A taxi driver will be donating his Christmas Day fares to St Giles Hospice in memory of his wife.
Mark Dewar, who works for Acorns Taxis in Tamworth, decided to raise the money after the Whittington hospice provided end of life care for his wife Lynette.
He said:
“St Giles Hospice took brilliant care of Lynette – and there’s not enough I can do in this world to thank them for that.
“Christmas is a hard time for me now that Lynette, is no longer here. I’ll be working on Christmas Day to ensure my colleagues can spend time with their families and make special memories – just because I don’t have that anymore, it doesn’t mean others should have to halt their plans and work.”
Mark Dewar
After Lynette’s death from lung and spine cancer in 2021, St Giles provided bereavement support for Mark.
He said the hospice was “lifesaving” for him as dealt with the loss of his wife.
“We did everything together to the exclusion of everyone else – walk mountains, hanglide, bungee jumping – we were an adventurous pair.
“We had a great life, she was not only my wife, she was my best mate.”
Mark Dewar
When Lynette’s condition began to deteriorate, the family received regular visits from the St Giles Hospice at Home team once or twice a week.
“We had this favourite place in Scotland, right on the north west coast. From the kitchen window the beach was 100 yards away and dolphins were swimming in the bay.
“In 2020 Lynette had just finished chemotherapy and we planned this trip to Scotland. The Hospice at Home team helped us enjoy our final trip away together.
“I will always be grateful to St Giles for the time and effort that went into my Lynette’s care and the importance of those final moments we got to share with each other.”
Mark Dewar
As well as donating taxi fares to St Giles Hospice, Mark will also have a collection bucket in his car so that passengers can also donate any spare change.
