Category: Fundraising
Hospice Make a Will Month results in at least 38 new legacy donors
The successful St Barnabas Hospice Make a Will Month has resulted in a large amount of additional people leaving gifts in their Will for the Hospice.
Throughout May this year, St Barnabas Hospice teamed up with local Solicitor firms to give Lincolnshire residents the chance to make or amend their Will free of charge. In return, they asked people to consider leaving a gift to the Hospice in their Will.
This year, 202 people took part in the campaign, which is an incredible amount compared to 139 people in 2018 and 34 people in 2017. Of those 202 people, 38 chose to let us know they had left a gift in their Will for the Hospice, with two people leaving their full estate. We are hopeful that more have also done the same. These gifts will help St Barnabas care for more people across Lincolnshire living with a life-limiting or terminal illness, and their families and carers, long into the future.
The Solicitors which were involved in this campaign are Sills & Betteridge, Bridge McFarland and JMP Solicitors. The Hospice would like to say a huge thank you to these companies for helping to hold such a successful Make A Will Month.
James Proctor, Partner and Head of Wills, Trusts and Probate for the Skegness Branch of Sills & Betteridge, said:
“Sills & Betteridge are delighted to have been involved for another year in what has yet again been a very successful campaign. We are proud of our close relationship with St Barnabas and look forward to providing our full support in future campaigns.
“Many charities rely heavily on the generosity of those who leave gifts in Wills. Joint ventures such as the St Barnabas Make a Will Month allow us to reach out to local people. We assist them in writing a Will or updating an existing one whilst at the same time, encouraging them to consider offering financial support to the charity. By conceding some of our fees, our firm can encourage further giving and increase that much needed support.”
Sam Waterer, Individual Giving Fundraiser at St Barnabas Hospice, said:
“I’d like to personally thank the Solicitors who got involved with this year’s Make a Will Month. Their support has been incredible, and we wouldn’t have been able to achieve our levels of success without them.
“We’re now on the hunt for more Solicitor firms to join us in making next year’s Make a Will Month campaign an even bigger success! Whether your firm is small or large, all offers of help will be gratefully accepted, so that we can provide the community with the best access possible to appointments.”
To offer your support or have an informal discussion with Sam about the Make a Will Month campaign, please email sam.waterer@stbarnabashospice.co.uk or call 01522 540 300.
“St Barnabas arranged for my best friend to see her horse and dogs once last time before she died.”
A group of Lincoln ladies are taking part in this year’s Moonlight Walk Stamford on Saturday 14th September in memory of their best friend, Alison Shipley.
The ladies, Claire Shephard, Viv Whitehead, Linda Beat, Sue Toon, Jo Ely, and Ellen Chapman, are hoping to raise over £1,500 in memory of Alison who sadly died in the St Barnabas Inpatient Unit in July 2019. Alison was diagnosed with terminal advanced aggressive ovarian cancer.
Claire said, “Alison was an amazing friend and auntie to my two boys. The nurses at St Barnabas got to know her and understood how important her animals were to her. They arranged for Alison to see her horse and dogs one last time. At this stage, Alison was very poorly, but she was so strongly driven towards seeing her animals that she made it happen. One of the nurses, Annie Penrice, had worked for many years on a ranch in Texas, so she knew how important the bond is between and horse and their owner.”
Annie added, “Alison absolutely lit up when she saw her horse. As soon as the horse recognised her, it dropped its head and started nuzzling her. It was a very inspiring but emotional visit for us all.”
Claire said, “The trip really meant the world to Alison and her close family and friends. It was emotional, but it gave her one last chance to cuddle and love her horse and dogs one last time. The trip was on a Wednesday, and Alison died peacefully the following Sunday.
“I will always be truly grateful to St Barnabas for arranging this for us as it helped Alison so much towards the end. This is why we have chosen to take part in the Moonlight Walk Stamford. We want to give a little something back to the Hospice who did so much for us.
“I’m hoping to bring Alison’s dog, Choco, with me to take part in the Moonlight Walk. It’s going to be an emotional night, but we will share memories of Alison as we walk the route. I’m sure she will be smiling down at us all.”
You can still sign up for this year’s Moonlight Walk Stamford until Sunday 8th September. Tickets are available from www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/moonlight-walk-stamford-2019 at £20 for adults and £10 for children age 11+.
