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Lesley Holmes and her late husband, former NHLer Bill Kitchen, built their dream Dow’s Lake home to be an inviting space for friends and family, and to host parties that could help out worthy causes.

Photo by Caroline Phillips / Ottawa Citizen

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Next month, she’ll have as many as 2,000 curious folks stroll through her place as part of Hospice Care Ottawa’s signature fundraiser, Homes for the Holidays. And she’s totally cool with it.

“I love opening the doors,” said the Tim Hortons franchisee, while acknowledging she has a beautiful home. “I love having people come in and enjoy it with me.”

She and other supporters of the community-based charitable organization gathered Wednesday at the Savour Every Moment launch event held at Earnscliffe, official residence of British High Commissioner Howard Drake and his wife, Gill.

Photo by Caroline Phillips / Ottawa Citizen

The diplomat did a nice job of welcoming some 80 guests and making them feel comfortable inside the Victorian manor, famous for being where our Glasgow-born first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, lived and died.