St Catherine’s Hospice, Princess Alice Hospice, Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, Phyllis Tuckwell and Woking & Sam Beare Hospice and Wellbeing Care have joined together to show their support to hospices across the country experiencing serious financial hardship. Hospice UK reports that 75% of hospices in England are already running a deficit this year, as costs continue to rise.   

On Wednesday 15 April, a Day of Action event at Westminster called on the government to implement Hospice UK’s four-point plan for fair hospice funding, to safeguard against further service cuts, giving hospices the ability to plan ahead to meet the growing costs and need they continue to face.  

Giles Tomsett, CEO of St Catherine’s Hospice, represented the Surrey hospices when he attended the Day of Action. Giles said: ‘Adults and children whose lives have been touched by hospice care know how vital it is. Hospices provide free, essential support to thousands of people every year, yet many are now facing impossible decisions about cutting services. 

Hospices will always be charities rooted in their local communities, and we are incredibly grateful for the fundraising support that helps sustain our services. But communities cannot do this alone. We are asking the government to match that commitment with fair, sustainable funding, so fewer people miss out on the specialist end of life care they need.

On average, UK adult hospices receive 27% of their total expenditure in statutory funding, while children’s hospices only receive 18%. For the rest, they fundraise in different ways to deliver a wide range of clinical, holistic and wellbeing services to support people and their loved ones before, during and after death. Fundraising activity includes legacy giving, revenue raised from shops, and the generous ongoing contributions of supporters. 

Nigel Seymour, CEO of Princess Alice Hospice, said: ‘We stand shoulder to shoulder with all hospices in England that are struggling, financially. For those forced to cut services, the impact on local people at the most vulnerable time of their lives is clearly devastating. We want the government to fund hospice care fairly and to fully recognise the part we can continue to play, in the complex end-of-life healthcare solution, by relieving the burden on the NHS.’ 

Across England, surging costs have led to many hospice services being cut, despite an increasing need as people continue to live longer and with more complex needs: 

• Hospice UK reports that 75% of hospices are currently running a deficit*. 

• Nearly six out of ten hospices have either already made cuts to frontline services or are considering doing so*.  

• It is estimated that nearly 1 in 3 adults who need palliative care miss out on the support they need**.  

• In 2023, it was estimated that the need for adult palliative care would rise by 25% by 2048**. 

*Source: Hospice UK’s Financial Benchmarking Survey. **Source: Marie Curie.

Princess Alice Hospice’s  Santa Fun Run signals the start of the festive fun for hundreds of local people and this year will be no different. The much-loved community event will once again be ringing in the Christmas cheer, at Bushy Park on Sunday 30 November and Sandown Racecourse on Sunday 14 December.

Each year it costs Princess Alice Hospice £12.3m to deliver its free charitable services to local people and their families facing end of life. With just 20% provided by NHS funding, the Hospice relies on its generous local community for the rest. Alongside the cake bakes and sponsored swims, the marathons and skydives, corporate sponsorships provide a vital stream of income. Barratt Redrow is proud to be partnering with the Hospice to support Santa Fun Run and other events in their community fundraising calendar, including Christmas Tree Collections and Open Gardens. 

Claire Woodward, Community, Corporate & Events Lead, said: ‘We’re so grateful for Barratt Redrow’s support, they have really taken time to understand our organisation and their commitment is genuinely heartfelt. Events like Santa Fun Run are fun for everyone, but the money they raise allows us to continue delivering free, compassionate care to local people at Christmas and through the year.’ 

David Thomas, Chief Executive of Barratt Redrow, said: ‘We’re proud to support the wonderful work that goes on at Princess Alice Hospice. They are an amazing hospice delivering vital end-of-life care and they need as much support as possible. I look forward to seeing lots of Santas in Bushy Park all taking part in the fun run!’ 

Sign up to be part of the fun and give back this Christmas: Santa Fun Run. 

‘’Yesterday, we heard we will receive our second portion of the £100m Government funding announced in December 2024. The money has been given to help all UK hospices upgrade their buildings, facilities and digital systems and we’ll be making the best possible use of every pound we receive, for the benefit of the people and families we support. We’re extremely grateful to the Government for this additional money and I’d like to thank Toby Porter and his team at Hospice UK for their tireless efforts in securing this funding.

Each year, it costs £11.5m to provide our free, palliative and end of life services to local people. We receive just 20% of this from the Government. For the rest, we rely on our incredible supporters, with activities such as buying goods in our shops, participating in community events and leaving gifts in their Wills. We reiterate our call for a longer-term, fair-funding package to allow us to plan more effectively and to serve more people in the London Boroughs of Kingston and Richmond, and across a large part of Surrey.

As part of the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan we will play a vital role in helping shift care from hospitals to the community. By integrating more closely with our neighbourhood health and social care partners, we can improve people’s access and experience of end of life care.”

In 2012, Princess Alice Hospice was one of the first English hospices to directly employ a speech and language therapist, as part of the wider holistic support they provide to people with life-limiting illnesses. Today, Gemma, Senior Dietitian, and Juliet, Senior Speech and Language Therapist, continue to provide specialist dietetic and speech therapy support to people at the Hospice.  

Eating, drinking and swallowing is an essential part of most people’s day and is often taken for granted, but for some people it is not that straightforward. Difficulties in these areas is known as dysphagia, which can affect a person’s quality of life and lead to other health complications.  

To coincide with this year’s Nutrition and Hydration Week in March, clinical colleagues at the Hospice were invited to sample modified menus that had been created by Development Chef, Chris.

