In the summer of 2020, Wales had been in lock down for three months and counting, and lots of traditional office workers had started working from home.
For a hospice in Llandudno however, lockdown life was far from the new ordinary as they had to seek innovative ways to raise vital funds to be able to continue supporting patient, needing respite and end of life support.
St David’s Hospice innovatively launched a Great Orme Tee Shirt campaign, following the cheeky Kashmiri goats, taking over the local town of Llandudno during 2020.
The goats presence in the town was nothing new to the locals, however videos shared became a global phenomenon, and the goats gained more confidence in their expeditions without the presence of humans.
This was true for other parts of the world too with Kangaroos taking to the streets in Adelaide, Australia and Lions using roads as sun loungers in South Africa.
For St David’s Hospice, an opportunity presented itself.
Margaret Hollings, Commercial Director said: “When we first locked down in 2020, we had such limited options in being able to fundraise, but we soon realised that we could still use postal services and utilise our digital platforms to create a global merchandise campaign from the hospice itself.”
The campaign went over and above any expectations that could have wished for with 9,000 tee shirt sales across the globe in the UK, Ireland, Japan, Europe, America, Australia, China and Africa.
“Five years on, we are still amazed by the support shown during that difficult time and we are so proud to have brought that bit of joy to people far and wide through the campaign. It is because of this; we are launching a very special anniversary event this summer – the Abbey Road 10km Adventure”.
The Abbey Road 10km Adventure takes place at 12pm on Saturday 16th August, staring at St David’s Hospice. The event will feature a barbecue before and after the walk as well as a ‘Party at the Pier’ stop off point.
“We are really excited for this event – a great day out for family and friends to join helping to raise funds for local hospice care. There will be plenty of goat related fun along the way including a goat themed history trail and treasure hunt!”
Registration is now open and costs £10 per adult and 5 for children – with family and group discounts available. Visit www.stdavidshospice.org/fundraising-events or call 01492 879058.
