At Katharine House Hospice, we have a range of exciting opportunities for businesses to sponsor. From full event sponsorship, to sponsoring one of our Christmas cards, we have something for every business, big, small and for those in between.  

By supporting the hospice through sponsorship, your business will help cover the costs of our events and merchandise, which means that all the money raised through sales and fundraising goes directly back into the hospice, supporting people at a time when they need it most. It also creates brand awareness of your business within the community and you will be associated with a much-loved charity.  

If you are interested in any of the opportunities listed below or simply want to find out more, please contact us at [email protected] or call 01295 816484 and ask for Sue Blank.  

Christmas cards 

We start planning for Christmas in January at Katharine House, and that’s because we sell over 10,000 packs of cards every year! Our cards are available to buy from September from any of our seven shops (Banbury town centre, Banbury Hill View, Brackley, Bicester, Chipping Norton, Shipston-on-Stour and Moreton-in-Marsh), at the hospice, at selected local retailers, on our website, our eBay shop and via our mail-order catalogue. By sponsoring one of our card designs, your business name and logo will be seen by thousands of people in the local community and further afield.  

Open Gardens

Between May and September every year we invite people in the local area to open their gardens to the public in return for a small entrance fee. Guests are free to wander around the beautiful gardens, allotments and even arboretums and enjoy a slice of cake and a beverage during their visit. 

The campaign has run for many years and has always been very popular with supporters of all ages in the local community. We invite local businesses to get involved by becoming a sponsor of this much-loved campaign.  

The Rose Magazine  

Our magazine goes out each spring and autumn to over 8,000 households in and around Oxfordshire. The magazine is also available at local community and business events throughout the year. With stories from patients and families as well as key events for the diary and hospice updates, this is a popular read. By sponsoring a page, you will help us to cover the costs of producing and sending out the magazine but also be seen by thousands of readers.

Download previous editions of The Rose magazine

Accumulator Challenge  

The campaign Accumulator Challenge kicks off in October and asks local businesses, schools and community groups to put their entrepreneurial and fundraising skills to the test. Each team is given a £50 seed fund at the start of the challenge and they have four months to grow it into more funds for the hospice. At the end of the challenge, there is an awards ceremony to recognise the efforts of all the teams that took part. If you can’t help with sponsorship, perhaps you could enter a team? 

A Rose to Remember  

A Rose to Remember is a new remembrance campaign that launched in 2023 and is already a successful event across many other UK hospices. The event is held locally during the summer months and this special occasion is an opportunity for loved ones to be remembered with a beautiful display of metal roses, each one crafted by British Ironworks, especially for Katharine House Hospice. Each rose is dedicated to the life and memory of someone special. 

Each year we invite businesses to support the event by becoming a full event sponsor. 

Katharine House raffles  

Throughout the year we hold two raffles, one in the spring and one in the autumn. Our raffles are very popular among our supporters and each year raise over £60,000 for the hospice. The booklets are sent out to over 4,000 supporters and from 2024, raffle tickets can be purchased on the Katharine House website. We are looking for a local business to sponsor our raffles to help cover the costs of printing and distribution. If you are unable to be a sponsor, could you donate a prize?  

Santa Fun Run 

The Santa Fun Run is one of the biggest events on our fundraising calendar and attracts hundreds of participants every year, running either the 5km or 1.5km route. The Santas set off on their sponsored run and are welcomed back to cheers, medals, mince pies and cracking Christmas tunes. It’s a family friendly event and everyone who takes part is offered a free Santa suit or hat. Businesses have the opportunity to sponsor the event or smaller packages, such as the medal or runner numbers and, of course, mince pies! The event is held on the first Sunday in December each year.  

Schools Santa Run 

During December, more than 10,000 students at schools across Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties, pop on their Santa hats and take part in a running challenge to raise funds for the hospice. By being the event sponsor, your business will help to cover the costs of the campaign, including the purchase and delivery of over 10,000 hats!  

Lights of Love 

Our annual Lights of Love event brings the community together to remember those we have lost. This special remembrance evening, held in December, invites people in the local community to light a candle of remembrance for their loved one, enjoy a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine. There’s an opportunity to sponsor the event or to sponsor our smaller packages such as the venue, the Christmas tree and refreshments.  

RC Baker Tractor Run

Get involved with the most anticipated Christmas event in Oxfordshire … the famous RC Baker Tractor Run! It will be back in December 2024 for its ninth year and since its first run back in 2016, the event has raised over £147,000 for our hospice!  

Thousands of supporters come out to watch the procession of 100 tractors, all brightly lit and sounding their horns as they spread Christmas joy along the way! The route starts in Barford St Michael and continues through North Oxfordshire villages and South Bar Street in Banbury.   

We will be looking for support from businesses to help cover the costs of the traffic management, sponsor tractors, donate raffle prizes, open up their businesses along the route and volunteer. We hope you can join us at this magical Christmas event.  

Tree-cycle scheme 

This popular scheme launched in 2021 and has been growing each year! It's a simple concept – we ask that people make a donation to Katharine House Hospice and, in return, the hospice arranges for their Christmas trees to be collected from their homes in January, to be chipped and recycled. Each year we invite businesses to be the event sponsor of this environmentally friendly campaign.

Christmas support  

At Katharine House, we do everything we can to make Christmas special for our patients, their loved ones and our supporters.  

Every year, at the start of December, we light up the hospice building and trees with Christmas lights to mark the start of the festive season. We have a ‘Christmas Light Switch on’ and enjoy a mince pie to two!  

We also hold a Christmas party for our volunteers, to thank them for all their hard work, support and dedication over the year.  

With our budgets tight, we need support from local businesses to make these magic moments happen. Can you support us at Christmas and sponsor one of these Christmas events?  

Contact us

If you are interested in any of the opportunities listed above or simply want to find out more, please contact us at [email protected] or call 01295 816484 and ask for Sue Blank.