“Four days out of my life doing this ride is little in comparison to the fantastic work people do each and every day at St Barnabas.”
Debbie Wren has signed up to the 280-mile Euro City Cycle Challenge in support of St Barnabas Hospice after her mum sadly died of a stem stroke and heart failure in our Grantham Hospice in the Hospital, age 87.
Debbie said, “My mum, Celia Mabel Moss, was an amazing woman who accomplished so much in her life. She will always be my guiding light and my inspiration. Her first love was gardening, nature and wildlife – a passion that never went until the day she died. Because Mum was in the Hospice in Spring, I was able to bring her bunches of daffodils from the garden which I know she loved. 
“When Mum had her stroke, she was only able to communicate by blinking her right eye. The nurses just knew how to look after someone who was unable to talk, swallow or move, and I didn’t have to worry that she was left on her own in distress. They made sure she was clean and comfortable at all times and chatted to her like a human being.
“The care you provided to allow Mum to die with comfort, care and dignity was second to none. I personally could not have faced this on my own and I really am so full of admiration for both the nurses who provided the care and for St Barnabas as a whole, for offering the service to everyone in need. Although it has been two years since Mum died, I still struggle each day with an incredible sense of loss. It simply has not got any easier. I will never forget the care you provided.
“Mum was always known for her generous and kind nature, so I know she’d approve of my fundraising for the Hospice. I have a real desire to support a charity that is there for anyone who may need their help. Four days out of my life doing this ride is little in comparison to the fantastic work people do each and every day at St Barnabas. 
“The Euro City Cycle Challenge will see me cycle 280 miles across three countries. I work for the Royal Bank of Scotland, who have kindly matched £250 of my fundraising, as well as allowing me to take volunteering leave to complete the ride. So far, I have raised £1,800 and I can’t wait to do more fundraising for St Barnabas in the future.
“I know I will never forget the way that the Hospice looked after my mum. This challenge is for everyone at St Barnabas.”
St Barnabas Hospice is currently looking for people to take part in their Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge. If you’re inspired by Debbie’s story, why not sign up and do something amazing to raise money for end-of-life care in Lincolnshire. To view more information and sign up, visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/yorkshire-three-peaks.
“I was lucky to meet the family of a lady I had helped care for during the Moonlight Walk last year. We walked together for some time, sharing memories.”
Majella Wright, Staff Nurse at St Barnabas Hospice, took part in last year’s Moonlight Walk Stamford and is taking part again this year in memory of patients she has cared for. Over the four years that Majella has worked for St Barnabas, she has been involved in the care of around 1,700 patients and thousands of friends and family members.
Majella said, “Walking last year was very special as it was the first Moonlight Walk in Stamford and it felt so exciting to be part of a crowd walking through local streets. It was privilege to be part of a mass fundraising event, raising money to support the work that I love to do each day. 
“The support we provide to patients and their families could not be achieved without fundraising. We are very privileged to have access to people at this time of their life. People may feel very vulnerable and face lots of fears about what is going to happen as they approach the end of their life. We are available to answer any questions they may have and make the transition from living to death as best as we can. We have one chance to get it right and that is why we strive to do the very best we can every day.
“Working for St Barnabas, there are many different memories that stand out for me. Supporting a family so their loved one can have their preferred place of care and death is very special and being with an individual as they take their last breath is a humbling experience. These moments make me the person that I am, and I learn every day from my experiences of being human, caring, loving and grieving. My job enables me to really appreciate what is important in life.
“St Barnabas is a charity and we rely on the generosity of the public to allow us to continue giving people a choice about where they want to have their care and where they want to die. The Moonlight Walk is a very friendly and visible event. I hope that the more people who join us to walk through Stamford, the more awareness will be raised about our cause and the more money will be raised to help us continue our cause.”
It’s not too late to sign up to this year’s Moonlight Walk Stamford. People aged 11+ can sign up at www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/moonlight-walk-stamford-2019.
Mighty Mudder Cancellation
Unfortunately we have made the decision to cancel Mighty Mudder due to low registration numbers.
Despite the phenomenal success of our previous fun runs, Mighty Mudder has not attracted enough sign ups to cover the costs of hosting the event. We know this is disappointing for everyone who has signed up, but our charity cannot afford to host events at a loss as the detriment of the service.
