Category: Hospice News
St Barnabas Hospice Wins ‘Highly Commended’ for its Sensory Garden at the Lincolnshire Show
St Barnabas Hospice is delighted to announce that its Sensory Show Garden has been awarded Highly Commended by the President of the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.
The Hospice can’t thank the staff and students at Riseholme College enough for their help with planting the garden and building the wheelchair-friendly flowerbeds and archway out of recycled, sustainable materials. The hospice would also like to thank everyone else who contributed to the development of the garden.
Visitors flocked to the garden over the two days of the Lincolnshire Show, learning more about the Hospice and why the garden’s sensory and accessibility features are so important. To gain a moment’s respite from the beating sun, visitors also enjoyed the first taste of St Barnabas Hospice’s new gin, Est.1982 Ruby, produced by long-standing Charity Partners of the Hospice, Bottomley Distillers.
The garden, which was originally intended for St Barnabas Hospice’s wellbeing centre in Boston before the pandemic, was designed by local landscape gardener Caroline Stanley from Inspirational Gardens. The garden is a reflective and relaxing space for all to enjoy, designed with the senses in mind and dementia-friendly elements with fragrant plants and some raised beds allowing patients of all mobility to touch and smell the flowers.
Head of Fundraising and Lottery, Veronica McBain, said: “Of course, this isn’t just our award. This has been a huge collaborative project for us and I want to thank everyone who has gone above and beyond, especially the students of Riseholme College who worked in the heat to plant the garden and build the wheelchair-friendly raised beds.
“With thanks to Caroline Stanley, who designed the garden, and Amy and Alan, who have supported us not only with the Garden but with the launch of our third gin, Est.1982 Ruby, which launched with us at the Lincolnshire Show. Finally, we’d like to thank the Showground, who initiated the project and invited us to create a Garden suitable to display at the Show.
“The Hospice simply could not help the people of Lincolnshire without the support of people like this. Thank you.”
Curriculum Area Manager for the Land-Based Department at Riseholme College, Lenny Malloy, said: “We were approached by St Barnabas over two years ago now, asking if we’d be interested in creating a garden at the Show for them and it just so happened that it marked their 40th anniversary.
“The students have been heavily involved, they’ve been involved in the design of the garden, in conjunction with Pin Gin, all the way through to sourcing and planting the plants.”
The Sensory Garden will be moved and incorporated into St Barnabas Hospice’s wellbeing centre in Louth for both patients and staff to enjoy.
Introducing the BEAM Café, a new community-led mental health café making a difference in Boston
The BEAM café, a joint venture by St Barnabas Hospice, the Parish of Boston and the Boston Neighbourhood team is looking for new volunteers to help support local people struggling with their mental health.
The group, called the BEAM Café (Building Engagement Around Mental health), meets every Tuesday afternoon from 12pm to 3pm and Wednesday evening from 4pm to 7pm at St Botolph’s Church Boston (The Stump). This group offers people a safe space for anyone, over the age of 18, who is experiencing challenges with their mental health and wellbeing.
The BEAM Café first opened on Tuesday 1st February and has so far supported dozens of local people, both who attend the café regularly or who have attended as a one-off. The BEAM Café is there for any individual that could benefit from a listening ear, peer support and links to other groups or services if this is appropriate.
The BEAM Café is not clinically-led, but those who run the café help support people to access other services such as a mental health practitioner, Steps2Change or other support within the community through various community groups and activities. The sessions are primarily targeted towards but not limited to the people of Boston and the local area.
Michael, who lives in the Boston area, first started to attend the café in March after struggling with his mental health. Michael said: “I have been suffering with my mental health for many years, and it became more affected after my wife passed away three years ago. Having tried a range of methods and therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, I feel like the BEAM café has helped me with my mental health the most. Heidi and the volunteers are incredible at what they do. They are so compassionate, supportive and helpful; they care about everyone they talk to and have made a huge difference to the lives of not just myself but everyone who uses the groups. To me, the BEAM café is like a beam of light when you need it most.”
