Hobbycraft gives children’s hospices a festive makeover as part of new Christmas Ad campaign supporting charity partner Together for Short Lives

Between now and 8^th December, Hobbycraft will be transforming children’s hospices across the UK into winter wonderlands with handmade Christmas decorations created by colleagues. These festive makeovers will mirror the retailer’s new Christmas advert campaign, ‘Every moment is a gift’, which will raise awareness and funds for its charity partner, Together for Short Lives.

Together for Short Lives is the leading UK charity for children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions and all those who support, love and care for them, including children’s hospices. Hobbycraft’s new Christmas advert, which launched today, encourages customers to use the festive period as a time for giving and spreading Christmas cheer by helping these children and parents make lasting memories with those who care for them.

The advert sees colleagues designing, creating and delivering an array of handmade Christmas decorations to Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice based in West Sussex, before transforming the hospice into a winter wonderland. The advert concludes with children who are cared for by the hospice enjoying the festive makeover with their loved ones, and a call to donate £5 by texting in MOMENT to 70560. 

As part of the new campaign, Hobbycraft stores around the country will be recreating the festive makeovers in children’s hospices around the UK between 8th November and 8th December.

Hobbycraft’s partnership with Together for Short Lives sees every Hobbycraft store twinned with their local children’s hospice, ensuring colleague fundraising directly supports children and families in the community where they live and work. Colleagues from every store will be creating handmade decorations and visiting their local hospice over the next month, and helping to turn them into a winter wonderland. In addition to these makeovers, every store will be creating and delivering a Christmas hamper to their local hospice, full of festive kid’s crafts to be enjoyed throughout the holiday season, and they will also be hosting a Festive Fundraiser on 7th and 8th December.

Since the founding of the partnership in 2012, Hobbycraft colleagues have incorporated Together for Short Lives into every aspect of their work, using their creative fundraising ideas to raise over £3.2 million and help build awareness for its cause with customers across the country, and the retailer is on track to surpass £3.5 million, having raised over £210,000 so far this year. Donations help raise vital funds all year round for the 54 children’s hospices around the UK and provide clinical, emotional, and practical support for children and families through art, play, music, and hydrotherapy, bereavement support, respite care and short breaks for families. Just £2,500 could fund a specialist paediatric nurse for one month, and the £3.2m raised so far could help fund 1,280 months in total.

Joel Pickering, Marketing Director at Hobbycraft comments “The care given all year round by Together for Short Lives and children’s hospices they support makes such a difference to the lives of so many children and families. We believe it is important to use our platform to help raise awareness for such a fantastic cause, as every moment between these children and their loved ones is a gift to treasure.”

Nick Carroll, Interim Chief Executive at Together for Short Lives comments “It’s hard to think of a greater joy for a parent than creating memories with their child at Christmas. For families such as those cared for by wonderful children’s hospices like Chestnut Tree House, it takes on a whole other level of significance. This Christmas, thousands of seriously ill children and their families at children’s hospices up and down the country will now get to make precious memories in a truly magical winter wonderland. It’s a priceless gift from Hobbycraft, for which we are eternally grateful.”

Sharon Wheeler, Head of Clinical Services at Chestnut Tree House, comments “It was so heartwarming to see the reaction from our children and families to Hobbycraft’s magical Christmas makeover. Chestnut Tree House is a special place where we make memories every day – we pack in as much fun and as many experiences as possible! Children’s hospices across the UK play a crucial role for children with life-shortening conditions and provide vital support at the heart of the community. We couldn’t do what we do without the support of those communities, and organisations such as Together for short Lives and Hobbycraft. Thank you.”

To make a donation to Together for Short Lives and help spread Christmas cheer, use the link www.hobbycraft.co.uk/charity or text MOMENT to 70560 to donate £5.

Watch Hobbycraft’s Christmas Ad here: https://youtu.be/LxXrsniKZNo