We hope that everyone registered will join us in another event or fundraising activity to support our ongoing mission to offer free compassionate, end of life care to patients and families in Lincolnshire.
Thank everyone involved for understanding and supporting our decision.
If you have any questions, our events team are available on 01522 540 300 to discuss this in more detail.
“I took part in the Moonlight Walk Stamford in support of all of my patients”
Cheryl Stow, Staff Nurse at St Barnabas Hospice, took part in last year’s Moonlight Walk Stamford along with colleagues, Majella Wright (Staff Nurse) and Amanda Payne (Health Care Support Worker). The three ladies walked the 10km route around Stamford to help raise some much-needed money and awareness for the Hospice.
Cheryl said:
“I took part in the Moonlight Walk Stamford in support of all of my patients. I chose to participate to help raise awareness of the amazing work the Hospice does, and because it’s a fantastic event which is local to those who work in the south of the county.
“The atmosphere on the night was great. People were so friendly and open to sharing their hospice care stories with each other, and the event just felt very inclusive. I know that our Events team have helped people take part in Moonlight Walks before in wheelchairs, so there’s a real mix of people who get involved.
“Money raised from events like the Moonlight Walk Stamford is so crucial to St Barnabas, as it helps us care for more people across Lincolnshire who are living with a life-limiting or terminal illness. We also support the families and carers of our patients, so the amount of lives we have touched is incredible. I work in the Hos
pice at Home team, which is a commissioned service. However, Hospice at Home is supported by, and only able to run as a result of charitable giving to St Barnabas, such as people taking part in fundraising events like this.
“I have so many memories that stand out from working at St Barnabas, but I particularly love going into situations that people are struggling with and making things better so that they can cope. It’s amazing to meet such a variety of amazing people in my job, and I get to witness such compassion, humility and grace in both patients and their families.
“I decided I wanted to work in palliative care when I was working in a nursing home. I realised that I get a lot of satisfaction from supporting people and their families and the end-of-life. It was a relative saying that I had “made the unbearable bearable” one shift that made me seriously look at palliative care. From there, I accessed some free courses and learned as much as I could before applying for the role at St Barnabas.
“This year’s Moonlight Walk Stamford looks amazing, as the team have introduced ‘Moonlight Walkies,’ where they are inviting people to bring their dogs along completely free of charge. I would highly recommend those thinking of signing up to do it. It’s great fun, not too challenging and anyone can have a go.”
It’s not too late to sign up to this year’s Moonlight Walk Stamford. People aged 11+ can sign up at www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/moonlight-walk-stamford-2019.
“I’m so proud that our children understand the importance of places like St Barnabas.”
Jackie Fisher was diagnosed out of the blue with brain cancer in June 2018. After receiving care both at home and in our Hospice, she sadly died in November 2018, age 67.
Jackie’s grandchildren, Dylan and Anna, have raised around £1,250 for St Barnabas through running the Colour Dash and organising a variety of their own fundraising events. Jackie’s daughter, Helen, has chosen to share her hospice care story and talk about the fundraising the family has done since.
Helen said:
“Mum received fantastic care both at home and in the Hospice. We will never forget the care and dignity she received, nor the support given to our family during such a horrendous time. We will always support the Hospice and are proud that the children really do understand the importance of places like St Barnabas.
“Dylan, my son, and Anna, my niece, both spent time at the Hospice with their granny. They were able to read to her, paint her nails and talk to her. They, along with my younger sons aged four and one, were always so welcomed by the staff. This gave us valuable time as a family to be together. As ill as Mum was, she always knew when they were there.
“The children understand that sometimes people are too poorly to recover, and that’s when places like St Barnabas are so important. Being able to have some normality, such as Anna sitting and painting Mum’s nails, softened the harsh reality of how poorly she was for the children.
“Those are the things they will remember. They were able to see the wonderful care Granny received and were always comfortable visiting as it is such a relaxed environment.
“Although our lives have been turned upside down and our loss is so enormous, we really are so grateful to St Barnabas for everything that was done for Mum. I just don’t know how we would have coped without the Hospice.
“The children felt they wanted to give something back to the Hospice after the care their granny received, which is why they decided to do so many fundraising events.