The Café is organised and run primarily by Heidi Freeman, Community Connector at St Barnabas, with the help of local volunteers and support practitioners. Heidi said:
“The project is a collaboration between St Barnabas, Boston Neighbourhood Team and the Parish of Boston. There is also a strong partnership working with other services such as Social Prescribing, Food Bank and many more who support people to access or refer to the café. During each session, I check in with the people coming along and explore with them if there’s anything that could be done differently. I think it’s vital to have participation feedback and to develop the project with the community.
“So far we have only been able to open the café up to local people on a Tuesday afternoon and a Wednesday night in the town of Boston. Starting on 11th July, we will be adding a new session every Monday afternoon from 1pm to 3pm at The Black Sluice café, which we are really looking forward to. I would like to extend the project and offer BEAM sessions in different settings on other days and evenings. I hope the next step is opening a BEAM on a Friday evening in Boston and a daytime in Wyberton or Kirton area.
“To grow the BEAM café and make it a success and sustainable, we need the help from local people who will be willing to volunteer to help run the sessions. The non-clinical and personal space that the café offers really does make a huge difference to people’s lives”.
For further details about the BEAM Café, and to register your interest in volunteering, please contact Heidi Freeman on 07833 786816 or ‘heidi.freeman@stbarnabashospice.co.uk’
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam Opens New £1 Million Wellbeing Centre in Boston
England’s former Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, opened the new St Barnabas Hospice Wellbeing Centre in his hometown on June 8th.
St Barnabas Hospice has formally opened its Wellbeing Centre in Boston. What used to be a fading bungalow unfit for purpose is now a beautiful sanctuary that offers space to relax, socialise, and attend appointments for St Barnabas patients and their families in the south of Lincolnshire.
The new centre has both treatment and therapy rooms as well as a garden room where exercise sessions and counselling can take place. Unlike St Barnabas’ Inpatient units in Lincoln and Grantham, this building has no beds but offers patients who have been diagnosed with life-limiting illnesses a place to access well-being support and helps patients to live well for longer.
The building is named Novak House after local philanthropist Stefan Novak. He left almost £500,000 to St Barnabas as a legacy gift in his will in 2019 after his wife was cared for by a hospice in London. The total build and renovation costs for the wellbeing centre totalled £1 million and wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of almost 900 local people who gave to our Wellbeing Hub Appeal – Thank you.
Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam said: “It is really going to be an improvement for people of the Boston area, and I’m very proud to be associated with it. Thank you to all the benefactors, the big ones and the small ones. You’ve all made an enormous difference.
“I also hope that the centre goes from strength to strength and really becomes an important kind of beacon of hope in the community in the years that come.”
Chief Executive, Chris Wheway, said: “Novak house, to me, is a tremendous development for us as a hospice working in Boston. It’s about serving the people of Boston and providing high-quality end-of-life specialist palliative care.
“We provide all sorts of care, counselling, relaxation therapies, and physiotherapy and occupational health support, our hospice at home teams are based here and we also have consultant support from here and volunteer support, so there’s a tremendous amount of work that starts from this hub and then goes out into the community as well as people coming here.”
Head of Wellbeing Services, Mandy Irons, said: “Legacy donations are hugely important to us. We receive some funding for our care services, but it doesn’t cover all our costs. Without legacy funding and other donations, we simply would be unable to provide the services we do. We can’t thank the Novak family enough, you know, a profound thank you for what they have been able to create.”
The Hospice is hosting a public open day Wednesday 15th June from 10-2 pm. If you are from the Boston area and would like to access care from St Barnabas Hospice, you can contact them here.
Sisters Liberty and Matilda are taking on a 100km hiking challenge around the Lake District in memory of Grandma, Mary.
Sisters Liberty, 28 and Matilda Henry, 30 from Holbeach, Lincolnshire are taking on the challenge 100km around the Lake District in a loop, starting and finishing in Kendal, on 11th June. There will be hills, fields, paths, tracks and some of it around Lake Windermere.
“We have both always been sporty people, we did gymnastics from ages 3/4-18/19 and have played netball since secondary school! We’re also regular skiers/snowboarders too, but our advice to anyone, with any fitness level is – just do it!
“St Barnabas have been brilliant at keeping in contact and sending advice, tips for fundraising and general encouragement along the way. You won’t ever feel on your own with the training, so it’s the perfect way to get started.
