Staff and supporters from Birmingham St Mary's Hospice took to the catwalk in the name of fundraising as the Hospice hosted its first ever charity fashion show in their Dorridge Boutique store on Thursday 18th February to raise awareness of its high end charity shops and the hospice care it provides. Through sales, and a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses, around £500 of vital funds were raised on the night. Birmingham St Mary's Hospice is free of charge to terminally ill patients and their families, and costs around £8 million each year to run.
As part of the 'Love your Local Hospice' campaign, the charity fashion show is to help raise awareness of the 16 Hospices from the West Midlands that have joined forces to promote the importance that they play in the local communities.
The catwalk consisted of four key themes and saw Hospice nurses, staff and supporters model day wear, work wear, party wear and occasion wear. Models wore brands and labels such as Hobbs, Karen Millen, French Connection, Nine West, Jacques Vert and Coast. The outfits which were kindly styled by local stylist Emily Jayne Phillips and Lisa Smith of Prepared PR and were all selected from the Dorridge and Bournville boutique.
Iain Miller, Head of Trading at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice said: “It was great to be involved in the ‘Love your Local Hospice’ fashion show. Our charity shops play a vital role in raising funds – whether you buy, volunteer or donate. Our two boutique stores offer shoppers the best designer and high street picks without breaking the bank – all whilst supporting your local hospice. The catwalk was a great way to show this and the support we had from the local community was just fantastic.”
