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Picture one: Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, Councillor Sayonara Luxton (left) presents a cheque for £40,194 to Mrs Daebbie Raven, Chief Executive, Thames Hospice

Mayor presents a cheque for more than £40,000 to local charity Thames Hospice. The outgoing Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, Councillor Sayonara Luxton, undertook her last official engagement on Monday.

At a special, socially distanced ceremony at the new state-of-the-art Thames Hospice, the Mayor presented a cheque for £40,194 to the charity she has supported throughout her 19-month term of office.

The money was raised by the Mayor through her hosting of and participation in, a variety of charitable events throughout her term. Councillor Luxton said: “I’m thrilled to have had the privilege of fundraising for Thames Hospice and I want to express my deep gratitude to all those who donated, supported, or contributed in any way to helping me raise funds for this wonderful charity.

“I started fundraising in 2019 with the very popular ‘Steam Dreams’ steam train trip on the Windsor Express. This was followed by other fundraising events such as afternoon tea, a Christmas meal and entertainment, and Christmas wreath making.

“Then of course COVID-19 hit, lockdown happened, and I was asked if I would agree to my term of office being extended for another six months.  

“I didn’t hesitate for a moment in agreeing and I was determined to keep raising money for the Hospice throughout, so we embraced socially distanced opportunities, such as an appeal for scrubs, a special online auction and taking part in the annual Santa Dash.”    

Mrs Debbie Raven, Chief Executive, Thames Hospice, said: “We are so grateful to the Mayor for her incredible support of and dedication to Thames Hospice during her term of office. The money she has raised is phenomenal and will make a huge difference. It felt very special to welcome Councillor Luxton to the new Hospice on her last official engagement as Mayor.”

Councillor Luxton said: “It’s been an absolute privilege to be Mayor and to serve the wonderful people of the Royal Borough. I’ve enjoyed every one of the hundreds of engagements I’ve carried out and have met so many wonderful and truly inspirational people in our borough, which is a very special place.

“It’s been particularly rewarding to have been involved with so many very worthy local charities, especially Thames Hospice, who do such wonderful work in our borough.”

More information about the work Thames Hospice do can be found on their website: https://www.thameshospice.org.uk/