More than a hospice, a big Pond Cottage thank you to CHAS

Sep 18, 2026

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“Thanks to the amazing public response we know we are rebuilding brick by brick.”

The weather wasn’t always kind. But the people who braved bleak forecasts to join our fundraising events in the garden certainly were.

A huge thank you to everyone who came to our Midsummer Melody fundraising events at Pond Cottage. You helped to bring out the sunshine even when it was reluctant to appear, and made both evening and afternoon events a lovely warm-hearted celebration of the work of CHAS (Children’s Hospices Across Scotland).

Together, so far, we have raised more than £1,000 for CHAS and there’s more to come from generous donors who weren’t able to join us in person.

As Rami Okasha, chief executive of CHAS, explained at the afternoon event their ‘More Than a Hospice’ appeal aims to raise £20 million because children are living longer with complex needs. The campaign will enable CHAS not only to rebuild and renew their hospices Rachel House and Robin House but also to provide worldclass services for families across Scotland.

In fact, Rami joined us after spending the afternoon with families at Rachel House which is now closing for extensive redevelopment. CHAS will carry on providing their vital support in temporary accommodation nearby while Rachel House – which was Scotland’s first hospice for children when it opened 30 years ago – is adapted to meet changing needs.

A special partnership

“I always think hospice care is such an important partnership between the generosity of the public and the strength of the state,” he told us, adding, “And each needs to play their part.”

It’s a gentle reminder that CHAS has to work hard for every penny towards its extraordinary work with families, many on low incomes, living with constant stress. It costs a lot to provide 24 hour specialist care for children who may die young. Scottish Government now contributes £9.1 million towards CHAS annual costs of more than £25 million. (“I did think the government contribution would be a much higher percentage of their funding,” one of our friends commented later.)

A smiling child on the CHAS More than a Hospice appeal

I think everyone in the room agreed. The spirit we enjoyed at both events was a sign of the great respect and affection people have for CHAS and what it does. Rami paid tribute to the generosity he always finds, “Thanks to the amazing public response we know we are rebuilding brick by brick,” he said. We found what that meant when everyone had gone and we opened the yellow bucket provided by Scotland’s Gardens Scheme. We had to count the donations several times to be sure. Yes, definitely more than £550 to add to the more than £450 raised from the evening event under the gazebo two weeks earlier. “That’s quite a few bricks,” said Rami.

Midsummer melodies play on

We were very moved by the help and support of people who came from near and far. There were many willing helpers in the kitchen for afternoon tea and in the garden in the cool of the evening while the music played.

Ola Stanton plays the violin in the gazebo framed by plants at Pond Cottage. The audience sits in appreciation of a beautiful performance

A special thank you to talented violinist Ola Stanton who provided beautiful, thoughtfully chosen melodies at both evening and afternoon events and guitarist Stuart Williamson who also joined us at the afternoon tea in quite a crowded cottage. The forecast was so bad we moved everyone indoors. Then the sun came out.

Ola and Stuart are members of the band Celtic Spirit who will be hosting a charity music night in aid of CHAS at Dollar on 4^th October. Luckily we booked our tickets before they sold out.

Pond Cottage is open through Scotland’s Gardens Scheme