A CHILDREN’S hospice marked its 15th anniversary with a special birthday bash.
Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service, based in Maidenhead, hosted a celebration at its site to mark its special 15-year milestone on Saturday, June 11.
This was just one of a series of events and activities being held in 2022 by the hospice, which supports children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.
CEO and co-founder, Fiona Devine, welcomed nearly 200 friends, supporters, and volunteers to the hospice on Saturday, including Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Cllr Christine Bateson.
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Mrs Devine said: “Building a children’s hospice service for Berkshire has been an incredible and, at times, challenging journey.
“I know that we would not have achieved so much and be able to support so many local children and their families were it not for the hundreds of people that have supported us along the way.
“As well as celebrating our amazing milestone, our birthday party was also about saying a massive thank you to so many of these people and recognising the enormous contribution they have made.”
Mrs Devine added the charity wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for every person that has “gifted their time” to the charity and helped them along the way.
She said: “It meant so much to the Alexander Devine team to have so many people join us at our birthday party and to celebrate with us.
“As always with these special events there is a small army of people to thank for all their hard work.
“I want to thank our fantastic gardening club volunteers for making our hospice grounds look so beautiful, Thames Valley and Great Western Omnibus Trust for providing the wonderful vintage bus to transport our guests in style, Paul Jackson for keeping us wonderfully refreshed and the Innovate team, Ken, Nitin, Dom, Geoff and Dave, for their simply divine food.
“Big thanks also to Julie Walsh for creating us a 15th birthday cake that really was a showstopper.”
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Guests were invited to park at Grove Business Park and were transported to the party in a 1950s vintage bus.
As well as garden games, guests were entertained by the Devine Buskers, an incredible group of volunteers who over the years have raised £27,455 through their performances.
The spectacular birthday cake, which was cut on the day by Alexander’s younger brother Harry Devine and his cousin Olivia Tonkinson, was generously made by local supporter Julie Walsh.
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