June has been an incredibly active month for our community outreach team: from local food banks and bustling farmers’ markets to award ceremonies, our team has been out across the boroughs of Kingston and Richmond, strengthening partnerships and ensuring our vital care and support services remain highly visible and accessible for anyone who needs it.  

Here is a look back at what we achieved together: 

We kickstarted the month by hosting an information table at the Kingston Food Bank’s Impact Centre, where we highlighted our local bereavement and carers support programmes to attendees. Our team also visited food bank sites in Chessington and New Malden to extend our reach. 

Later in the week, we enjoyed a rainy but brilliant day at the New Malden Community Farmers Market. Beyond promoting local services like our Compassionate Cafe and the Your Wellbeing, Your Way programme at the Malden Centre, we sold a selection of  items from the Shed, and raised £100 for the Hospice. A particular highlight was when a local resident leaned out of his car window to hand us a spontaneous donation! 

We were also delighted to support the team at Unilever offices in Kingston during their ‘Freshers’ Fair’ to help promote their upcoming Big Walk (which took place on 26 June) in aid of the Hospice and another charity, Bags for Strife. Alongside these events, our regular sessions at the Living Well Social Prescribers Hub, RBKares Wellbeing Day, and the Shepherd’s Star Hub continued as usual. 

To mark Learning Disabilities Week, our outreach team co-facilitated ‘No Barriers Here’ workshops alongside the Kingston Involve Learning Disability Peer Advocate team. Together, we worked to refine and improve our ‘About Me’ documentation to make our services more accessible. We also hosted a stall at the Richmond Mencap Learning Disability Awareness Event, where we invited community members to use our dedicated board to share visual memories of their loved ones. 

To mark Refugee Week, we joined local partners to celebrate Richmond’s status as a Borough of Sanctuary. We attended the moving “It Takes Courage” Poetry Workshop organised by LEAH (Learn English at Home) – which was attended by the Mayor of Richmond upon Thames, Councillor Nancy Baldwin – as well as Richmond Council’s diversity event at York House, where we networked with residents and local groups. 

As part of our internal and external commitment to inclusion, we wrapped up our ‘Month of Connection’ calendar for Pride Month by welcoming Wil from the sexual health charity Spectra back to the Hospice. Wil delivered a vital and engaging educational talk on Gender and Sexuality Awareness for our staff and community contacts. 

We closed out the month with a wonderful evening of celebration at the annual Kingston Celebrating Communities Awards, held at Kingston All Saints Church. Organised by Kingston Council and Kingston Voluntary Action, the awards recognise those making outstanding contributions to the borough. Princess Alice Hospice was incredibly proud to be nominated in two categories: our sustainable fashion project with Kingston College was shortlisted for the Greener Community Award, and the wonderful group of volunteers who gave their time for our “It’s happening here” campaign photoshoot was shortlisted for the Community Team Award. While we didn’t take home the trophies this time, it was a beautiful evening spent celebrating the dedication of the volunteers and charities who keep our community moving forward. We truly could not do what we do without you. 

Thank you to all our community partners and volunteers whose dedication makes our outreach possible and see you in July!