Otter Garden Centres raises £37,000 for Hospiscare

Otter Garden Centres in Ottery St Mary has celebrated its 60th anniversary with a standout achievement, raising a record-breaking £37,000 for local charity Hospiscare - almost double its original £20,000 target.

The festive highlight of the celebrations was Otter’s ‘Festive Adventure for Hospiscare’, a magical Christmas experience that attracted families from across the region.

The event featured a winter wonderland, animated reindeer singalongs, and a scenic land train ride. Volunteers from Hospiscare played an essential role, helping children create reindeer food and write letters to Santa, with a special evening dedicated to children with special educational needs (SEN), which was particularly well-received by attendees.

Lara White, granddaughter of Otter’s founders, was actively involved in running the event and shared her joy at its success: “It was lovely to see families enjoying the Christmas magic in such an authentic way; there were plenty of smiles and happy faces.”

In addition to the ‘Festive Adventure,’ Otter’s charity team, in collaboration with Hospiscare volunteers, organised raffles, quizzes, and tombolas, which helped raise an additional £14,000.

Lauren Pearcy, a member of the charity team whose mother was cared for by Hospiscare, expressed gratitude for the collective effort: “The whole team really got behind the fundraising, we couldn’t have done it without the incredible support of Otter staff and Hospiscare volunteers.”

The grand total was revealed at a special thank-you event for volunteers, where Toni Hiscocks, Hospiscare Area Fundraiser, expressed heartfelt thanks: “On behalf of everyone at Hospiscare, we would like to extend our deepest thanks for the incredible support and generosity of Otter. The Festive Adventure was a truly magical event, bringing joy to so many families - and of course our volunteers - whilst raising essential funds for Hospiscare.”

The funds will go towards enabling local families to receive the vital end-of-life care they need. In recognition of the partnership’s ongoing success, Otter announced that Hospiscare will remain its chosen charity for 2025, marking a sixth consecutive year of support. Since 2019, Otter has raised over £71,000 for the charity.

Otter’s Managing Director, Jacqui Taylor, emphasized the company’s commitment to community support: “As a family-run business, we’re committed to supporting our community. Hospiscare provides a crucial service to that community, and I can’t wait to see what we achieve together this year.”

The Festive Adventure event was made possible thanks to the dedication of Hospiscare volunteers like Bob Joy, who ensured the safety of families on the land train and Coleen Simon, who helped create reindeer food and cleaned up after the reindeers.