Dove House Hospice is preparing to bring even more Christmas magic to its gardens this year, as A Garden Lit with Love returns for 2026, bigger, brighter and reaching further into the hospice grounds.
Following the success of last year’s wonderful display, the hospice gardens will once again be filled with glowing lanterns, festive lights and Christmas trees, creating a magical space for patients, families and visitors to enjoy throughout the Christmas season. This year, A Garden Lit with Love is growing, with the display extending into the Dove House woodland walk. Sponsored Christmas trees will join the lanterns and festive lighting, creating a new illuminated route through the grounds and an even more special experience for everyone at the hospice.
For patients staying on the Inpatient Unit, the lights offer a connection to the Christmas season, bringing warmth and something beautiful to enjoy from their rooms and shared spaces. The hospice garden provides families with a place to spend precious time together, somewhere to talk, laugh, reflect and make memories at a time when those moments can mean so much. At Dove House, the team do everything they can to make that time feel warm, familiar and special, helping families continue traditions and create memories they can treasure.
This year, even more people supported by Dove House are helping to create A Garden Lit with Love themselves. Every sponsored lantern will be individually decorated by people attending Dove House Wellbeing Groups, including Living Well, Hearts in Bloom, Tea & Talk and Friday Friends. Their creations will become part of the display, giving people the opportunity to see something they have made become part of a Christmas experience enjoyed by the whole Dove House community.
Children supported by Roots of Support, Dove House’s child bereavement service, will also be creating handmade decorations for the Christmas trees. Each decoration will be made in memory of a loved one, with the creative process forming part of a supportive activity for children experiencing bereavement.
Jonny Bottomley, Partnership Development Fundraiser at Dove House, said: “A Garden Lit with Love transforms the hospice gardens into a magical place for patients and their families to spend precious time together and create memories that will stay with them. For some families, it may be their last Christmas together, which makes those moments incredibly special. Our service users are also very much part of bringing the hospice garden to life, helping to create wreaths and decorations for the Christmas trees and seeing their work become part of something that patients, families and visitors can all enjoy.
“We simply couldn’t create something on this scale without the incredible support of our local business community. Their sponsorship is what helps us bring the hospice garden to life and create this special experience for the people and families we care for. By sponsoring a lantern or Christmas tree, businesses become a genuine part of making that Christmas magic possible, while also raising vital funds to support the work of Dove House.”
A Garden Lit with Love would not be possible without local businesses sharing their time, expertise and support. This year, KWL is supporting Dove House as the Illumination Partner, helping to transform the hospice gardens through the design, equipment and installation of the lighting display. Their expertise will help create the illuminated garden that patients, families and visitors will enjoy throughout the Christmas season.
Roger Grannon, CEO at KWL, said: “KWL is proud to support Dove House Hospice and A Garden Lit with Love by providing labour to help bring this special project to life. We hope our contribution will help create a beautiful, welcoming space that offers comfort, reflection and a little festive warmth to patients and their families at what can be a particularly emotional time of year.
“It is a privilege to play a small part in creating the garden, and we value the opportunity to support Dove House in the exceptional care it provides to so many people across our community.”
Kerins Doors is returning as Dove House’s Activation Sponsor, providing continued support to help promote and deliver A Garden Lit with Love and bring the event to life.
Alongside this, the sponsorship from Malcolm West Forklifts is also helping create this special Christmas experience for the Dove House community.
Nick West, Managing Director at Malcolm West Forklifts, said: “Seeing the garden illuminated and knowing our sponsorship helped make it possible was incredibly special. It brought home the scale of Dove House’s impact and the number of local families whose lives it touches, including our own.”
Local businesses are being invited to become part of A Garden Lit with Love by sponsoring a lantern or Christmas tree. Together, local businesses are helping Dove House create something truly special this Christmas, while raising vital funds to provide care and support for local people and their families.
A Garden Lit with Love gives local businesses a meaningful way to support Dove House at Christmas. Their sponsorship will help create a beautiful festive environment for patients, families, visitors and the wider Dove House community, while raising vital funds for the hospice and having a real impact on local people and their families. Sponsors will be invited to experience the finished garden at the A Garden Lit with Love switch-on event on Wednesday 11th November at 4:30pm at Dove House Hospice. It will be an opportunity to see the lights for the first time, alongside the people who have helped create the lanterns, decorations and festive display.
To find out more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Jonny Bottomley on 01482 785743, email fundraising@dovehouse.org.uk or visit dovehouse.org.uk/lanterns