Shining Star lights to illuminate hospitals across Doncaster

Each are sponsored by businesses, schools and individuals and have raised over £60,000 for hospital services.

Due to current cost of living pressures, the Charity has received feedback from local people who would have loved to sponsor a star this year but are unable to.

As such the team have been exploring different ways, they can provide everyone with the opportunity to be part of the appeal.

With the help of partners PA Entertainments, for the first time, alongside the main LED lights, additional stars will be projected on to the hospital buildings for one night.

This special event will be in memory of those who are no longer with us, or to recognise a NHS staff member or department who has gone above and beyond during their work.

Families across Doncaster, Worksop and the surrounding areas are invited to dedicate one of the stars, which will be projected on Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Bassetlaw Hospital, during a special switch-on event in return for a donation of choosing to the hospital charity.

Katy Cross is a proud supporter of this year’s campaign, she said: “My family has sponsored one of the physical star lights for the last two years in memory of my wonderful mum, but this year we we’re unable to commit to sponsoring a physical star so I’m delighted the charity has been able to find another way we can still be part of the Our Shining Appeal.

“My mum was in hospital in 2020 when the charity first launched the appeal and we decided to sponsor a star as a family to say thank you to the amazing doctors and nurses at Bassetlaw Hospital who were caring for my mum and to put a smile on her face.

"Every time we visited, the stars were shining away, making visiting during her final days that little bit easier.

“Having lost my mum at Christmas, the Our Shining Stars appeal gives me a special way to remember her and it’s just amazing that although my donation may be small, it contributes towards a bigger total, making a big difference to Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals’ Charity, whilst hopefully bringing comfort to the patients, their families and staff who find themselves in similar positions like we did back in 2020.”

For a donation of any sum to DBTH Charity, families can dedicate one of the stars in memory of their loved ones or in recognition of their NHS heroes through the charity’s ‘Virtual Star Sky’.

This also provides the opportunity to leave a message, accompanied by a photo which will be displayed online throughout the festive period.

Throughout the last two years, ‘Our Shining Stars’ has raised over £60,000 for Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals’ Charity which has been reinvested into a range of projects, including a bereavement suite for the Emergency Department at DRI, visits from therapy huskies to support colleague wellbeing and aid patient’s recovery, improvements to ward environments and equipment to help enhance patient experience such as TVs and radios.

To dedicate a shining star and make a donation visit https://visufund.com/our-shining-stars-2022/

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