Gemma said: ‘’Chef Chris skilfully and thoughtfully prepared 3 dishes for us to try as part of the soon-to-be-launched In-Patient Unit menu. He presented a vegan curry, salmon, mashed potato and broccoli and cottage pie in 3 different levels, IDDSI 6,5,& 4. All dishes had the same beautiful flavour and were presented to match. We eat with our eyes, after all. What surprised most staff who were perhaps initially reluctant or less keen to try the puree was just how wrong they were. Chris’s purees were something to be enjoyed and something to be very proud to serve to our patients who present with swallowing difficulties.’’ 

The following day, Chris presented colleagues with samples from a new smoothie and milkshake menu for In-Patient Unit patients. 

Gemma said: ‘These drinks will really nourish and provide many options to suit different taste, nutrition and hydration needs. Each smoothie has been double checked by Juliet, our senior speech and language therapist, to ensure we can offer naturally thickened fluids that are tasty, smooth and refreshing. From a dietitian’s point of view I am proud to be able to offer naturally nutritious drinks that can support our patients at a time when eating and drinking is compromised. The ‘Beetroot and Berry’ was an overwhelming surprise star and the ‘Pineapple and Banana’ was a fabulous combination, delicious and refreshing.’’ 

The Hospice will be introducing these options to people on the In-Patient Unit soon, who will be able to order their preferred menu choice digitally by using an iPad, where possible.   

Alongside the tasting events, the Hospice took the opportunity to promote their two new Nutrition Champions, who both work on the In-Patient Unit. Patrick, Senior Healthcare Assistant and Juliet, Healthcare Assistant. They will be trained by Gemma to improve people’s ability to access delicious and nutritious food and fluids that best match their needs and are most appropriate for their stage of life. 

On Thursday 20 February Princess Alice Hospice welcomed Mike Bell, Chair of South West London Integrated Care Board, along with senior members of NHS England and Hospice UK. The purpose of the visit was to find out more about the palliative and end of life care provided by the Hospice and to discuss ways of working together to support local people facing life limiting illness.

Mike’s visit began with a tour of the Hospice with Nigel Seymour, Chief Executive of Princess Alice Hospice, when he was able to chat with staff and volunteers on the In-Patient Unit, along with members of the Hospice at Home community team.

(left to right, above: Lesley Munro, Deputy CEO and Director of Patients and Communities, Princess Alice Hospice; Nigel Seymour, CEO of Princess Alice Hospice; Richard Bell, Chair of NHS England; Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer of England, and Mike Bell, Chair of South West London Integrated Care Board).

Mike Bell, Chair of South West London Integrated Care Board, said: ‘Princess Alice Hospice is a vital provider of palliative and end of life services in the Kingston and Richmond boroughs. At any one time it’s serving for up to 1,000 people in a care area covering over 600 square miles. Most people are cared for in their own homes or care settings, but the quality of the complex, specialist care delivered to smaller numbers on the In-Patient Unit was plain to see. It’s great to see their rapid response car out on the road too, a good example of how they help prevent hospital admissions and can provide a better experience for people in their own homes.’

After the tour, Mike Bell joined a round-table conversation hosted by Nigel Seymour, along with Richard Meddings, Chair of NHS England, Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England, and Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK. The group discussed ways the hospital and hospice sectors can work together to help achieve the government’s ambition of shifting more health services from hospitals to the community. Nigel Seymour, Chief Executive of Princess Alice Hospice, said: ‘’We know this is how most people want to be supported and that it leads to better outcomes for them and their families, allowing them to make memories and spend precious time together. Mike and the South West London Integrated Care Board have been very supportive of our work and we were grateful to have the opportunity to discuss with him the ways we can continue to work together to provide the best possible palliative and end of life care for local people.’’

Five local hospices have joined a national campaign which highlights the importance of gifts in Wills in funding hospice care.

Hospices offer compassionate palliative and end of life care, at the most difficult of times, but with the NHS/government funding on average less than a third of their costs, they are facing serious financial pressures. Gifts in Wills are a vital part of their income, and five local hospices have joined a national campaign to raise awareness of the role that these generous donations play in funding their care.

Being diagnosed with an advanced or terminal illness such as cancer, or supporting a loved one who has been diagnosed, is heart-breaking. Knowing there is someone there to provide specialist care and support can seem like a light in the darkness. Hospices across the UK care for 300,000 people every year, and support 60,000 family members, carers and friends, free of charge, but are reliant on their local communities to help fund this care. Should you choose to leave a gift in your Will, no matter how large or small, it will help your local hospice to build financial security, grow their services, and reach more people who need their help.

On average, gifts left to UK hospices in Wills provide a fifth of their annual income, meaning that they pay for the care of one in five of their patients. With the number of annual deaths in the UK expected to rise by 130,000 by 2040, hospices will experience unprecedented pressure, and the role that gifts in Wills play in helping to fund their care will become even more important. Hospice UK, which represents hospices across the UK, is running a national campaign, ‘This is Hospice Care’, to highlight the growing need for these services. Local hospices participating in the campaign include: Phyllis Tuckwell, Princess Alice Hospice, Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, St Catherine’s Hospice, and Woking & Sam Beare Hospice and Wellbeing Care.

Leaving a gift in your Will is a deeply personal way to support your local hospice, and in doing so celebrate your own life and values. Your gift would represent your last wishes and could be made in memory of someone you loved. It would help local people who are living with an advanced or terminal illness to live life to the full during the precious time they have, and would be a lasting legacy to you, your vision and your generosity.

Knowing that someone has left a gift in their Will enables hospices to plan for the future, secure in the knowledge that the care they give in years to come will be funded by these generous donations. Every day, their doctors, nurses, health care assistants, therapists, counsellors and patient & family advisors care for patients, families and carers on their In-Patient Units, at outpatient appointments, and in patients’ own homes and care homes, ensuring it is accessible to all who need it.

