Elves bring Christmas Cheer to Candlelighters Annual Christmas Party

12th December 2016

Pictured (L-R): Marianne McKeown (Walker Morris) / Lucy Curran (Candlelighters) / James Farad (Blacks Solicitors LLP) / Natalie Kisby (Candlelighters) / Sarah Graham (Individual Volunteer) / Lucy Elliot (Walker Morris).

Walker Morris volunteers hang up their ties and suits in exchange for elf shoes and Santa hats at the Candlelighters Christmas party!

In November, Walker Morris announced Candlelighters as its 2017 chosen ‘Charity of the Year’ and the fundraising is already off to an excellent start with over £3,094.50 raised so far. Following on from this success, the Walker Morris team donned their festive Christmas jumpers to volunteer at the annual Candlelighters Christmas party.

The Christmas party is one of the biggest events of the year for Candlelighters, with all the children affected by childhood cancer, plus their siblings, invited to come and join in the festive fun. The opportunity to volunteer was met with a enthusiastic response with well over a dozen Walker Morris employees, including partners Jeremy Moore and Nick Cannon, plus some extra friends, family and spouses meeting at the Royal Armouries in Leeds to help make it the best Christmas party yet!

The Walker Morris team spent their Sunday building Santa’s grotto, sorting hundreds of presents, manning stalls ranging from the ‘Teddy Tombola’ to giant floor games, serving tasty treats and dressing up as some of the children’s favourite animated characters. With over 83 families in attendance, every hand was needed to ensure that the day was as fun and magical as possible and hopefully give any parents a chance to relax, with the Candlelighters’ travelling treatment bus stationed just outside, offering some much needed relaxation massages and other wellbeing treatments.

Louise Walker, of the Walker Morris Charity Committee commented:

“Everyone from the Walker Morris contingent had a fantastic day and being able to see first-hand the incredible work that Candlelighters is involved in and what a difference this makes to the children and their families has given us all the more motivation for our ongoing fundraising efforts!”

Founded in 1976 by families and medical staff, Candlelighters supports children with cancer and their families across Yorkshire. They support work and equipment on the hospital wards, offer holidays and financial assistance to families and provide a range of support services at their Family Support Centre ‘The Square’, including wellbeing treatments and talking therapies. This year they have also launched their brand new Candlelighters Bus which takes their support services out to families all across Yorkshire.