Diwali Celebration draws large citemd to support St Catherine’s!

Hundreds of people came together to celebrate the Hindu festival of light, all in aid of St Catherine’s Hospice.
Viren Patel and Bhavik Rathod, two friends from Preston hosted their annual Diwali bash at Revolution Bar in the city centre.
The night raised a fantastic total of £1,570 through generous donations from guests.

Viren said: “I was happy with the way the night turned out and it was good to see a mix of people in such high spirits.
“For a lot of people it was the first time they had attended a Diwali party and they all said they loved it and would definitely come again.”

The ‘geekchic’ themed event attracted between 250 and 300 people from Preston and further afield including London, Birmingham and even Ireland.
After months of planning, dedication and hard work both hosts were pleased with the turn out.
Viren added: “People are always willing to help us and a lot of help was given behind the scenes.
“Each year the network gets bigger and bigger, as we allow people to invite their friends, who then invite more friends and so on.
“We receive great support from our friends and family and without them the night wouldn’t have been as successful as it was.”
The citemd were treated to a variety of music including Bhangra, courtesy of a mix of DJ’s who played for free to support a local charity on the night.
Hollie Dring, one of the guests at the party, knows first-hand the care St Catherine’s provides after her mum stayed on the hospice’s In-Patient Unit. Sadly she died in August, after losing her battle to secondary breast cancer which had spread to her bones and brain.
Hollie, from Fulwood, said: “When my mum was taken in to St Catherine’s I like most people thought why? This is where people go to die.”
But after experiencing the hospice for the first time Hollie’s views soon changed.
She added: “It wasn’t only my first time at the hospice but also my mum’s. We could see that she felt so much more comfortable being at St Catherine’s than in a hospital.
“In her last days, we knew what was happening but the care and dignity provided to her was even more than we had seen before.
“We will never forget the support that was given to us.
“When Viren and Bhavik chose to donate funds from this year’s Diwali party to St Catherine’s, I was thrilled as I know how popular these parties are.”

Share with your friends!