Wicklow Hospice volunteers will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily – up until Sunday, December 10 – to help members of the public tie ribbons to the tree in memory of loved ones gone but not forgotten, with all donations going towards enhancing the care and support offered to patients and families of Wicklow Hospice.

Also available to purchase will be a range of Christmas cards, festive decorations, angel pins and robin brooches.

To celebrate the launch of the Memory Tree, on the weekend of November 25 and 26, members of the public are invited to come along to enjoy some entertainment by the tree between 1 p.m. and 1.30 p.m.

On Saturday, you can enjoy music from local group ‘Na Cailíní’ playing some Irish tunes, and on Sunday, Wicklow band Celtic Grace will be performing.

For those who cannot make it to Bridgewater Shopping Centre, you can also get involved by dedicating a light on the tree at Magheramore in memory of a loved one.

The lights are then displayed in their honour on the Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services website – lightupalife.ie – with all proceeds going to hospice services.

“Funds raised through sponsored lights in memory of a loved one and sales from the Christmas shop are crucially important to Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services,” a spokesperson said.

“During 2022, 4,867 admissions (a 5 per cent increase on 2021) were made across OLH & CS’s three sites in Harold’s Cross, Blackrock, and Wicklow.

“The Specialist Community Palliative Care Teams made more than 12,110 patient visits (18% increase on 2021), carrying out almost 5,925 reviews, either in patients’ place of residence or through virtual visits.”