As well as being given in memory, in gratitude and as an investment in future hospice care, Gifts in Wills are tax-free and can reduce the Inheritance Tax payable on people’s estates when they die.

Each participating hospice has information on its website about how to leave a gift in your Will, and how you can help local people receive the compassionate, specialist palliative and end of life care they need, at such a difficult time in their and their families’ lives. This is hospice care. Help it live on for all, for now, forever. To find your local hospice, www.hospiceuk.org/hospice-care-finder

On Thursday 20 February Princess Alice Hospice welcomed Richard Meddings, Chair of NHS England, and Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England and valued trustee, to Princess Alice Hospice. They were joined by Mike Bell, Chair of South West London Integrated Care Board and Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, who provided a national update on the wider hospice sector. 

Nigel Seymour, Chief Executive of Princess Alice Hospice said: ‘We were delighted to show Richard and Duncan around our beautiful Hospice and introduce them to colleagues from various teams, showcasing the vital support we provide to local people. We’re probably known best for our specialist palliative and end of life care at the Hospice, but most of our vital services are provided in the community, in homes or care settings. We know this is how most people want to be supported and that it leads to better outcomes for them and their families, allowing them to make memories and spend precious time together. We appreciated having time to discuss the ways we can continue to work together to provide the best possible palliative and end of life care for local people.’’ 

A highlight of the visit was when Richard and Duncan took part in an informal ‘Ask Richard and Duncan’ Q&A session. Clinical colleagues were invited to ask questions about their roles and to share their own experiences of working in the NHS and hospice sector.  

Richard Meddings, Chair of NHS England, said: “It was a pleasure to meet the team at Princess Alice Hospice and learn more about the care and support they deliver at the Hospice and in the community. The difference their valuable work makes to patients and their loved ones at such a difficult time is clear to see.”

 Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “As Chief Nursing Officer for England and a trustee of Princess Alice Hospice, it was great to have the opportunity to speak with nurses, support workers and other colleagues and hear about their experiences, and the care and support they provide to so many patients and families. The visit was also a chance to meet some of Princess Alice Hospice’s amazing volunteers who I know make a huge difference not only to patients and families, but also to colleagues.” 

Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, said: “I was delighted to be at Princess Alice Hospice and join the team there in welcoming Richard and Duncan. Hospices and the NHS work hand in hand in communities across the country. Hospices not only provide brilliant care for patients and families, they alleviate pressures on the NHS, particularly acute hospitals, too. We’ve been so pleased to talk to Richard and Duncan about this partnership, and what more we think the hospice sector can do to support the government’s aim to shift care out of hospital into the community.” 

In 2024, ten years after her dad died, Rachel decided to take on a huge challenge to fundraise for Princess Alice Hospice, the place that continues to hold a special place in her heart. To show her ongoing gratitude for her dad’s care, she vowed to run 10 marathons in 10 months, raising £10,000, 10 years on. It proved to be an epic journey, full of highs and lows throughout the year.  

“Even ten years on, I remember so vividly their care and attention to detail. The Hospice felt like a sanctuary from the chaos. Dad wanted to die at home, and with that came challenges, but the Hospice team made it happen. As a result of their support, our family have some special and positive memories of a very challenging time. I wanted to give back to Princess Alice Hospice by fundraising, to help ensure that others who need similar support can benefit from their services. I chose marathon running because I ran my first marathon for the Hospice in 2016 in London – so it felt fitting to ramp it up by doing 10 for the 10-year anniversary! 

‘’The JustGiving email updates of donations coming through were so motivating when things got tough, knowing that the money was getting topped up. The cake sales were amazing! These were additional fundraisers, where colleagues were brilliant at helping me out; they baked cakes, donated gifts for tombolas – one of the consultants even roped in her mum to help me with selling! The support has been overwhelming.’’ 

Rachel was ecstatic when she hit the £10,000 fundraising mark: ‘’This seemed an unreachable target at the start, reaching it felt so exciting and like all the hard work had paid off. I completed the final two marathons on back-to-back days. Whilst this was very, very tough mentally and physically, I had a huge turnout of friends and family on the course with all kinds of accessories, including bubble guns, posters, music and banners. Crossing the final marathon finish line, I felt very emotional! I’m very lucky to have had so much support from friends, family, strangers and anonymous donors!’’ 

Along the way, Rachel encountered hard times, too. 

‘’There were definite low points, but perhaps not as many as expected. At the Edinburgh Marathon in April, I naively had high hopes of setting a PB (3:21hrs) but the fatigue of 2 marathons in the previous 4 weeks hit me hard 10km in, running the remaining 32kms in the pouring, sideways rain was tough.

‘’Six months later in October, I had a similar experience at Amsterdam Marathon, where I had still not learnt my lesson to take it easy at the start!  

‘’Otherwise, there were no real low points, but it did take quite a toll on my social life for the whole year. Trying to fit in the marathons around working weekends, fitting in training runs and having some recovery time was quite the balancing act. I have been exhausted for 10 months!  

Princess Alice Hospice would like to thank Rachel for her commitment to such an amazing challenge, she’s done herself, and the Hospice, proud. Community Partnerships and Events Lead, Claire Woodward said, “We are incredibly grateful for the continued support from Rachel’s family over the years, through both fundraising and volunteering.  Their dedication has always been a source of inspiration, and Rachel’s recent 10-marathon challenge has truly moved us. Raising an astounding £13,000 in memory of her father, Leslie, is an extraordinary accomplishment. Rachel should be so proud of the impact she has made, and we are honoured to have had her as such a powerful advocate supporting us.” 

