THE Cholwill family, from Bridgerule, had a busy end to 2016 following hundreds of orders for their now infamous wooden reindeer — making almost £7,000.

The reindeer, made by members of the family, were sold to people across the county and further afield in order to raise funds for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) Little Harbour.

Through sales, the Cholwill family raised £6,800, which Sheila Cholwill recently handed over to the team at Little Harbour.

Sheila volunteers at Little Harbour — CHSW’s children’s hospice in St Austell — once a week and assists the care team with admin tasks. Sheila has been a volunteer at the hospice since May 2013, spending the rest of her time fully dedicated to fundraising for the charity.

The Cholwill family began supporting CHSW after their son Mark, who was severely disabled, passed away.

Sheila said: “All the money that people donate to us through the selling of the reindeers goes specifically to items at Little Harbour.”

Sheila has recruited her whole family and local community into fundraising for CHSW. She recently handed over the £6,800 cheque, from reindeer sales, to Freya Tregear, a young girl who is currently staying at Little Harbour — the cheque will now be used to purchase some equipment for the hospice.

Sheila also recently donated a further £2,500 from Cornish Tractors, Week St Mary, following the sale of a vintage tractor and £78 from a church service in Bridgerule.

In total, the Cholwill’s Christmas reeindeer have raised £13,840 for Little Harbour over the four years they have been making them.

Clarie Kilbey, head of care at Little Harbour, said: “We are so grateful to Sheila and all of her family for not only the incredibly generous donations we received from them but also for their time, with Sheila’s weekly volunteering and all of the time they put into their fundraising. We are so lucky to have the support of such a caring family who seem to have got their whole local community on board too!”

Little Harbour supports over 90 life-limited children from Cornwall, Plymouth and the surrounding area and their families, as well as over 20 bereaved families.

The hospice is on hand for short breaks, respite, emergency stays, end of life care and bereavement support. The hospice offers a sanctuary for families where they can handover the 24-hour care of their child and just enjoy time together making precious memories.

If anyone is interested in raising funds to help support the work of CHSW at its Little Harbour children’s hospice, visit the website www.chsw.org.uk or call Little Harbour on 01726 871800 and speak to the fundraising team.