Why Mark loves collecting donations for St Luke’s

For Mark Phillips, collecting donations for St Luke’s Hospice is something to enjoy.

There’s the atmosphere of a big event, camaraderie between collectors, the challenge of seeing how much you can raise – and the satisfaction of knowing those few hours are helping local families.

Mark grew up in Wealdstone in a family where giving something back mattered. His parents were community-minded, and he became involved in charity fundraising as a teenager.

He met his wife, Brigid, through charity work when they were students. After Brigid died from cancer aged just 39, Mark threw himself back into fundraising in her memory.

Along the way, he discovered he had a real talent for it – raising money himself and encouraging other people to get involved.

A small sponsored walk in Brigid’s memory at Ruislip Lido showed what was possible. About 1,200 people turned up and together they raised £150,000.

That experience led Mark further into charity fundraising and, eventually, to St Luke’s. He has been collecting for the Hospice since around 2017, including at Wembley, and the team has raised nearly £400,000 so far.

Then, in 2019, his connection with St Luke’s became much more personal.

His father, Malcolm, became seriously ill and came to St Luke’s, where he spent the final three weeks of his life.

Mark had spent years raising money for charities, but says that, as a fundraiser alone, he could never really have understood what hospice care meant to a family.

At St Luke’s, he saw it first-hand. After a difficult final week at home, Mark remembers his dad having “three good weeks” at the Hospice.

Today, Mark keeps collecting because he knows what that money can provide – but also because he genuinely enjoys doing it.

At Wembley, collectors become part of the excitement as people arrive for concerts and events.

“Everybody’s excited, everybody’s buzzed,” Mark says. “You’re picking up on that energy.”

There’s camaraderie, friendly competition and plenty of laughs. His advice to new collectors is simple: approach people, smile, make eye contact and ask!

A confident collector can raise £200-£400 during a collection, and across a team those donations soon add up.

You meet people. You have fun. You become part of a team. And you go home knowing you have helped St Luke’s care for local people and families.

Fancy joining Mark and our collection team?

Bring a smile and a little enthusiasm. We’ll help with the rest.

If you would like to join us to collection donations for St Luke’s, please email community@stlukes-hopsice.org