If Rachel’s challenge has inspired you to take on your own fundraising adventure this year, visit: pah.org.uk/events 

With just two days to go before the collections started, the main corporate supporter of the event pulled out of the event, leaving the Hospice 14 vans and 28 tree collectors down. Undeterred, the team took to social media to ask if anybody could help and were overwhelmed by the generous, good-willed response. Five local businesses and more than 14 local people volunteered their time and transport to collect over 1,300 Christmas Trees from local homes. The Hospice car park became a hive of activity, as vans and drivers arrived to pick up instructions, addresses – and bacon rolls – before heading off on their collection route. The trees were then chipped by the Weston Green Scouts and sent off to be recycled. 

One happy customer said: “I just wanted to say what an amazing service you offered and despite the problems you encountered with the loss of drivers and vans you pulled off an astonishing achievement.” 

Community, Corporate and Events Lead at the Hospice, Claire Woodward, said: ‘Once again we’ve been blown away by the immense generosity and kindness of our amazing community. Businesses large and small came forward to help us – one gentleman even brought his van down from Leicester to volunteer his services – and they’ve kept us on track, allowing us to raise £32,000, which will enable us to continue supporting local people at the hardest of times. It feels great to be heading into 2025 with so much community support behind us.’’  

Princess Alice Hospice would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Garsons, WG Harpur Tree Surgery, Amazon, Squires of Long Ditton, Squires of Shepperton & Squires of Hersham, Lawn Science, Kelly’s Storage, Barratt Redrow & Barratts London, O’Halloran & O’Brien, Herd Van Hire of Dorking and Kier for all their brilliant support and flexibility during this period.   

Sir Ed Davey MP and Monica Harding MP were welcomed to Princess Alice Hospice on Thursday 12 December by Nigel Seymour, Chief Executive, where they met patients, staff, volunteers – and Eddy the therapy dog – during their visit. Sir Ed, who is leader of the Liberal Democrats, was visiting in his capacity as a local MP and heard how many of the people served by Princess Alice Hospice live in his constituency of Kingston and Surbiton.

Sir Ed and Monica were joined by representatives from Hospice UK, who discussed their work on behalf of UK hospice members at national level. With one in five hospices expected to cut services in the next year, the national funding challenges have been in the news recently and many hospices are now calling for a fairer funding deal from the NHS. 

Sir Ed Davey MP, Kingston and Surbiton, said: “The staff at Princess Alice Hospice are second to none. They provide an absolutely vital service to families and patients across our community and it was heartening to see how passionate the staff are about their work. 

“It is absolutely crucial that we provide the highest quality palliative care for patients in their final weeks and days, that is clearly the case at Princess Alice. 

“There is still a long way to go to improve palliative care across the UK. The Liberal Democrats are committed to working on a cross-party basis to ensure the necessary reforms happen.” 

Monica Harding MP, Esher and Walton, said: ‘’As a former trustee of Princess Alice Hospice, I know the value of the work they do for people in my constituency and beyond. The level of compassion and dedication by staff and volunteers is just wonderful to see. 

I am determined to continue to do what I can to support the wonderful work of all hospices, which are facing huge financial pressures at this time.’’

Nigel Seymour, Chief Executive, Princess Alice Hospice, said: ‘‘It was our pleasure to welcome Sir Ed and Monica to the Hospice, where they met patients, families, staff and volunteers.  

It costs £11.5m each year to provide our services, free of charge, to local people, with just 20% of that provided by the NHS. For the remaining 80%, we rely on the amazing support of our incredibly generous community. Meanwhile, we know there is significant unmet need in our care area and we are currently only able to care for one in three people who need us.  

We are grateful to Sir Ed and Monica for the commitment they made to continue advocating for greater and fairer funding for hospice care.’’ 

Following a working lunch, Sir Ed and Monica were given a tour of the Hospice, which included meeting a patient on the In-Patient Unit. They learned about community projects the Hospice is involved with, as part of its commitment to provide greater equity of access to services. A highlight of the visit for Sir Ed and Monica was meeting Eddy, the Hospice therapy ‘pat’ dog, who arrives each week to provide reassurance and cuddles to patients and their families.   

Santa Fun Run is an annual festive 5k when family and friends (including the four-legged variety) gather in a sea of Santa suits to raise crucial funds for Princess Alice Hospice: whether you run, walk, wheel or skip, taking part is all that matters. 

After a santastic success at its Sandown Park debut last year, Santa Fun Runners will once again take to the grounds in a flurry of festive cheer. Afterwards, a Traditional Christmas Market and Craft Fair will give children the chance to meet Santa in his grotto!

Santa Fun Run is an important and poignant event for many of those running in memory of a loved one. Becky is running in memory of her late husband, Tim, with dozens of their family and friends.  

When Tim’s family brought him into Princess Alice Hospice for respite care in winter 2023, he noticed we were promoting our annual Santa Fun Run fundraising event. Becky remembers how he wanted to find a way to thank the Hospice for the care he was receiving, so they gathered a team of friends and family together to take part.  

On the day of the run itself, Tim was too unwell to participate. Instead, he stood at the finishing line and took photos of friends and family as they completed the run. Becky treasures the group photo that was taken with Tim that day. 

This year, a bigger Team Tim will be taking part in Santa Fun Run in Tim’s memory. Becky wants to fundraise for the Hospice because she knows it was Tim’s wish and knows it meant a lot to him. Team Tim comprises of his two boys, all his three siblings, other family members young and old, members of Tim’s cycling group, friends and some four-legged runners, too. 

Becky says: ‘’We saw the amazing care Tim received and this is our way of thanking the Hospice. The atmosphere last year was very warm. We want to continue to help. On the day that Tim died, I found out later that four other people died under the Hospice’s care that day. I realised it wasn’t just us going through something so difficult, we need help to allow the Hospice to continue to care for other families like us.’’ 

