Chirpy fundraiser Pip receives first Severn Hospice robin

Pip Haywood, his mum Becki and brother Oskar were at Severn Hospice in Telford after being specially chosen to receive one of the charity’s brand new robins.

Following the success of its sell-out ironwork forget-me-nots back in 2016, the hospice has now launched the new seasonal hand-painted keepsakes.

The robins are another vital fundraising initiative from the charity as it faces unprecedented financial losses due to the pandemic.

Pip, 10, was presented with one of the first by hospice matron Helen Duce. His father Paul was cared for at the hospice before he passed away nine years ago after being diagnosed with bowel cancer, and since then the Haywood family, from Telford, have raised hundreds of pounds for the hospice.

Robins will help support hospice

The keepsakes, created by the Severn Hospice, are one of the charity’s latest fundraising initiatives planned to help fill a shortfall of hundreds of thousands of pounds brought on by the Covid-19 crisis.

To launch the new robins the hospice welcomed Becki Haywood and her two sons Pip and Oskar. They have raised funds for the hospice since it cared for their father Paul.

They have come up with a host of different ideas to raise money, including innovative Lego subscription boxes called Babacorn-Bricks, glitter art created by eldest son Rayph, and bookmarks designed by Pip.

Becki said that Pip was delighted to hear he was to be presented with the hand-painted robin.

She said: “We love robins in our family and, when I was pregnant with Oskar, Paul and I thought perhaps we would choose the name Robin.

Special

“Although we decided on Oskar, robins have a very special place in our hearts. It’s a lovely gesture of them to present Pip with his own robin.” Pip plans to call the robin Robbie and knows the perfect spot for him in the garden – right by the pond where the frogs can keep him company.

Elodie Home, Severn Hospice’s legacy and in memoriam advisor said she hopes the robins prove as popular as the forget-me-nots.

He said: “I know our forget-me-not flowers were hugely popular and brought a lot of comfort and pleasure to people, so I’m hoping our robins will do the same.

“We know the importance and value of remembrance to families and so we wanted to create something which would help them capture those feelings. The robins are there to embody the saying that ‘when robins appear, loved ones are near’.

“We have so many lovely supporters and when we were thinking who to present a robin to, we just knew it had to be Pip. Along with his mum and his brothers he has done so much for us here.”

The robins have just gone on sale on the hospice’s website severnhospice.org.uk/support-us/our-shops/product/robin

The keepsakes, which measure 14cm tall, are hand-painted and made from hard-wearing metal that makes them suitable for outdoor and indoor use.