Big-hearted Margate four-year-old donates £25 of his gift money to Pilgrims Hospices

Four-year-old Lenny Wood from Margate showed a remarkable act of kindness at Christmas by donating £25 of his own Christmas money to Pilgrims Hospices.

After carefully saving part of his festive money, Lenny visited the Margate hospice in person with his mum, Stephanie, to hand over his donation. Stephanie explained to Lenny that his £25 gift would help pay for Christmas dinners for patients receiving care at the hospice — something that made him feel proud and happy.

“When I asked Lenny if he would like to give some of his Christmas money to help others, he didn’t hesitate,” said Stephanie. “He just said, ‘Yeah! Let’s go there now.’”

Despite being so young, Lenny has experienced a great deal of loss. He lost his Grandad Len when he was just two years old, and more recently his Uncle Matt, as well as two much-loved family dogs. Stephanie explained that she was always honest with Lenny, telling him that Uncle Matt was poorly with bowel cancer.

“Towards the end, Lenny noticed that Uncle Matt looked different, but he said, ‘He looks different, but he’s still my Uncle Matt,’” she said. “When Uncle Matt went into the hospice, I explained that he was very weak and that the doctors couldn’t fix him anymore, but that the hospice would make sure he was free from pain.”

Lenny enjoyed visiting his uncle at the hospice and was, Stephanie says, “surprisingly well-behaved.” She added, “I must say, Lenny is a kind kid. He was really proud of himself for donating his money.”

The visit left a lasting impression. “The staff at the hospice were lovely, as always,” Stephanie said. “It was Christmas time, so there was a really warm atmosphere. People who have no experience of a hospice probably wouldn’t imagine them being so nice inside. This is hospice care.”

Lenny was particularly excited to make his £25 donation in person. “He couldn’t wait for the lady to take his cash,” Stephanie laughed. “Paper money is a novelty to him.”

When asked how it felt as a mum to see her son want to do something so thoughtful, Stephanie said, “I’m incredibly proud of him. Some children would have said no outright. Looking ahead, we hope to make this a Christmas tradition with Lenny — visiting the hospice and making a donation every year.”

Stephanie also shared her personal connection to Pilgrims Hospices. “Pilgrims was fantastic when my dad spent his final days there. I wish he’d had longer, but he felt safe and was free from pain — that’s all I could have asked for at the end. My dad died of COPD. Every hospice I’ve seen is incredible, and I am so grateful that both my dad and my brother had the opportunity to spend their final days in one.”

Lenny’s generosity is a touching reminder that compassion has no age limit — and that even a £25 gift, given with love, can make a meaningful difference to people and families supported by Pilgrims Hospices.

Pilgrims Hospices provides compassionate, specialist care free of charge, to thousands of people in east Kent each year who are living with life-limiting conditions. Support is offered in patients’ homes, in the community, and at three hospice sites in Canterbury, Thanet and Ashford. There is also a 24-hour advice line.