The Maidenhead children's hospice has launched its 2026 Christmas appeal. Its Santa Dash in Windsor on 29 November is sold out, and tree collections run 7 to 9 January.
Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service has launched its 2026 Christmas appeal. The Maidenhead charity’s appeal is called “A Place to Belong this Christmas”, and its appeal page was updated on Friday 13 November.
The hospice cares for children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, and their families. It was rated Good in all five areas by the Care Quality Commission earlier this month.
The family at the heart of the appeal
This year’s appeal tells the story of Amber and her mum, Pav. The charity says it took ten years of appointments and surgeries before Amber was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition.
In 2021 she became critically ill with Covid-19, and the family was referred to the hospice for end-of-life care. Amber recovered. The family has used the hospice ever since, for respite care, counselling and its hydrotherapy pool, the appeal page says.
“I thought a hospice meant I was going to lose my little girl,” Pav says in the appeal. “Instead, I found a place where we could truly live.”
What a donation pays for
The charity gives three examples on its appeal page:
| Gift | What it could pay for |
|---|---|
| £25 | a Christmas baking session with accessible cooking equipment |
| £52 | an hour in the hospice’s hydrotherapy pool |
| £100 | bringing children and families together at accessible Christmas events |
Donations go through the charity’s online donation page.
The Santa Dash is full
The hospice’s 14th Santa Dash takes place in Windsor on Sunday 29 November. It is a 5km run, jog or walk in Santa suits. The charity’s Santa Dash page now says the 2026 event is sold out.
Entry was £20 for an adult, £10 for a child and £50 for a family, with a Santa suit or reindeer antlers included, according to the registration page. The charity suggests runners raise £85 each in sponsorship.
Christmas tree collections in January
The charity’s volunteers will also collect real Christmas trees from homes again after Christmas, in return for a donation. Collections run on Thursday 7, Friday 8 and Saturday 9 January 2027.
The service covers these postcode areas:
- SL4 (Windsor, Eton and Old Windsor)
- SL6 (Maidenhead, Cookham and Bray)
- SL7 (Marlow)
- SL8 (Bourne End)
- RG10 (Twyford and Wargrave)
The trees go to Berkshire College of Agriculture to be chipped. The chippings are used across the college grounds and at the BCA Zoo, the booking page says.
Last January volunteers collected more than 600 trees and raised over £13,500, the charity reported.
What it means for you
- To give to the appeal: donate on the charity’s Christmas page. It also sells Christmas cards through its online shop, with all profits going to the hospice.
- If you missed a Santa Dash place: the event is full, so you cannot enter now. Contact the charity’s fundraising team at fundraising@alexanderdevine.org about other ways to help.
- For your tree: if you live in one of the postcode areas above, book a January collection on the booking page. Otherwise the council takes real trees, cut up, in your green garden waste bin in January.
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