“Back in December, Dylan held a Christmas tombola, raising around £170. Dylan and Anna have also held an Easter event which raised £500. This event was just on our driveway in Woodhall Spa, where they did a raffle, hook-a-duck, lucky dip and cake stall. There are already plans in place for next year’s Easter fundraiser!
“We are so proud of what they are doing for St Barnabas Hospice and as a family we’d like to thank everyone involved in the care and support of both Mum and our family.”
St Barnabas Hospice provides free care to people across Lincolnshire living with a life-limiting or terminal illness and their families and carers. To find out more about the different ways we can help, visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk.
Mighty Mudder: Jane’s Story
Jane Montague, Director of Majestic Publications, is raising money for St Barnabas when she runs the Hospice’s Mighty Mudder mud run, which takes place on Sunday 22nd September at Ancaster Leisure near Grantham.
Jane and her son Ben are running in memory of her Dad and in support of hospice care.
Jane has been a supporter of the hospice movement for over twenty years. She is the director of Majestic Publications, an organisation that provides free publications for hospices and charities nationwide.
Jane said:
“Hospices are the most special of places. The reason that we started Majestic Publications was because my darling Dad, Bob Manifold, died after a short battle with a cancerous brain tumour in December 1997 at the age of 59. He had been a fit and healthy man and the life and soul of any gathering.
His loss completely devastated us as a family but we were buoyed up and supported by our local hospice in Chester who were amazing. The pain that comes from losing someone you love can never be diminished but our local hospice helped us to feel that we weren’t on our own.”
In addition, Jane takes on incredible challenges to show her support to the Hospices that Majestic Publications supply to.
Jane said:
“As soon as someone says that there’s no way I could undertake something, I go out of my way to prove them wrong. This has resulted in me running about six 10ks, a sprint triathlon, Morecombe Bay Walk, flying through the air on the longest zip wire in Europe, taking part in the Dragon Boat Race (last year dressed as a chicken!), abseiling down the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and even the challenge of giving up alcohol for a month!
“I am by no means an athlete but it’s amazing what a bit of determination can achieve.”
Jane’s next challenge will be the Mighty Mudder: a new addition to the St Barnabas events calendar featuring a 5K route at Ancaster Leisure including over 50 muddy obstacles.
Jane said: “Something that was instilled in me when I was growing up was that you always need to give back. In turn this is something that I’ve tried to bring my son, Ben, up to understand and carry through.”
“We’re also looking forward to a bit of quality mother and son time, although I think Ben is hoping that I’ll be so out of breath that it will stop me nagging him about tidying his room!”
New for this event, St Barnabas has decided to offer two different types of tickets. Participants wanting to raise money for the Hospice will be able to pay a lower registration fee of £25, providing they pledge a minimum sponsorship of £50. Alternatively, participants can pay a £55 registration fee if they decide not to raise sponsorship money. These are early bird prices and will be available for a limited time until Sunday 28th July.
Children aged 14-17 can also take part for a flat rate of £10 and are encouraged to raise as much money as they are able. The Hospice does ask that there is one adult per two children when signing up.
Early bird tickets are now on sale for this exciting new event. To sign up or view more information, visit the event page.
Hospice challenges local businesses to do something nifty with £50
St Barnabas Hospice is once again holding their three-month long Accumulator Challenge for local business supporters.
On the back of St Barnabas Hospice’s successful Accumulator Challenge last year, the Hospice has decided to launch the challenge again for 2019 to try and engage with even more local businesses.
The Accumulator Challenge is an exciting and innovative way for corporate supporters of the Hospice to go head-to-head to grow £50 into the most amount of money. Last year’s Challenge saw fourteen businesses come together to raise a total of £18,518.91, with the winning team being Warners Midlands plc who turned £50 into £2,000 with only four team members!
This year’s Accumulator Challenge will begin on Sunday 1st September and will run for three months until Saturday 30th November. The Hospice is encouraging local businesses to sign up before Monday 19th August to receive the £50 in time for the start of the challenge.