After Tim died, his two boys were supported by the Hospice’s family social worker, Helen, which Becky says has ‘really helped.’ 

Santa Fun Run raises vital funds to help support families like Becky’s. Every single penny donated and fundraised will make a direct impact on care this Christmas and beyond. So, come and get your festive fun off to the perfect start, while embracing the season of goodwill, too.  

Whether it’s at Bushy or Sandown, we can’t wait to see you there to raise festive cheer and funds for your local Hospice this Christmas. Sign up for festive fun here: www.pah.org.uk/santafunrun ! 

Princess Alice Hospice: For Compassion. For Excellence. For People. For Living. 

The use of bedside ultrasound in palliative care enables patients to be assessed by their hospice clinicians without having to be transported from the hospice to an acute hospital setting. It also allows patients to be scanned at home to see if they would benefit from admission, at a time when patients and families are particularly vulnerable and keen to avoid unnecessary disruption. Palliative care doctors and nurses trained in FASP are able to answer a limited number of specific questions to help in clinical decision making. Yet, even answering these limited focussed questions can provide invaluable help to clinicians seeking to make difficult decisions with patients about optimising their palliative care.

Focused Abdominal Sonography in Palliative care (FASP) has been a weekend course run regularly at least twice a year at Princess Alice since 2010. The course has been staged through the Education and Research department at Princess Alice Hospice by Professor Max Watson, an honorary consultant at the Hospice, trained in ultrasound; Dr Bernie Lee, who has been using ultrasound in her clinical practice at the Hospice for many years and, more recently, by Ultrasonographer Jo Eastman.  

Crucially, each of the Princess Alice courses has been supported by Mr Nitin Patel and his wife Hina, from Pie Data, a supplier of Ultrasound technology. Max first met Nitin when he serviced his ultrasound machine in Northern Ireland and expressed willingness to help support the FASP programme.

For over 14 years, the Patels have transported ultrasound machines to Princess Alice Hospice and helped teach the FASP candidates in the vital practical sections of the course. Their generosity with their freely given time and expertise has enabled FASP to train over 400 doctors and nurses in practical palliative care ultrasound. 

Professor Max Watson said: ‘’Nitin is an invaluable teacher on the programme, helping candidates to identify the images which are crucial in diagnostic terms. Hina has been a huge support also in FASP allowing herself to be scanned and providing that opportunity for candidates to get crucial practical experience during the programme.’’

The particular scans that FASP focuses on include bladder scans, to see if patients can avoid a catheter; scans to see if patients with swollen abdomens would benefit from having that fluid drained; the assessment of deep venous thrombosis, and the use of ultrasound to help identify the causes of jaundice. By being so focused on these limited ultrasound assessments, experienced clinicians can acquire the skills in a weekend provided they continue to use FASP at their place of work and continue to audit their scans long-term.

There are currently no other UK ultrasound courses specifically focused on training palliative care clinicians. Princess Alice Hospice has pioneered that work and candidates evaluate the programme highly. Since its induction, FASP graduates have completed several published studies demonstrating the efficacy and benefits for patients of Ultrasound access.  

Jane Berg, Director of Skills, Knowledge and Research at Princess Alice Hospice, said: ‘’We are indebted to Nitin and Hina for their invaluable support for this programme, which has brought benefit to innumerable patients with palliative care needs across the country.’’ 

As Chief Nursing Officer for England, Duncan is responsible for providing clinical and professional leadership for all nurses, midwives and nursing associates across health and social care in England. He has been a nurse for over 25 years, undertaking a wide variety of senior leadership roles within the NHS.

Duncan has supported us as a voluntary committee advisor for some time and has provided personal and professional insights that have been extremely valuable.

Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Office for England, said: “I am delighted to be appointed as a Trustee at Princess Alice Hospice. As a committee advisor, I have already seen the enormous difference that nursing and other colleagues make to patients and their loved ones. The expert, compassionate care they provide at the hospice and in people’s homes is vital.

“I’ve also seen the difference made by the amazing volunteers who give their time, efforts and expertise across a wide range of volunteering roles. The positive impact that their support has for patients, families and colleagues highlights the vital role of volunteering across health and care, and in local communities.

“My thanks go to all colleagues and volunteers at Princess Alice Hospice and I look forward to continuing to support your work in my role as a Trustee.”

Sally Harris, Chair of Trustees, Princess Alice Hospice, said: “It’s exciting to have Duncan’s experience and input on our Board. Duncan’s contribution is already being felt, as he ensures that nursing excellence remains a key focus for us. I’ve been so impressed by his commitment to the role already, as we work to deliver the highest levels of compassionate care to local people.”

Nigel Seymour, Chief Executive, Princess Alice Hospice, said: “We are all so pleased Duncan is now in post as a Trustee of Princess Alice Hospice. He’s already added so much in his advisory role and we know his knowledge and expertise will continue to be a huge asset to the organisation. Duncan’s professional experience and successes are well documented and will help us continue to deliver the highest levels of practice in palliative and end of life nursing. More broadly, I look forward to Duncan’s strategic contribution and insight into our work to reach underserved communities and reduce the level of unmet need in our care area.”

The use of bedside ultrasound in palliative care enables patients to be assessed by their hospice clinicians without having to be transported from the hospice to an acute hospital setting. It also allows patients to be scanned at home to see if they would benefit from admission, at a time when patients and families are particularly vulnerable and keen to avoid unnecessary disruption. Palliative care doctors and nurses trained in FASP are able to answer a limited number of specific questions to help in clinical decision making. Yet, even answering these limited focussed questions can provide invaluable help to clinicians seeking to make difficult decisions with patients about optimising their palliative care.

