Lighting up the season: TEC Construction brings Christmas cheer to Turnchapel

12th December 2025

Our specialist unit at Turnchapel was filled with festive cheer last week as the kind-hearted TEC Construction helped us to light up our beautiful Christmas tree – standing tall enough for our patients to enjoy its sparkle from their windows.

Thanks to TEC Construction and their local subcontractors at LTC Access and ACD Electrical – the night’s sky was lit up with hundreds of multi-coloured lights and a shining star sitting atop of the impressive tree – watched on by our nurses, patients, family members and members of our community including children from Hooe Primary Academy who graced everyone with a selection of beautifully sung Christmas carols.

Martin Bownman, Operations Director at TEC Construction, said: “We were approached by St Luke’s to say that they were looking for someone to help put an extra special touch for Christmas. We came up with the idea of putting the lights on the Christmas tree which is straight outside the patient wards. So we approached a couple of our local subcontractors at LTC Access and ACD Electrical and together we managed to get some lifting equipment here and put the lights on the tree for the duration of Christmas for the patients.”

A local Plymouth-based company, TEC Construction are no strangers to helping St Luke’s, holding an annual winter dinner and dance at Boringdon Park Golf Club, which this year raised an impressive £14,000 for our patient care.

Martin added: “It’s great to see the local community getting involved and supporting St Luke’s. It is a small thing we can do, but it is such a big thing for patients and families to actually be able to look out the window and feel the magic of Christmas.”

Pupils from Key Stage 2 at Hooe Primary Academy made the trip to the hospice, to help bring some Christmas cheer to the evening. For many of the children, it was the first time coming to a hospice, which can often be a daunting prospect.

Mr Sullivan, Key Stage 2 Lead at Hooe Primary Academy, said: “Speaking to the children around things that happen not just on a global scale but also on a local scale – I think sometimes the things that are a little bit closer to home can get missed. We talk about lots of global issues but actually having this as an opportunity to come up and visit some people who unfortunately are going to pass away at some point.

“It’s important for the children to have an experience of that and I think to do it in an age-appropriate way that’s not scary for them and not something that’s going to make them feel upset or uncomfortable or worried is really important as well, reducing that taboo and letting them know that actually it’s okay to come to somewhere like this and it’s not somewhere you have to be scared of. It’s quite a warm pleasant place to come and giving them that positive relationship, may put a positive idea in their head that it’s not somewhere they need to be fearful about.

“To be able to bring a little bit of Christmas cheer is really important to us, but also to the children to understand that not everyone is as fortunate as them and to just bring that little bit of a smile to a few people’s faces.”

Thank you to TEC Construction, LTC Access, ACD Electrical and Hooe Primary Academy, together you have helped to create a magical start to the season, bringing light, joy, and a true sense of community to our hospice.

Our care at Turnchapel

Related articles

, ,

Cultivating care: The volunteers who keep our hospice gardens blooming

If you ever visit our specialist unit at Turnchapel one of the first things you will notice are the carefully cultivated gardens surrounding the hospice building. Every Wednesday a group of 6 volunteers have been giving up their time to dedicate some care and love to our gardens, keeping them pruned, de-weeded and full of life. Their hard work creates a peaceful, welcoming space for patients, families and staff to enjoy - a place where nature offers comfort and calm during difficult times.
, ,

BLOG: Why paramedic Jess swapped emergency sirens for hospice calm

Life as a paramedic was fast-paced, stressful and involved critical decisions every single day for Jess Timbrell. After several years of training and hands-on service on the road, she was both confident and qualified to respond in emergencies and make split-second choices to save people’s lives. But something was missing. “I always had an interest in palliative care,” said Jess. “As a paramedic, you go out to a lot of people who are at the end of life, but you can’t spend the time you want with them because emergency demand is so high. “It was so disheartening sitting with someone in an ambulance queue outside the hospital for hours, knowing they didn’t have long to live. And then when I did drop them off, I would never find out what happened to them.”
, ,

BLOG: Ben and Sean’s two-wheeled adventure for hospice care

Sean Holland and Ben Connex are taking on an epic adventure: riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats and back - a staggering 3,200 miles - on learner-legal 125cc motorcycles! This challenge is in memory of Sean’s brother, Colin, an avid motorcyclist, who was cared for by St Luke’s. Sean and Ben met back in 1998 on the Southwest clubbing scene and have since become firm friends and fellow riders. “We have always shared a love for two wheels and when the clubbing stopped, we became born again cyclists,” said Sean, Creative Director at NexPay, our card payment provider for all our shops.
, ,

BLOG: Santa, songs and smiles: Making Christmas memories at St Luke’s

St Luke’s was overflowing with Christmas spirit last Friday as staff went above and beyond to create a warm and joyful evening for current patients and their loved ones, as well as families who will be missing someone special for the first time this year. Team members from across our organisation came together, giving up their own time to create a magical occasion featuring sparkling decorations, festive refreshments, Christmas music and live seasonal songs from the Burraton Boys and a raffle with super prizes.
, ,

BLOG: Lighting up the season: TEC Construction brings Christmas cheer to Turnchapel

Our specialist unit at Turnchapel was filled with festive cheer last week as the kind-hearted TEC Construction helped us to light up our beautiful Christmas tree - standing tall enough for our patients to enjoy its sparkle from their windows. Thanks to TEC Construction and their local subcontractors at LTC Access Platform and ACD Electrical - the night’s sky was lit up with hundreds of multi-coloured lights and a shining star sitting atop of the impressive tree - watched on by our nurses, patients, family members and members of our community including children from Hooe Primary Academy who graced everyone with a selection of beautifully sung Christmas carols.
, ,

BLOG: Community spirit shines bright as Plympton street supports St Luke’s

Residents of Redvers Grove in Plympton, Plymouth have come together to light up their street in a dazzling display of festive cheer - all to raise vital funds for St Luke’s. Each of the neighbours on the street have adorned their houses and gardens with illuminating white Christmas lights, a tradition which started 24 years ago and has since grown as more and more people have moved to the street.
, ,

BLOG: Running for care: Darite’s festive dash

Darite Primary Academy near Liskeard brought the festive cheer to the moors with their amazing Rudolph Run! From Reception to Year 6, every child loved decorating their antlers, getting active in the fresh air, and raising money for a cause close to their hearts. Supporting St Luke’s means so much to this small but mighty school community, where families know first-hand the compassionate care we provide for loved ones at the end of life.
, ,

BLOG: Decking the Halls at Turnchapel

A sprinkling of Christmas cheer has brightened up our specialist unit this week. A group of kind-hearted volunteers from Land Registry, Plymouth volunteered their time to decorate the Christmas trees that have generously been donated to St Luke’s by Blue Diamond Endsleigh Garden Centre Ivybridge. The team spent the day adding touches of tinsel and baubles to the entrance, reception and on the wards, bringing some festive joy to not only the people staying with us, but their families, visitors and all our staff and volunteers.
, ,

BLOG: Coping at Christmas

Bereavement is hard at any time of year, but the festive season - and Christmas itself -can feel particularly challenging for anyone experiencing grief. No-one understands this more than us. As well as providing specialist end-of-life care for people with terminal illness, we offer their family members bereavement support too. This week (2-8 December) is National Grief Awareness Week, in association with The Good Grief Trust. The aim of the week is to raise awareness of grief, highlight the support on offer and to normalise conversations around it.
PreviousNext

Our Care

Support us

Courses

Information

BLOG: Running for care: Darite’s festive dashBLOG: Community spirit shines bright as Plympton street supports St Luke’...