At the end of the three months, St Barnabas plans to host an Awards Evening to celebrate the achievements during the Challenge and give awards out to the top performers. The Hospice has listed some brand-new awards to be given out this year:
- Innovation Award
- Best Event Award
- Best Individual Fundraiser Award
- Best Fundraising Team Award
- Digital Marketing Award
Caroline Swindin, Corporate & Community Lead at St Barnabas Hospice, said:
“After the success of last year’s Challenge, we couldn’t wait to launch it again this year. We’ve listened to feedback and made a few changes to ensure it will be bigger and better than before.
“For fairness, we’re going to convert the final figures into a team average based on the number of people in each team. This means that small companies will have just as good a chance of winning as those who want to sign up a large number of employees to their fundraising team.
“I’d be delighted to see our current corporate partners entering the Challenge and I also can’t wait to welcome brand new supporters to take part. It will be brilliant to see the different ways in which people can be ‘nifty with a fifty’ for hospice care.
NatWest are the first team to sign up this year, following a successful award win during last year’s Accumulator Challenge. The team were announced as having the most innovative ideas, which included hosting a curry lunch break where they cooked using a recipe from their colleagues in India. They also organised a table football tournament and a World Cup themed networking evening in a night club!
Andy Procter, Relationship Director at NatWest, said:
“As a team we immediately wanted to get involved to support this wonderful charity, as many of us have been touched by the work St Barnabas does. It was a great opportunity for us to get together as a team and have some fun raising money.
“We decided to have a number of charity meal where different staff members in the office cooked and the rest of the team paid for the food. We all sat down together, and it was great fun to prepare the food and spend time together. We didn’t realise how many good cooks we have!
“We are looking to do the same again this year alongside our office tuck shop, which we use to raise regular funds for St Barnabas.”
To sign up to the St Barnabas Accumulator Challenge, visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/accumulator19. For more information, call Caroline on 07435 970 309 or email caroline.swindin@stbarnabashospice.co.uk.
Dog walkers encouraged at this year’s Moonlight Walk Stamford
St Barnabas Hospice is welcoming dog walkers to this year’s Moonlight Walk Stamford in September.
Taking place on Saturday 14th September, the second Moonlight Walk Stamford hosted by St Barnabas Hospice is welcoming both humans and dogs to walk in memory of loved ones. The Moonlight Walk Stamford will begin at Borderville Sports Centre, with doors opening to the public at 7.30pm.
Reggie the Cockerpoo took part in the Moonlight Walk Lincoln earlier this year with his owner, Debbie, who he really helped through a difficult time. Debbie’s husband, Richard Braunton, was diagnosed with stage four Frontal Lobe Glioblastoma in January 2017 and sadly died in March 2018, age 49. Debbie said:
“We initially thought St Barnabas was just somewhere you go to die. Little did we know what amazing support, care and activities they offer to both patients and their families and carers.
“Whilst he was able, Rich went to do Tai Chi at the Lincoln Day Therapy Centre. Although sometimes he struggled, we still managed to get him there just to chat to someone outside of family and friends. We also had lunches there with family which was lovely.
“As Rich became more poorly, he was admitted for respite care to the Hospice, where he was so well looked after.”
Debbie also received a lot of free support from St Barnabas, both during and after Richard’s illness. Debbie said:
“I was given a course of reflexology as a way to relax. This was lovely and a great way to unwind for an hour to myself.
“After Rich died, I decided, in the end, to go to the counselling group which was really beneficial. Overall, St Barnabas staff and volunteers were truly supportive for me and our family at such a difficult time.”
“St Barnabas offers such varied support and is a sanctuary to go to talk and show emotions which I didn’t want to show my family as I felt I had to be strong for them.
“Although they have volunteers, they are a charity and as such, need money to continue to offer support to other families in similar circumstances to my own.
“In life, we never know what lies ahead of us and we never think that tragedy could strike so early. To know that St Barnabas is there to be our backbone in these circumstances is a massive thing and I would urge everyone to support the Hospice. I never imagined I would be in this position.”
Louise Cotton, Events Fundraiser for St Barnabas Hospice, said:
“Debbie’s story has moved us all at St Barnabas and it’s lovely to know that Reggie was able to help her through such a difficult time. We look forward to meeting lots of dogs like Reggie at this year’s Moonlight Walk Stamford, but there are a couple of rules.
“Please make sure dogs are kept on non-retractable leads, they must be friendly and sociable with people and with other dogs.”