Focused Abdominal Sonography in Palliative care (FASP) has been a weekend course run regularly at least twice a year at Princess Alice since 2010. The course has been staged through the Education and Research department at Princess Alice Hospice by Professor Max Watson, an honorary consultant at the Hospice, trained in ultrasound; Dr Bernie Lee, who has been using ultrasound in her clinical practice at the Hospice for many years and, more recently, by Ultrasonographer Jo Eastman.  

Crucially, each of the Princess Alice courses has been supported by Mr Nitin Patel and his wife Hina, from Pie Data, a supplier of Ultrasound technology. Max first met Nitin when he serviced his ultrasound machine in Northern Ireland and expressed willingness to help support the FASP programme.

For over 14 years, the Patels have transported ultrasound machines to Princess Alice Hospice and helped teach the FASP candidates in the vital practical sections of the course. Their generosity with their freely given time and expertise has enabled FASP to train over 400 doctors and nurses in practical palliative care ultrasound. 

Professor Max Watson said: ‘’Nitin is an invaluable teacher on the programme, helping candidates to identify the images which are crucial in diagnostic terms. Hina has been a huge support also in FASP allowing herself to be scanned and providing that opportunity for candidates to get crucial practical experience during the programme.’’

The particular scans that FASP focuses on include bladder scans, to see if patients can avoid a catheter; scans to see if patients with swollen abdomens would benefit from having that fluid drained; the assessment of deep venous thrombosis, and the use of ultrasound to help identify the causes of jaundice. By being so focused on these limited ultrasound assessments, experienced clinicians can acquire the skills in a weekend provided they continue to use FASP at their place of work and continue to audit their scans long-term.

There are currently no other UK ultrasound courses specifically focused on training palliative care clinicians. Princess Alice Hospice has pioneered that work and candidates evaluate the programme highly. Since its induction, FASP graduates have completed several published studies demonstrating the efficacy and benefits for patients of Ultrasound access.  

Jane Berg, Director of Skills, Knowledge and Research at Princess Alice Hospice, said: ‘’We are indebted to Nitin and Hina for their invaluable support for this programme, which has brought benefit to innumerable patients with palliative care needs across the country.’’ 

Sally’s predecessor, Professor Sean Hilton, was thanked at this week’s Annual General Meeting for his 12 years of dedicated service as a trustee and, more recently, as Chair of Princess Alice Hospice.

Sally brings a wealth of professional and personal experience to the role. She began her career in retail finance and worked with the Arcadia Group for 13 years, where she became Finance Director for brands within the organisation, before moving to Marks & Spencer in 2012. Following the birth of her daughter, Sally re-trained as an executive coach. Alongside her career, Sally started as a trustee and co-chair for the Fertility Network, before becoming a trustee for RNID, where she has been part of their transformational strategy that’s seen them move from providing care homes to focusing on social change. Sally also brings her passion for fashion to a trustee role at the Fashion Retail Academy.     

Sally said: “Community’s really important to me, my values really match those at Princess Alice and it is a privilege to continue the fantastic work done by Sean and play my part in the incredible work done here.”

Nigel Seymour, Chief Executive, said: “I’m extremely grateful to Sean for his service and for ensuring there has been a smooth transition for Sally, who has been immersing herself in all things Princess Alice over the summer.

‘’Sally joins us at an exciting time and I look forward to seeing how her professional experience and personal qualities become embedded within the organisation. We have challenges to face and an ever-changing healthcare system to work within, but we know this next stage brings many opportunities. We are an organisation full of brilliant people who are dedicated to reaching more people in underserved communities and reducing the level of unmet need in our care area.’’

Following last week’s announcement from Hospice UK that one in five UK hospices have either cut specialist palliative and end of life services in the last year or plan to do so, three south west London hospices, St Raphael’s Hospice, Princess Alice Hospice and Royal Trinity Hospice, are warning that only a change in approach from central government can address the funding crisis.

St Raphael’s Hospice, which provides end of life and palliative care to people living in Merton and Sutton, announced last week that it is proposing cuts to its community, medical and psychosocial services of £1M after seeing their annual costs rise by £1.1M in the last few years but with only £140k uplift in its NHS funding over the same period.

Last year, the three south west London hospices collectively spent £14.9M to deliver core and specialist services. Only £4M of that was funded by the NHS*. Each hospice is an independent charity, but together they are commissioned by SWL ICB to deliver specialist palliative care, free of charge, to people living in the region.

The three hospices providing care in the SWL ICB area have consistently warned local commissioners that the 23% – 30% contribution towards their combined core costs is insufficient. Despite warning of the impending need to reduce services at St Raphael’s Hospice, the local NHS commissioners have still taken no action.

Last week’s news of reductions in services and proposed redundancies at St Raphael’s Hospice sadly means that fewer people with a life-limiting illness will receive the timely, specialist care they need to live and die with dignity in south west London.

Hospices exist to give people at the end of life the comfort, dignity and independence they deserve for as long as possible, and the care and support they need to die well. Many people are unaware that hospice care is not fully funded by the NHS and that they instead rely on donations, charity shops and community support to fund their care.

Nick Stevens, CEO at St Raphael’s Hospice said: “To be forced to make such substantial cuts is devastating for St Raphael’s and the community we are proud to support. We know that the palliative and end of life care we provide to people at the end of their lives is desperately needed but we simply cannot sustain a £1.1M deficit if we want our incredible hospice to have a future.

“Our proposed cuts include reducing our Community Clinical Services by 33% which will put immediate additional pressure on the already stretched local services including hospitals, GPs, district nurses, ambulances and other healthcare teams. As a result, NHS patients are likely to reach crisis point sooner, resulting in more A&E attendances and hospital admissions to avoid patients deteriorating at home with their symptoms unmanaged.