“We have both supported St Barnabas for 8 years, since as a family we became aware of the Hospice when they helped our Grandma, Mary Harpham.
“Grandma was a one of a kind Lady; Loving, kind and outgoing! Baking was a passion and a skill she past on to every generation, from lemon to fruit cakes (with plenty of alcohol soaked in!). We all have very fond memories of days with Grandma and Grandad on their farm, cakes in the oven and playing with the dogs (St Bernard’s, Golden Retrievers and Jack Russell’s).
“Grandma’s health deteriorated quite quickly, which drastically impacted on all the family. She was the life and soul right to the end at 92 years of age. We had Hospice at Home nurses visit from St Barnabas caring and supporting grandma towards the end, which meant she could accomplish her final wish – to be at home with us “around her.
We won’t ever forget the relationship the nurses built with Grandma and the family. It was such a difficult time, but they made us all feel supported.”
The 11th of June also happens to be our 40th anniversary of providing hospice care to families of Lincolnshire who need it. Thank you so much ladies for choosing to support our Hospice in this milestone year, in memory of your Grandma, Mary.
Introducing St Barnabas’ new Dementia Service for families across Lincolnshire
It’s Dementia Action Week, which is the perfect opportunity to introduce Tom and Christina; two St Barnabas specialist nurses trained to support families living with the impact of dementia.
We would like to thank the Worth Waynflete Foundation who have funded Tom, our Lead Dementia Nurse for 2022/2023. This special donation ensures we can provide expert dementia clinical support for families with a person living with dementia. Mr Michael Worth, Chair of The Worth Waynflete Foundation states “With the increase in dementia patients being treated it is a pleasure to be of some help and I hope the services continue to thrive”
Tom and Christina will work with families to support everything from a persons general wellbeing to accessing therapy, and organise advanced care planning for the patient, which includes organising finances and final wishes.
Further information on the service will be available soon, but in the meantime please join us in thanking the Worth Waynflete Foundation for making this care possible.
St Barnabas’ Inpatient Unit temporarily closed for essential maintenance and improvement works.
St Barnabas Hospice’s Inpatient Unit on Nettleham Road, Lincoln is temporarily closed to undertake essential maintenance and improvement works. Construction is planned to complete by mid-October and reopening for patients and families in November 2022.
During the construction works, St Barnabas will remain committed to continuing to provide outstanding care to our patients and their families. Our clinical staff will be redeployed to work in the community alongside our existing community services or other inpatient settings across the county.
St Barnabas Hospice Lincolnshire is one of the largest charities in the county, supporting more than 10,500 patient and families each year. The charity provides Inpatient support and community care through Wellbeing Centres in Lincoln, Boston, Spalding, Louth, and Grantham. The remedial work is part of the Hospice’s long-term ambition to maintain high quality care for the people of Lincolnshire.
Michelle Webb, Director of Patient Care explains;
I am delighted that we have a confirmed date for these essential works to improve our patient and families experience at our Inpatient Unit in Lincoln. To be able to complete this work as efficiently and safely as possible, our care from the site will be paused until October 2022. We are working very closely with our contractor and project delivery team to minimise disruption to our patients, staff, and the wider healthcare community
Everyone connected with the Hospice is committed to providing the best facilities and infrastructure for our patient, their families, and our staff. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to our fully refurbished unit in early autumn 2022.
If you wish to make a referral during the closure period, please call our advice and referral line on 0300 020 0694
‘They Would Both Be Proud’ – Ebonie Runs St Barnabas Colour Dash In Memory of Nana
Ebonie Barker from Skegness, is taking part in the Colour Dash event, being held at the Lincolnshire Showground on Saturday 14th May to thank the Hospice for caring for her Nana in 2018.
Ebonie says: “Due to the incredible work they provide day in and day out for their patients, I wanted to run the Colour Dash this year for St Barnabas. The Hospice took such wonderful care of my lovely Nana, Grace Barker, and I always feel honoured to take part in these events to try and give something back.
“I am also taking part in the Colour Dash to also remember my beautiful Grandad, Brian Holdsworth. I know they would both be proud to see me taking part in such fantastic events to help raise money for people who need it the most.”
