Category: Hospice News

A couple have taken on the Westcountry Ultra Flat 50 Miler and raised £3,700 for St Barnabas Hospice

Zoe Francis (38), along with her partner, Russell Broster (35), have successfully completely the Westcountry Ultra Flat 50 Miler in memory of Zoe’s mum, Brenda Francis. They have raised an amazing £3,700 for St Barnabas Hospice.

Zoe’s mum, Brenda, was diagnosed with anal canal cancer and lymph nodes secondary, and sadly died on 16^th December 2016 following a seven-week stay at the St Barnabas Inpatient Unit in Lincoln.

Brenda was diagnosed with the cancer shortly after the family returned from a surprise family cruise around the Caribbean to celebrate her 70^th birthday in 2015.

Zoe said:

“Mum fought the cancer initially with fierce determination. She went through rounds of invasive radiotherapy and chemotherapy, sadly with neither treatment showing any sign of improvement.

“When we found out the cancer was terminal, Mum tried to carry on as normal. In time, the side effects of the cancer began to restrict her daily activities and we had no choice but to admit her to St Barnabas Hospice.

“I couldn’t wish what Mum went through on anyone, but in that awful situation we found ourselves in, St Barnabas Hospice was the best place she could have been.

“The whole team were amazing. They went over and above anything we could have imagined to make Mum as welcome and comfortable as possible through those last seven weeks. As well as being there for Mum 24/7, they comforted and supported my siblings and I on many occasion, and nothing was ever too much to ask.”

This was the couple’s first fundraising activity for St Barnabas Hospice, and the money they raised was increased by a generous donation of £1,000 from DPD, Russell’s place of work. To add to their sponsorship amount, please visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/zoe-and-russ

Zoe said:

“We are so happy to be giving something back to St Barnabas for all that they did for our family. The charity wouldn’t be able to run and do such amazing things for families like ours without financial support.

“Mum was always so full of life, and her diagnosis made us so close as a family. She would be so proud for what we have done in her memory. She is truly one in a million.”

Zoe’ brother, Mark, has also taken on an ‘Ultra’ run for St Barnabas. Mark completed the 52 mile Race to the Tower last month. Jobi, Zoe’s nephew, added to the fundraising pot by completing the Three Peaks Challenge. In total, the family have raised around £5,000 for St Barnabas Hospice.

If you would like to take on a challenging event in support of St Barnabas Hospice, please contact Mike Pastor at mike.pastor@stbarnabashospice.co.uk or call 01522 540 300.

A 45-year-old Grantham father has taken on a trained cage fighter in support of St Barnabas and won

Steve Atkin, a 45-year-old father and construction worker from Grantham, has recently taken part in a charity boxing match to raise money for St Barnabas Hospice. Steve did this in memory of his dad, Terry Atkin.

Boxing novice, Steve, had originally been paired with a 42-year-old of similar ability. Three hours before his match was due to start, he was given notice of a change of opponent. Steve’s new opponent was a 32-year-old cage fighter with 37 wins out of 47 fights under his belt!

After a tough three-round match, Steve won convincingly on points.

Steve, who works for Daniel Charles Construction, said:

“My dad was everything to me. I worked with him on building sites and he taught me everything I know. He was my best mate as well as a dad, and a true hero.

“I had been training with Russ Brown at Browny’s Boxing Gym to keep fit but had no previous experience of a boxing match, so my wife suggested I take on this challenge to raise money for St Barnabas.

“The care Dad received from St Barnabas Hospice was excellent, and I can’t thank them enough.”

Steve has previously fundraised in memory of a friend by taking on a 10k race and the Tough Mudder, and is excited to continue fundraising in the future.

Mike Pastor, Challenge Events Fundraiser at St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“We are so proud of what Steve has achieved in memory of his dad, and his story just goes to show the huge lengths people will go to in memory of their loved ones.

“I would encourage more people to step out of their comfort zone like Steve has, and take on a challenge in support of St Barnabas Hospice.”

If you would like to take on a challenging event in support of St Barnabas Hospice, please contact Mike Pastor at mike.pastor@stbarnabashospice.co.uk or call 01522 540 300.

Almost £25,000 has been raised at the successful Bubble Rush hosted by St Barnabas Hospice on Sunday 8^th July

On Sunday 8^th July, around 550 people came together to run the 5k Bubble Rush at Stoke Rochford Hall in support of St Barnabas Hospice. These inspiring runners have collectively raised almost £25,000 for the Hospice.

