Ireland Stars Support Aviva’s ‘Tree Of Life’ Campaign For St. Francis Hospice

This Christmas, Aviva Ireland has teamed up with its charity partner, Saint Francis Hospice, to promote the ‘Tree of Life’ ceremony in Raheny and Blanchardstown hospices.

The ceremony is to remember the individuals St. Francis Hospice has cared for and those who were lost to Covid-19.

To mark the partnership, Aviva has erected a 20ft tree at the Aviva Stadium which can be seen tomorrow at Ireland’s Autumn Nations Cup play-off against Scotland, as a marker for the hospice this Christmas.

Today, Ireland internationals Iain Henderson, Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris supported this year’s Christmas appeal, calling on the public to support this worthy cause on behalf of both St. Francis Hospice and Aviva by logging onto www.aviva.ie/tree-of-life and sponsoring a light on the tree for just €6.

This year, the ‘Tree of Life’ ceremony will be a virtual event to remember those who St Francis Hospice has cared for, both past and present.

People can view the ceremony on the St. Francis Hospice website and Facebook page from 7.30pm on Thursday, December 10 and watch as each donation lights up on the tree in memory of a loved one or for somebody experiencing difficulty in their lives.

To build awareness of the St. Francis Hospice ‘Tree of Life’ virtual fundraising event, Aviva has put up its 20ft tree in the north end of the Aviva Stadium, which will remain in place throughout the entire Christmas period.

Aviva is also donating €10 from every new home insurance policy purchased in December directly to the charity to further contribute to its Christmas appeal.

Fintan Fagan, CEO of St. Francis Hospice, said: “It’s been a very difficult year for all charities with many of us unable to run our usual fundraising activities.

“All of us at St. Francis Hospice are delighted to have a charity partner like Aviva Ireland who is willing to go the extra mile and help us raise awareness for our virtual ‘Tree of Life’ ceremony this year.

“The annual ceremony means a lot us here at St. Francis Hospice, it gives a lot of people the opportunity to remember a loved one in a safe environment alongside others who have experienced a similar loss.

“We hope we can continue to give people the same sense of comfort with our virtual ceremony this year.”

Brian O’Neill, Head of Communications, Brand and Sponsorship, Aviva Ireland, commented: “It is hugely important to us at Aviva to support a charity like St. Francis Hospice and all the wonderful work that they do.

“This year, we wanted to really step up and do more for our national charity partner. Christmas can be a very tough time for people who have lost loved ones.

“Maybe this Christmas, sponsor a light for €6 on the St. Francis Hospice Christmas tree and together let us remember our loved ones and all those that have sadly lost their lives during 2020.”

For more information on the ‘Tree of Life’ campaign click here, and remember to keep an eye out for the tree during Ireland’s game against Scotland on Saturday.