The Colour Dash event is back for a sixth year and promises to be bigger and better than ever before. This year, St Barnabas Hospice celebrates its 40th birthday. To honour the occasion, the Hospice has brought back the popular event with more paint powder than ever before and a goal of raising £150,000 for patient care.
Ebonie is hoping to raise more than £400 in total, with an initial target of £200 via her JustGiving page.
Ebonie added: “I always like taking part in fundraising, especially when it’s such a good cause. My family supports the Hospice all year round; we play the lottery and take part in the raffles too. We also attend the Torchlight Procession every year to remember our loved ones. When we stand outside the Hospice and the band plays ‘Amazing Grace’ it is so touching. ”
To find out more about the Colour Dash or to register to take part, visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/colourdash/
St Barnabas Hospice is ranked second best charity to work for across the whole of the UK
Lincolnshire based charity, St Barnabas Hospice, has been ranked as the number two charity to work for across the UK, beating many national organisations to this lucrative position.
Best Companies award their accreditations based on BCI scores, which are generated by an independent b-Heard staff survey taken by people up and down the UK. The survey measures various factors in the workplace, including management, personal growth, giving something back and more. 
St Barnabas Hospice’s second place charity ranking has risen thirteen places in the space of a year, with the Hospice positioned higher than national charities such as PDSA, Youth Sport Trust and The Charity for Civil Servants. It places them as an ‘Outstanding’ organisation to work for, for the second year in a row.
As well as their success on the charity list, St Barnabas has also ranked as the seventh best company across the East Midlands and the twenty-seventh best large company in the whole of the UK. Both of these accolades take all sectors into account, not just charities.
St Barnabas Hospice was established in 1982, and is this year celebrating its 40th anniversary. The workforce of 283 staff members is made up of 87% females, with over 40% of staff having stayed with the charity for more than five years.
The survey found that 91% of staff agreed their team is fun to work with, with 78% agreeing that the experience they gain from their job is valuable for the future.
Lisa Phillips, Associate Director of People and Education said, “We are over the moon to have achieved such fantastic rankings in this year’s Best Companies league tables, and these are a credit to the work we have done as a collective to ensure staff are looked after and listened to. 
“We have just launched our workforce strategy and in particular we want to focus on our inclusion and diversity, our engagement and our wellbeing workstreams. This is all going to help continue to make St Barnabas an outstanding place to work. Our workforce is at the heart of what we do, and ensuring they are happy, supported and engaged with their work is our upmost priority – it’s also something we enjoy doing too!”
St Barnabas Hospice currently has a variety of vacancies as they look to expand their teams following the pandemic. With the charity celebrating its 40th birthday this year, it really is an exciting time to join the workforce. Visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/careers to find out more.
Twelve ways to cope at Christmas following a bereavement
St Barnabas Hospice has put together a helpful guide for those coping with a bereavement this Christmas.
Local charity, St Barnabas Hospice, knows that Christmas can be an especially difficult time for those going through a bereavement. Whether this is your first Christmas after a bereavement, or you were bereaved some time ago, the Hospice has provided twelve helpful ways to cope this year.
Mandy Irons, Head of Wellbeing at St Barnabas Hospice, said: “We understand how painful this time of year can be and would like to share our tips for coping with bereavement at Christmas. We provide free, local support throughout the year for all adults in the community who may be struggling with a bereavement, regardless of whether they have accessed our services or not.
“Many people tell us they find some relief from attending our bereavement groups, through talking to other people who are grieving and sharing their feelings in a safe place. As well as bereavement groups, we are also able to support people through one-to-one counselling and follow-on friendship groups.”
The St Barnabas Hospice ten tips for coping with bereavement at Christmas are:
- Give yourself permission to cry or be emotional – it’s ok to show your feelings.
- Include the person in some way – perhaps light a candle or raise a toast. Visit stbarnabashospice.co.uk/lual to dedicate a light in memory of a loved one on their Tree of Life. They will send you a handwritten, personalised card and silver star tree decoration so you can include your loved one in Christmas celebrations and memories.
- Acknowledge that the holidays will be different, and they may be tough.
- Decide which traditions you want to keep and which you want to change. Think about creating a new tradition in memory of your loved one.