People young and old joined forces at Stoke Rochford Hall, with the youngest participant being just a toddler and the oldest participant being 79-years-old!

The Bubble Rush is a 5km route around Stoke Rochford Hall, with bubble cannons pumping out brightly coloured foam at each kilometre. Although the weather was hot, it didn’t stop the first runner back completing the course in less than 30 minutes!

79-year-old Helen Smith from Croxton Kerrial near Grantham completed the Bubble Rush in less than two hours, with the help of a walking frame. Helen was taking part in memory of her husband, John, who sadly died a couple of years ago in the St Barnabas Hospice in the Hospital from metastatic cancer of the lung. Prior to his fifteen days spent in the Hospice, he received Hospice at Home care from St Barnabas, as well as attending Day Therapy sessions in Grantham.

Before setting off, Helen said:

“I read a story about a five-year-old who took part in last year’s St Barnabas Bubble Rush, and she really inspired me. If she can do it, then why can’t I?

“I have been very unwell myself and cannot walk without the use of sticks, so I see this as a goal to help get my life back to normal.

“John will definitely be looking down on me and chuckling the whole way round, but I know he’d be very proud.”

Amelia Mochan, Events Fundraiser at St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“It was such an emotional moment when Helen crossed the finish line, and the spectators had all gathered to cheer in her amazing effort. I couldn’t be prouder of the lengths our supporters go to when fundraising for our Hospice.

“The money raised from the Bubble Rush is crucial in helping St Barnabas deliver care and support across Lincolnshire. With it, we can care for more patients living with a life-limiting or terminal illness, and their families and carers.”

“A lot of our mass participation events involve a level of activeness – whether that be running, walking or climbing over inflatables!

To get in touch with the Events team about this event or future events, call 01522 540 300 or email fundraising@stbarnabashospice.co.uk. You can see a full list of the Hospice events at www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/events

A new date has been set for the St Barnabas Grantham Ladies Lunch, featuring a special talk and free beauty treatments

At this year’s St Barnabas Ladies Lunch in Grantham, the Hospice is delighted to welcome Enhance Beauty to do a 20 minute talk, offer free treatments and donate £300 worth of prizes to the luxury raffle!

Enhance Beauty will be the headline sponsor for this event held at Belton Woods Hotel on Friday 19^th October from 11.30am, and are doing a lucky dip to offer those in attendance a free mini treatment. They will be giving £300 worth of prizes to the raffle, which include CACI anti-ageing treatments, massage and shellac nail varnish.

Also included in the luxury raffle is a spa day at Belton Woods Hotel, a photoshoot with Instinctive Photography and a mini-break from Janet Sprigg at Your Holiday Booking.

Lorna Worsley, Owner of Enhance Beauty, said:

“The Hospice touches so many of our clients’ lives, so it is an obvious choice to lend our support. It is great to be able to support such a giving organisation.

“We know a lot is self-funded, so it’s important for us to remain focussed on doing all we can to retain this important local service.”

Also in attendance at this popular Grantham event will be guest speaker, Judith Holder. Judith will entertain guests with her talk, ‘Grey Pride,’ so expect lots of laughter.

Amelia Mochan, Event Fundraiser for St Barnabas, said:

“We are delighted that Enhance Beauty will be joining us for this year’s Ladies Lunch, and can’t wait to treat our guests to a bit of pampering.

“Whether you bring your mum, grandma, sister or friends, you’re guaranteed to have a fun-filled girly afternoon of relaxation, whilst raising money for your local Hospice.”

As well as guest speakers and headline sponsors, there will also be several stalls on the day. Guests are welcome to browse an array of jewellery, handbags, crafts and gifts and indulge in some retail therapy.

Tickets cost £26 per person, and include a two-course meal and complimentary tea and coffee. To buy your tickets, visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/granthamlunch18.

For more information about the Ladies Lunch Grantham, call Amelia Mochan on 01522 540 300, or email amelia.mochan@stbarnabashospice.co.uk.

St Barnabas Hospice has introduced a range of improvements to their Spalding café in the Market Place

Following a feedback gathering exercise from members of the public, St Barnabas Hospice are delighted to launch a range of changes and updates to their first ever café. The café is based in their Spalding charity shop in the Market Place.

Customers will receive the same quality of food and service, but at a lower price. The Hospice is also delighted to announce plans for selling reusable cups in the near future. More information on these will be released in due course.