“Making some of our specialist, loyal and dedicated clinical staff redundant is our absolute last resort but we see no other way forward. We are urging the SWL ICB to reconsider its funding immediately so that we can stop as many of these devastating cuts as possible becoming a reality.”

Lesley Munro, Deputy CEO & Director of Patient Care and Communities at Princess Alice Hospice said:

“Princess Alice Hospice works primarily to support local patients and families, as well as our health and care colleagues in other organisations.

“We believe the SWL ICB’s short-term decision not to increase funding adequately for St Raphael’s Hospice, Royal Trinity Hospice and ourselves now will cost them more in the long run.

“Patients will still need specialist care, and people will continue to die. Reduced hospice services will lead to more hospital admissions, costing the wider local healthcare system more money. Patients discharged from hospital for specialist palliative care at home or another setting will experience delays, causing longer hospital stays.

“Our population is aging, living longer, and with more complex, multiple conditions, creating increased demand on services such as primary care, NHS community nursing and therapy services. Reducing hospice funding will simply mean costs being met elsewhere in the system. It will also mean that there is a widening gap of inequitable access to specialist end of life care, which is unacceptable.

“We urge the Government to discuss and plan hospice funding as a priority, before we see vital services continue to be cut, impacting patients, families, communities and the wider health and care system.”

Emily Carter, Chief Executive Officer at Royal Trinity Hospice said: 

“Having a good, dignified death and dying well in a compassionate society should be fundamental for everyone. At Royal Trinity Hospice, we are extremely fortunate that our generous local community raises millions of pounds every year to help make a good death possible for our patients.

“However, our costs have increased significantly over the past two years. We need to make sure we pay our skilled staff a fair wage and have had to absorb the impact of the increased costs of food, fuel and electricity, which of course also increases the cost of raising funds, all while responding to the significant increase in people dying who need our support.

“We have been running a deficit for the past three years because NHS funding has not responded to our growing costs. We have been raising serious concerns to our NHS commissioners about the level of funding we receive which needs to increase for us to be here in the future. We warned SWL ICB in January 2024 that services were at risk if this was not addressed and very sadly their inaction has now indeed seen St Raphael’s forced to cut vital services. We need a national funding package from the government to sort this out because local NHS commissioners are clearly not solving this problem.”

*Royal Trinity Hospice and Princess Alice Hospice provide services in other ICB areas and this figure relates to the contracts relating to provision of care in South West London only.

ENDS

Spokespeople:

St Raphael’s Hospice: Nick Stevens, CEO and Becca Trower, Clinical Director.

Princess Alice Hospice: Lesley Munro, Deputy CEO & Director of Patient Care and Communities

Royal Trinity Hospice: Emily Carter, Chief Executive

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact

Anna Jackson; Head of Comms and Marketing: [email protected] / 07494 567610

We’re delighted Professor Max Watson has been awarded an MBE in today’s King’s Birthday Honours, in recognition of his immense contribution to services in palliative care medicine.  

Max trained in palliative care at Princess Alice Hospice, where he recognised the need for an educational programme for clinical generalists; he was instrumental in developing the Princess Alice Hospice European Certificate in Essential Palliative Care, which launched in 2001 and has been accessed by many thousands throughout the world.  

Congratulations on this thoroughly deserved recognition of your outstanding, ongoing impact and contribution, Max.  

Max is Director of Project ECHO at Hospice UK. You can read more about his dedication to palliative care on the Hospice UK website.

Princess Alice Hospice is incredibly fortunate to have the support of over 1,300 dedicated volunteers, which is approximately three times the number of paid staff they employ.  

To celebrate 40 years of volunteering they’ve been sharing stories and content across their social media channels and have also launched a new weekly podcast series, ‘A conversation with’, which provides captivating insights into the Hospice’s history and allows some longstanding volunteers to share their unique and wonderful perspectives.  

The most recent conversation in the series is with their Honorary President, Jane Formby MBE, who has volunteered at the Hospice for 40 years and counting. Jane talks about fundraising for the Hospice before it was built and how the organisation has changed over the years.  

Jane says, “I look back and see my involvement as something incredibly rewarding. It’s hard to believe it has been 40 years – 40 years of laughter, fun, hard work and some heartbreak. 40 years of meeting a huge variety of interesting people, and most of all 40 years of gratitude for being associated with our wonderful Hospice.” 

Listen out for episodes with the Princess Alice Hospice Volunteering Team, Gill and Eddy, the PAT dog, who bring comfort each week to patients on the In-Patient Unit; Jane Pettit, a volunteer for 39 years; Lynne Sinclaire, and volunteer-turned-senior healthcare assistant, Antonette Dakin. You won’t want to miss it.   

This year, Volunteers’ Week in June will commemorate its 40-year anniversary, which coincides with the Hospice’s focus on 40 years of volunteering. Follow Princess Alice Hospice’s campaign throughout May and June.  

Our Hospice shops are all now accepting The Charity Shop Gift Card — the only nationally accepted, multi-retailer gift card that can be spent exclusively in charity shops.

The Charity Shop Gift Card is a not-for-profit scheme that has been developed and launched in association with the Charity Retail Association.

We are the first charity based in Surrey to be part of the scheme, and we’re now selling and accepting the card in all of our high street shops.

The scheme supports the growing second-hand revolution, which is helping to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. It will also help national and regional charities boost their own income by giving them their first collective opportunity to tap into the £7billion-a-year gift card market.

The Charity Retail Association has 450 members with 9,000 shops, and together they are already diverting over 300,000 tonnes of textiles away from landfill and contributing over £300million to help fund the work of their parent charities.

As a social enterprise, a minimum of 65% of the gift card scheme’s surplus will go towards funding charity gift cards for good causes to donate to the communities they are supporting.

