With a series of special occasions on the horizon, Frome couple Susan and Norman Hughes decided to use the celebrations as an opportunity to fundraise for local charity We Hear You (WHY).   

The couple recently celebrated their 50th anniversary, half a century of living in their home and Norman's 80th birthday. They invited friends, family and neighbours to celebrate these occasions with them but asked for donations in lieu of gifts. Mr and Mrs Hughes recently visited the WHY headquarters in Frome and donated a cheque for £252.  

Norman Hughes said, "As we've got older, there really wasn't anything we needed as gifts, so it felt like a good idea to ask for donations for a worthwhile charity instead. People were very kind, and we still received some gifts, but we were able to make a donation to We Hear You too. We hope by sharing our story we can give other people the idea and consider it for their celebrations too."  

Gemma Wilkes is the Fundraising and Communications Manager at We Hear You. "If you have everything you already need then asking friends and family to donate to WHY in lieu of gifts is a wonderful way to share your celebration. It's easy to set up whether you collect online or in person and your donations make a huge difference to help fund our vital counselling to local children and adults affected by cancer or other life-threatening conditions."  

We Hear You works across Somerset, B@NES, Swindon and Wiltshire and supports 700 children and adults each year who have been affected or bereaved by cancer or any life-threatening condition.  The charity receives no central government funding and relies on donations and support from the communities it works in.  

For more information about We Hear You, the work they do and how you can support the charity with fundraising please visit their website.