A GIANT 22ft Christmas tree is going up in St Andrew’s Spire, Deansway, Worcester, tomorrow ready to be lit with St Richard’s Hospice Lights of Love on Friday.

The traditional Norway spruce has been generously donated by Nick Beard of Leigh Sinton Farm and Nurseries.

The lights of love evening begins at Worcester Cathedral, 6.30pm for 7pm, on Friday when there is a chance for people to gather and reflect.

This is followed by a candlelit procession to the Christmas tree in nearby St Andrew’s Spire, Deansway for the switching on of the lights of love with BBC Hereford and Worcester’s Tony Fisher.

Readers are invited to dedicate a light for love – in memory of a loved one, in celebration of a birth or for someone who will be absent this Christmas but who is still in your thoughts.

For a donation of your choice, a light will shine on the St Richard’s Hospice Christmas tree throughout December.

Already this year more than 1,600 names have been dedicated to loved ones.

More than 1,000 people are expected to attend the cathedral event. Names can be dedicated any time up until Thursday, December 17.

St Richard’s Hospice senior community fund-raiser Alison Parkes said: “We have been delighted with the number of people who have dedicated a light.

“It really touches a chord with people. Last year with great support we raised £25,000 towards the work of the hospice – a magnificent sum and we hope to reach that again this year.

“These services are deeply appreciated by the hundreds of people at the hospice, many of whom are the families and friends of people who are, or who have been, cared for by St Richard’s.”

This year, lights of love events will also be held in Droitwich and Malvern. On Thursday, November 19, there will be an event at 5.45pm at St Andrew’s Church, on the corner of High Street, Droitwich, followed by a ‘switch on’ around the tree in Victoria Square. On Tuesday, December 15, another lights of love event will be held at the Priory, Malvern, at 6pm.

In Worcester, the names of loved ones will be displayed on the boards surrounding the tree in St Andrew’s Spire and in a book of thanksgiving in Worcester Cathedral; the Priory, Malvern, and Droitwich Library throughout December. Those who donate will also receive a photo decoration that can be hung on a Christmas tree at home.

The name on your lights of dedication will be printed in your Worcester News on December 24.

If you would like to make a dedication, fill in the form on this page. You can get more forms at strichards.org.uk/ lightsoflove or by calling the fund-raising team on 01905 763963.