As well as modifying the menu, St Barnabas has added Wi-Fi to the café. Not only will customers be able to sign in to this free of charge, but it also opens up more opportunities for the people of Spalding. The Hospice are now taking bookings for groups wanting to meet in an informal space, and also welcome in locals to have a drink whilst doing some work on their laptops.

From Friday 6^th to Saturday 14^th July, St Barnabas is running an exciting offer to those visiting their shop and café. Between these dates, anyone who spends £5 in the Spalding shop will get a free drink in the café.

Caroline Peach, Retail Manager at St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“We are grateful to everyone who has provided us with feedback, and are excited to see the new changes rolled out over the next few weeks.

“In particular, we are focusing on becoming more environmentally friendly. As well as looking at selling reusable cups, we are also encouraging members of the public to bring their own in. Anyone who does will receive a 25p discount on the price of their drink. We also have ensured that our drinking straws aren’t made from plastic.”

The café has a loyalty card scheme, where regular customers can buy nine hot drinks and get their tenth free. To get hold of one of these cards, ask at the till in the café.

All of the coffees sold by the St Barnabas café are made using a special blend created in partnership with Stokes Coffee. The blend, called Blend 35, was created as part of the Hospice’s 35^th birthday year in 2017. It is described as a combination of Brazilian, Colombian, Peruvian and Indian cherry beans, show roasted to give a well-rounded, smooth flavour with a fruity kick. The beans used in the blend are certified by the Rainforest Alliance and the Fairtrade Foundation.

Customers can also purchase Blend 35 in bags from any of the 26 St Barnabas charity shops across Lincolnshire, at £4.99 per bag. It is available in both ground and bean format.

For further information about the Spalding shop and café, contact Caroline Peach on 01522 559 517 or email caroline.peach@stbarnabashospice.co.uk

St Barnabas Hospice is holding a wellbeing volunteer recruitment open evening at the Inpatient Unit on Nettleham Road Lincoln

 St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice is on a recruitment drive to fill volunteer wellbeing posts at the Inpatient Unit.

The charity has the support of over 1,000 volunteers across the county and is looking to grow the support of specific wellbeing volunteers to help patients, their families and carers.

At the Inpatient Unit the wellbeing volunteers, alongside professionals offer the patients and their loved ones, complementary therapies such as Reiki, hand massage, and spiritual and pastoral care.

The volunteers also lend a listening ear whenever it is needed and champion the St Barnabas Hospice vision of a world with dignified and compassion end-of-life care.

The volunteer recruitment open evening will take place on Wednesday 27^th June 5 – 7.30 pm at St Barnabas Inpatient Unit, 36 Nettleham Road, Lincoln, LN2 1RE.

Mandy Irons, Head of Wellbeing Services for St Barnabas Hospice said:

“We are recruiting wellbeing volunteers to support the staff, patients, their families at carers at our Inpatient Unit in Lincoln. This is an opportunity to make a difference to patients in the IPU and their families by providing a range of wellbeing support.

“It is an exciting opportunity to join a local charity and really make a difference to the patients, and their loved ones in the Inpatient Unit by providing a range of wellbeing support.  The volunteers will be an integral part of the ward team and work closely with the staff.

“We are looking for anyone who has experience providing complementary therapies, counselling, a background in spiritual or pastoral care, art therapists, social workers, occupational therapists, health and social care or physiotherapists. More than that we are looking for people that are good listeners, as sometimes just having someone to speak to is all the therapy our patients need.”

In return for a couple of hours of volunteered time each week between 5 -7pm, St Barnabas Hospice will offer support, a core training programme and help the individuals develop their skillset.

If you or someone you know would be interested in becoming a wellbeing support volunteer for St Barnabas Hospice contact the wellbeing team on 01522 518 225 or turn up on the evening.

Lincs Independent Living Partnership (LILP) has launched an art competition on the theme ‘Overcoming Loneliness’ to help bring this key issue to the fore.

Residents of Lincolnshire aged 18 and over, who have a passion for photography, drawing or painting, are asked to submit entries on the theme by 1st June 2018. People of all abilities are encouraged to participate.

Winning entries will be included in a LILP calendar 2019, circulated throughout the community. The top three entries will be showcased in the LILP marquee at the Lincolnshire Show 2018 (8th Avenue, Stand 11), where members of the public will be asked to vote for an overall winner.

