A campaign in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty has raised nearly $60,000 for Waipuna Hospice in the lead up to Christmas, enabling the continuation of specialist hospice palliative care.

Farmers at Bayfair and Tauranga Crossing, with the support of their customers, raised a total of $29,322 in-store with the Farmers Christmas Charity Campaign whilst Waipuna Hospice's community-based remembrance Tree Appeal added a further $30,539 in donations to make the regional total $59,861.

This is the eighth year that Farmers has raised funds for hospice and to date around $6m has been donated nationally.

One of the unique elements of this fundraiser is that 100 per cent of funds raised in each community stay in that community to support the local hospice service.

The iconic annual bauble produced by Farmers exclusively for hospice was once again in high demand, with nearly 15,000 collectable baubles sold.

'Farmers have recognised that their staff and customers really want to support people in their own communities living with a life limiting condition,” says acting CEO of Hospice NZ Wayne Naylor.

'Because of this focus, people know their donations stay local and will mean their community hospice is there free of charge for anyone who needs support.”

The work of Farmers in raising the funds this year has been praised by Waipuna Hospice CEO Richard Thurlow.

'This amazing donation will help Waipuna Hospice support terminally ill patients, and support their families and whānau at no cost,” he says.

Richard explains the funds will not only go toward nursing and medical support but also counselling, bereavement support, massage, physiotherapy, biography services, spiritual support, medical loan equipment and more.

'I'd like to extend a huge thank you to Farmers, for not only raising funds for Waipuna Hospice, but for also working as ambassadors for our services, helping our community to better understand the work we do,” he says.

'The awareness raising that comes from being involved with Farmers is invaluable. The enthusiasm and commitment from all staff and the people of Farmers Bayfair and Tauranga Crossing has contributed to this amazing result.”

Farmers chief financial officer Michael Power says the company are 'extremely proud” of the amount raised.

'Farmers has been at the heart of New Zealand communities for over 110 years,” says Michael.

'We are delighted to make a positive difference in our communities through our long[1]standing relationship with Hospice.

The total of total of $59,861 has left Richard and the team at Waipuna Hospice feeling overwhelmed, especially during a year when so many have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I want to thank Farmers, those who supported us by hosting a Remembrance Tree site, and of course all those in our community who remembered a loved one through this appeal,” he says.

'Every dollar raised from this appeal helps us help our community.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I would like to make a special mention to the volunteers who made this appeal possible. The time and effort that our dedicated volunteers give to Waipuna Hospice continues to blow me away. During this appeal, they contributed an incredible 864 volunteer hours.”

'This campaign, and the amazing result, would not be possible without our generous community."