- Be honest. Tell people what you DO want to do and what you DON’T want to do and spend time with people who support you with this.
- Decide where you want to spend Christmas. Remember that the way others will want to spend the holiday may not match how you want to spend it. We all grieve differently and that’s ok.
- Don’t feel guilty: about declining invitations or skipping events, it may just feel too much; If you have not sent cards this year, writing a card without a loved one can be difficult; If you skip or minimise the decorations.
- Ignore the people that tell you what you “should” be doing. Listen to yourself, trust yourself, communicate with your family and do what feels right for you.
- Practice self care: Watch your food intake, food can make you feel better in the short term but don’t allow it to become your Christmas comfort; Alcohol can heighten emotions and may raise anxiety levels so be careful how much you consume; Go for a walk; Take time out to yourself if you need too.
- Ask for and accept help. There will be people who want to help and may offer their support. Take them up on their offers. If people aren’t offering, ask. It can be a relief for you and the person who you have asked for help.
- Enjoy yourself! The holidays will be tough, but there will also be love and joy.
- Remember, it is okay to be happy – this doesn’t diminish how much you love and miss the person who isn’t there this Christmas. Don’t feel guilty for the joy you do find this holiday season.
The St Barnabas Hospice Wellbeing team are here to provide free support to people coping with a bereavement across Lincolnshire, regardless of whether their loved one received hospice care or not. To refer yourself to this service, call 0300 020 0694. For this Christmas period, this line is open Friday 24th December, Wednesday 29th December, Thursday 30th December, Friday 31st December and Tuesday 4th January, 11am – 3pm.
If you are in need of bereavement support outside of those hours, please use these services:
- Lincolnshire Mental Health Hub 0800 001 4331
- Samaritans 116 123
- https://www.thegoodgrieftrust.org/
“The staff went above and beyond to make her peaceful that Christmas, dimming the lights and placing special lanterns at the end of each patient’s bed.”
Donna Fellows is a Clinical Administrator working at the St Barnabas Hospice Inpatient Unit in Lincoln. When she is not working at the Hospice, she is the landlady at the Queen in the West pub! Her pub was one of the first to sign up to the Hospice’s brand-new Pub Quiz initiative to help raise more money for patients, just like the ones cared for by her team.
The Queen in the West has an extra special connection to the Hospice as Donna’s mum Glenis, who was also a landlady in the West End of Lincoln, was cared for in the Inpatient Unit in 2019 and 2020 before she sadly died.
Donna said, “Mum was diagnosed with bowel cancer, which had a devastating effect on the family. The disease was cruel, and the mum we knew and loved completely changed in the last eighteen months of her life. Seeing her suffer was awful, especially when we knew she was in constant pain.
“As Christmas approached, her symptoms increased, and we could see the pain getting worse. That’s when it was suggested for her to go St Barnabas Inpatient Unit. The team there were just wonderful. They reviewed her medication, reassured us all and gave us time to talk about Mum’s illness and the impact it was having on all the family.
“On Christmas Eve we brought Mum home for our traditional family meal, but she was absolutely exhausted by the time we dropped her back off at the Hospice. The staff went above and beyond to make her peaceful that Christmas, dimming the lights and placing special lanterns at the end of each patient’s bed. It was such a gentle, beautiful moment and we all shed a tear knowing that it would be Mum’s last Christmas.
“In her years working behind the bar at her pub and when she visited my pub, Mum adored pub quizzes. She would always help teams out with answers and particularly enjoyed the 60s music round.
“It felt only right that Mum’s story was used for the launch of a campaign based in a pub. We will be holding ours at the Queen in the West early next year, and I hope lots of our friends and regulars come out to join us.
“Mum would be so pleased to see that we are doing this in her honour, and to thank the wonderful people at St Barnabas who cared for her in her hour of need.”
Pubs and social clubs across Lincolnshire are now invited to sign up to host a St Barnabas Hospice Pub Quiz. It is completely free to sign up and each establishment will receive a pack including branded beer mats, quiz sheet, collection pot and posters. Their quiz night will also feature on the Hospice’s website.
To sign up free of charge, visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/pubquiz