LILP is a consortium of five local charitable organisations – Age UK Lincoln & Kesteven, LACE Housing, LHP, Lincolnshire Home Independence Agency, and St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice – bound by a common mission to enhance the health, safety and wellbeing of vulnerable local people and promote independent living.

Nick Chambers, CEO of LACE Housing and Chair of LILP’s Joint Steering Board, comments:

“Loneliness is a real problem for people living in the often sparsely-populated and rural communities of Lincolnshire and its impact on health and wellbeing is well documented. The art competition is one of the ways my fellow LILP colleagues and I hope to spark reflection and dialogue on the issue. At the same time, we’re keen to celebrate Lincolnshire’s photographic and artistic talent, and very much look forward to receiving entries!”

If you would like to participate, or you if you know someone or a community group who might be interested, further information, downloadable competition entry forms and rules are available at www.lilp.org.uk

St Barnabas Hospice will be hosting a Cream Tea & Plant Sale on Saturday 26^th May, from 1.30pm to 4pm at the Day Therapy Centre, Hawthorn Road, Lincoln, LN2 4QX.

Throughout the afternoon the Day Therapy Centre will be open to all, where there will be an opportunity to purchase a wide selection of plants, as well as browsing some of the best local craft stalls. New for 2018, the Hospice will also be serving a homemade cream tea to enjoy in their beautiful garden.

Ella Beale, Community Fundraiser for St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“We are delighted to welcome members of the public to our annual Cream Tea & Plant Sale, and we hope the cream tea will prove a popular addition to this year’s event.

“The plant sale wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of local people and garden centres donating plants to support the event.

“Since our plant sales began back in 2001, they have raised over £50,000 for St Barnabas Hospice, which is the equivalent of funding 73 overnight stays in our Inpatient Unit.”

St Barnabas would appreciate any plant donations for this event, so please get in contact if you would like to help. You can also apply to host a stall on the day, which will cost £20.

For further information or to make a donation please contact Ella Beale on 01522 559 509 or email ella.beale@stbarnabashospice.co.uk. Alternatively, you can visit our website at www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/lincoln-plant-sale.

Local people are being encouraged to make or amend their Will free of charge this May, and in return, are asked to support their local Hospice

Throughout May this year, St Barnabas Hospice have teamed up with local Solicitor firms to give Lincolnshire residents the chance to make or amend their Will free of charge. In return, they are asking for a gift in their Will or donation to St Barnabas.

The Solicitors which are involved in this campaign are: Dale & Co Solicitors, Hodgkinsons Solicitors, Langleys Solicitors, Ringrose Law and Sills & Betteridge Solicitors.

Sam Waterer, Individual Giving Fundraiser at St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“A lot of people think they don’t need a Will early on in life, but it’s amazing what assets people realise they have when they write them down. If you’re married, have kids or own a business or home and don’t have a Will, now is definitely the right time to make one.

“It is also good to review your current Will every five years, as a lot can change in a short space of time.

Tina Hill, Chartered Legal Executive at Hodgkinsons Solicitors, said:

“Many people don’t like the thought of making a Will because they think it’s tempting fate, yet they are happy to take out life insurance to cover a mortgage or a loan

“It is important to make a Will at any time of life, even if you think you have nothing to leave there is always something to sort out, whether it be wealth, beloved pets or just to outline funeral arrangements.

“When making a Will you can appoint who you want to administer your estate and sort out arrangements as you wish them to be done. What better time to do it than during Make a Will Month?”

St Barnabas is lucky to receive many gifts in Wills from their supporters. These gifts help St Barnabas care for more people across Lincolnshire living with a life-limiting or terminal illness, and their families and carers.

As well as supporting the future of your local Hospice, Make a Will Month also encourages people to make plans, and to think about the end of their life.

Sam said:

“Although the end of your life can be difficult to think about, it can be even more difficult for your friends and family if nothing is in place when it comes around.

“Make a Will Month helps people to create their Legacy and decide what happens to the people and things they care about the most after they are gone.”

There is no obligation to leave a gift in your Will for St Barnabas as part of Make a Will Month. However, once you have provided for your loved ones, any gift you are able to leave will help to ensure that the Hospice can continue their care and support in the local community into the future.

For more information on Make a Will Month or to receive your free pack, visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/MAWM. Alternatively, you can contact Sam Waterer at sam.waterer@stbarnabashospice.co.uk or call 01522 540 300.