"It all started when Anne’s Mother moved to West Wickham and started to volunteer on Saturday mornings in the Demelza shop in the High Street in 2007. Anne being a dutiful daughter held a coffee morning and displayed a clip board with a ‘willing to help’ sign up form. And guess what? We signed up! Fundraising really got under way in 2008 and at that time very few Croydon people were aware of Demelza.

Since then the Shirley Group have organised many fundraising events from Quizzes to Afternoon Teas, Coffee Mornings to Lent Lunches, Nearly New Ladies’ clothes sales to Stalls at Fairs and Bazaars!

All of these events have helped raise Demelza’s profile in the area. We think this has led to the Hospice being chosen by the organisers of Shirley Way Bears and the Shirley Scarecrow Trail. Two members, Terry and Stephanie, have spent considerable time and effort organising their respective fundraisers and have not only raised over £11,000 to date between them but also have further spread the name of Demelza Hospice Care for Children in Croydon and beyond.

Meanwhile, since 2008 the Shirley Group has raised over £61,000! Not a bad result!"

Anne, Michael, Tonia, Carol

We thank the Shirley group for their incredible support of Demelza over the years and the difference they have allowed us to make.