was diagnosed with cancer in early 2024, the whole family quickly had to adapt to the news that it was incurable. “It was such a shock. We had to change our mindset, ensuring Mum was comfortable, so we could savour the months we had left with her. That’s where North Devon Hospice came in, to scoop us all up.” said Zoe.
Julie was supported at home with a Specialist Hospice Nurse, before a stay on the Bedded Unit. “I honestly don’t know what we’d have done
without the hospice,” said Zoe. “It wasn’t just the care for Mum, it was that the whole family felt reassured and comforted every step of the way. The counselling teams even helped us break the news to the
grandchildren. Mum decided she wanted to spend her final days at home, and within one day the hospice had arranged for all the equipment we’d need to be there.”
Zoe added: “The Hospice to Home team then visited every day and were a lifeline for us. They were just so calm and helped us so much. But more than that, I knew they really cared about us. They were so empathetic, and I could see the tears in their eyes on the
day she died. This isn’t just a job to them.”
This Christmas, Zoe and her family will be proudly hanging their Light Up a Life star on their Christmas tree, complete with Julie’s name on. It will take pride of place among all those homemade decorations made by her children, which Julie so cherished.
“Last year was tough, but this year we’re all looking forward to coming together and celebrating Christmas like Mum would have wanted.” said Zoe. “I really hope that other people who are missing someone special at this time of year will find comfort in the Light Up a Life campaign, because it’s a lovely way to honour their memory. You’ll also be helping the hospice, who will be caring for many more families this Christmas,
showing them the same love which our family will never forget.”
Get in touch to find out more
