For all press enquiries, please email WHCTxmasfair@outlook.com or
call Kate Paterson on 07876 440119
PRESS RELEASE
30 OCTOBER 2019
BIGGER THAN EVER LOCAL CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EVENT RAISING MONEY FOR LOCAL CHARITY
WATLINGTON HOSPITAL CHARITABLE TRUST CHRISTMAS FAIR 19TH NOVEMBER 2019
Watlington Hospital Charitable Trust’s annual Christmas fair will be held on Tuesday 19th November from 9:30 to 3pm at The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel and Spa near Thame. The popular gift fair attracts hundreds of people from all over Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. This year the fair is even bigger with additional space filled with 50 carefully selected stalls including 17 new exciting independent businesses and many firm familiar favourites.
Come and join the shoppers and supporters to browse stalls for Christmas gifts and be inspired by the range of products on show. From cashmere sweaters, stunning wool fedoras, beautiful stationery and vintage decorative finds to children’s stocking fillers, bargain books and home-made Christmas cakes, the Christmas Fair can help you do all your Christmas shopping under one roof – no parking hassles, no city centres and all done in mid-November!
With lots of small, rural businesses taking part, you are sure to find something to suit even your most difficult gift dilemma. Try cufflinks from local Jenny Knott Silver, Spanish Olive Oil grown by Fino Olive Oils based in Oxford or Watlington based Joanna Oliver’s beautiful ceramics. The Fair’s firm favourites, such as Sarah Foreman selling fabulous faux flowers and plants, will be joined by lots of new stallholders such as So Souk, selling stylish artisan homeware and accessories from around the globe and The Holiday Shop London, selling stylish and practical accessories for sport, leisure and holiday adventures.
The Fair is the major fundraising event for the Trust and all money raised goes directly to supporting those who stay in the Nursing Home. The Nursing Home this year was rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission – the highest grade possible. Previous Fairs have helped to finance the provision of a vegetable garden, televisions in bedrooms, minibus, and a sensory unit for patients with dementia. This year WHCT has agreed to provide a substantial grant towards the new staff accommodation with planning permissions expected very soon. This will greatly ease major current problems in finding affordable staff accommodation.
WHCT are delighted that so many people turn out to support their local nursing home in Watlington which enables many to keep relatives close by when they are recuperating after illness or require long-term care.
The Fair has a new sponsor this year. Darwin Escapes has kindly stepped in with generous sponsorship to contribute towards the cost of hosting and promoting the fair. This North Wales based company offers luxurious holiday accommodation and golf courses across the UK in desirable locations such as the Lake District, Oxfordshire, Cornwall, Norfolk and North Wales.
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Contact: Kate Paterson, Watlington Hospital Charitable Trust, Christmas Fair Committee Tel: 07876 440119 E-mail: whctxmasfair@outlook.com
Note for Editors: About WATLINGTON HOSPITAL CHARITABLE TRUST (WHCT) Registered Charity no: 1083847
Watlington and District Nursing Home would not exist were it not for WHCT. When the Community Hospital closed in 2000, WHCT was formed and after enormous effort by the Trustees and the generosity of local people, nearly £2,000,000 was raised to purchase the site. WHCT appointed Sanctuary Care to build and run a nursing home, which opened in 2004. The Trustees also leased land to the GPs to build the Chiltern Surgery. There are 60 en suite rooms providing a wide range of care: 15 beds for NHS Intermediate Care (patients discharged from hospital who need rehabilitation), 15 beds for general nursing and 30 beds on the ground floor for those with memory loss, who require specialist care and nursing. The majority of those admitted are publicly funded, and come from Watlington and the local neighbourhood.
The Trustees oversee the care provided through formal and regular meetings with Sanctuary Care at the Nursing Home.
The annual Christmas Fair is the major annual fund raising event. On average, it meets nearly one third of the WHCT needs. The balance comes from the return on capital which was raised at the start of the project in 2001, and other occasional donations.
Note for Editors: About Darwin Escapes
Darwin Escapes currently operate 22 resorts offering golf, holidays and holiday home ownerships across the UK. A wide variety of holiday styles are accommodated, ranging from romantic boutique escapes to luxury lodge retreats and traditional family focused holiday parks, all of which boast state-of-the-art and diverse accommodation and on-site facilities including spas, gyms, restaurants and activities.
The company strives to raise the standards of the UK holiday park industry and to ultimately provide the best possible holiday experience for holiday makers and holiday home owners by creating brand new resorts in stunning UK locations with accommodation and facilities that rival those of 5 star hotels.
For further information about Darwin Escapes and its numerous holiday destinations and facilities visit www.darwinescapes.co.uk or follow them on Twitter or Facebook: @DarwinEscapes
Registered Charity No 1083847