Helen Roberts and family recently hosted a beer festival, complete with live music and fun for all the family. The festival raised an incredible £11,000 for their chosen charities, including Bolton Hospice.

It's the second time Helen's organised the festival, in memory of her mum, Rosemary Smith, who was cared for at the hospice in 2021.

"My beloved and much missed Mum, Rosemary Smith, sadly passed away in Bolton Hospice on 1st March 2021. It was a traumatic time for us as a family as it all happened much quicker than anyone expected, and she passed away peacefully after a short stay in the hospice. My father and I were able to visit daily as often as we could and share meal times with her in her room, which meant the world to us.

"Mum would enjoy her little chats with the staff, and I remember especially her sharing stories with Ellie (consultant) and them having a good old laugh together.

"After losing Mum, I wanted to do something in Mum’s memory & to give back and say thank you. So in Aug 2021 my eldest daughter and I raised over £350 doing Macmillan 10K steps a day for a month, then my daughter took part in Cancer Research UK’s pretty muddy race for life in Oct 2021 and raised over £200.

"So the next thing was to plan and put on the next Beer & Music Festival with 3 friends – it took 8 months of planning but resulted in a brilliant weekend of music, fun and laughter."

Bolton Hospice will receive a wonderful £3,000 from the beer festival, plus an additional £1,000 donated by Helen's dad and Rosemary's Husband, Graham Smith.

If you've been inspired by Helen's story and would like to also fundraise for Bolton Hospice, you can find start your fundraising journey here.