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South Staffordshire College supports St. Giles Hospice to raise over £17,000 as part of its Celebrate Lives Lived Campaign

April 2023

Ceramic Gerberas in field

South Staffordshire College has been supporting St. Giles Hospice with creating ceramic gerbera flowers for use within a special art installation to mark the 40th anniversary of their Celebrate Lives Lived Fundraising campaign.

The Celebrate Lives Lived campaign run each year by the Hospice allows members of the public to donate money and dedicate a flower in the memory of a loved one. The flower is then displayed in their memorial garden for one month, which is open to the public.

As 2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the campaign, the hospice wanted to create a bold and impactful display which will cover the whole of their memorial garden, similar to the poppy display created at the Tower of London for Remembrance in 2017.

The Hospice approached the art and design department at Lichfield College to see if they could help with creating very special ceramic gerbera flowers for use within the supported by their tutors, have made close to 700 ceramic gerbera flowers, each with individual styling to represent a life lived. Trade students from Rodbaston College have also been supporting the project, by adding a metal spike onto the gerberas to allow them to be inserted into the ground for use in the showstopping display throughout May this year.

Donations to dedicate one of the ceramic gerbera flowers loving created by students at the college in memory of a loved one started 6 weeks ago. St. Giles Hospice has received £17,118.55 in donations to date for the gerberas and were pleased to share with the college that the average donation has increased drastically.

Curriculum Manager for Creative and Digital, Claire Pinder-Smith said “As St Giles Celebrate their 40th year, Lichfield College are incredibly privileged to be supporting St Giles Hospice, and the valuable work they do for our community. We have had close to 100 learners working towards The Celebrate Lives Lived campaign and we are so proud to see the fantastic work our students are doing in producing each of the individual gerberas, each one with a personal dedication, representing a life lived. We are really looking forward to installing the ceramic gerberas in the memorial gardens and creating a wonderful display of celebration and remembrance. Throughout May, the public are invited to visit the gardens to see the gerberas, and the dedications will also be available all year round to view in a virtual gallery”.

If you would like to find out more or to dedicate a gerbera in memory of a loved one, please visit https://bit.ly/3Gu1uhI or please contact St. Giles’ fundraising team directly on 01543 432538 or by emailing fundraising@stgileshospice.com.