Cork’s Marymount Hospice seeks to raise €3m

A charity providing hospice support to 3,000 families a year is launching an online memorial Christmas Tree in an attempt to raise €3 million to support the provision of palliative care services.

Marymount Hospice in Cork is holding its annual Light up a Life Ceremony at its facility in Curraheen on the outskirts of the city on Sunday. The event will feature the Army Band, the Frankfield Gospel Choir and a local children's choir.

Paula McGovern, head of fundraising at Marymount, invited people to attend the ceremony at Marymount, the proceeds from which will go towards supporting the hospice’s work.

“Christmas can be a difficult time for people in sensitive situations and our Light Up a Life ceremony is a very symbolic way of us joining together and lighting up our facility here in Marymount,” Ms McGovern said. “This is the first year we have launched our online memorial tree and it’s proving very popular so far and will be available to everyone for the whole Christmas season. People can write a message to a loved one and share it with their friends and family.”

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Ms McGovern said that the charity was indebted to the people of Cork for their generosity in supporting Marymount, which opened a €58 million facility at Curraheen with 44 hospice beds and 63 beds for the elderly in 2011. Some €24 million of the funding came from public support.

The Curraheen facility replaced the St Patrick's Hospital and Marymount Hospice on the city's Wellington Road, where the Sisters of Charity had been providing hospice care to the people of Cork since 1870.

Ms McGovern said that people can sponsor lights on the Marymount Christmas tree in person on Sunday or online at https://lightupalife.marymount.ie