Remember loved ones and back good causes - hospice and care charities working in North Herts will benefit from big switch on

Organisers of an event which has quickly become a fixture in the calendar of Christmas events in Hitchin town centre are now seeking your support for 2015.

The beautiful blue-lit Christmas tree which stands in the grounds of the town’s historic St Mary’s Church is a landmark of the festive season.

It twinkles out from its riverside location into the new year, and each light shines in memory of loved ones who are no longer with us thanks to the support of donors who make a contribution in order to dedicate a light in the name of somebody special to them.

The tree commemorates friends, relatives or other loved ones who have died at the time of year when we probably miss them most.

The Light Up A Life project is led by Rotary Club of Hitchin Tilehouse, with town centre trader Chris Holmes – whose HRH Holmes menswear store in Churchyard is only a few paces from the tree itself – and the club’s youth services team taking the lead.

Since it was established in 2011, the event has raised thousands of pounds for three charities which work in the area.

Letchworth-based Garden House Hospice, which helps patients and their families across North Herts and Stevenage, and Keech Hospice Care, which provides children’s hospice services for Hertfordshire, both benefit, as does Marie Curie, which helps those affected by terminal conditions in their own homes.

Hundreds of people are expected when the lights are turned on at a carol service event on the evening of Thursday, December 3. and the tree remains shining out until Wednesday, January 6.