The gift cards themselves are recyclable and compostable and are available from participating charities, supermarkets and other major high street retailers. They can also be purchased as e-vouchers from www.thecharityshopgiftcard.co.uk,

Duncan Lebbell, Head of Retail, said: “With an extensive network of charity shops supporting our vital work, we’re excited to introduce people to the range of quality second-hand goods we have available. Alongside growing our audience and generating extra revenue, our participation in this unique scheme is an important step towards a greener planet.”

Lee Fellows, Co-founder of The Charity Shop Gift Card, said: “Every purchase of this first-of-its-kind sustainable shopping gift card is a donation to charity; thus, we are excited to expand the scheme via our partnership with Princess Alice Hospice. As more consumers make a conscious decision to move away from fast fashion, we are pleased to offer a welcome alternative, which also makes a great gift for fellow thrifty friends.”

For more information:

www.thecharityshopgiftcard.co.uk

https://www.pah.org.uk

Sean Hilton, Chair of Trustees, says: ‘Nigel has been with us for over 16 years, most recently as Acting CEO, and is passionate about the Hospice and the services we provide. He’s seen a lot of change during that time and has demonstrated impressive strategic analysis of our position in the wider healthcare setting. He is particularly keen to reach the unmet need in our whole community, which will be a focus of his leadership.  

Like all hospices, we are operating in an uncertain, ever-changing landscape and face very real funding challenges. Our services are free to the local people we care for, but core NHS funding only represents circa 20% of our expenditure on charitable activities. For the rest we rely on a range of income streams and the incredible generosity of local supporters. We have full confidence in Nigel’s ability to steer our much-loved Hospice through its next period of development. Personally, Nigel is somebody who lives by his values, which chime closely with the Hospice’s ethos of compassion. After an exhaustive recruitment process, we are delighted to have appointed him as our next CEO.’  

Nigel Seymour, Chief Executive Officer, says: ‘Princess Alice Hospice is an amazing charity, full of brilliant people, delivering outstanding care. I have witnessed firsthand the profound impact quality palliative and end of life care has on individuals and their families, during the most difficult times of their lives.  

Looking forward, we face significant challenges, notably in the growing demand for our care and the changing demographics of our local community, availability of workforce, and in how we are funded. This requires us to be innovative in our approach, seizing opportunities, whilst never losing sight of our person-centred approach to care.  

We need to do more to help the growing number of people who need us in the communities that are underserved and overlooked, which is a particular passion of mine. It’s a huge privilege to lead this charity as Chief Executive and I am keenly aware of the responsibility I have to nurture this precious organisation, which means so much to so many.’   

Princess Alice Hospice aims to ensure everyone has the best possible care before, during and after death. It is rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission and is delivering palliative and end of life care to up to 1,000 people at any one time, predominantly in their own homes across south west London and Surrey and on its In-Patient Unit in Esher.

Supporting individuals through their grief, loss and bereavement is also an essential part of our care. The Hospice enjoys an excellent reputation for its education and research provision. We run the European Certificate in Essential Palliative Care (ECEPC) alongside a wide range of other courses, study days and events to help people gain the right skills, confidence and expertise.   

• ENDS –

Princess Alice Hospice’s Talk the Walk event is back on Saturday 23 March. The sponsored 10 or 4-mile walk starts and finishes at Esher Rugby Club. Afterwards, walkers get to watch Esher Vs Wimbledon RFC while enjoying a burger and a drink. It promises to be a great day out for all. 

Talk the Walk is a fun, community event for everyone to come together with family and friends and walk in memory of a loved one or to raise money for their local hospice. Sign up as a team or individually, with a solo walkers’ team available for anyone wanting to walk with others. 

Walking in fresh, open air can make talking about complex feelings such as grief and the death of a loved one easier. Sadly, men often find it more difficult to discuss how bereavement may be affecting them and Talk the Walk aims to provide a safe and inclusive space for everybody to be able to open up. 

Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council who participates each year said, “Our younger daughter, Emily, was in the Hospice for ten weeks and sadly died. It’s a really good event, lots of family and friends come down to walk with us and it’s about getting people to open up and share their experience and raise money for Princess Alice Hospice. The care that she received, everybody receives at the Hospice, is fantastic.” 

Those walking in memory will receive a medal with their loved one’s name on, engraved by our Man Shed volunteers and can also dedicate a sign to their loved one along the route. Everyone receives an exclusive Talk the Walk T-shirt and a medal at the finishing line (including our four-legged walkers!)

“Princess Alice Hospice is here to support members of the community before, during and after death with ongoing bereavement services available to people whose loved ones have died. This is a significant fundraising event for us. We rely on money raised by our amazing supporters to be able to provide free compassionate care to people in the local community when they need us most. We’d love you to put your best foot (or paws) forward and join us!” – Claire Woodward, Community and Events Fundraising Lead. 

Tickets cost £30 per adult and £25 for children; dogs go free. Participants are encouraged to make a donation or fundraise in addition, as the registration fee only covers the set-up costs of the event.

If you would like to sign up, head to pah.org.uk/talkthewalk or contact the Customer Experience Team on 01372 461808 or [email protected]. 

Princess Alice Hospice hosted Compassionate Neighbour volunteers and their community matches last month, when they came together to celebrate six years of success since the community scheme was launched at Princess Alice Hospice.

Developed by St Joseph’s Hospice in London, the Compassionate Neighbours scheme provides trained volunteers who offer friendship and regular, emotional and social support to people in their own homes who are lonely or socially isolated due to their own, or a loved one’s long term ill health or life limiting illness.

Visitors chatted over tea and cake and shared their thoughts about the scheme: for some, that weekly visit is the only meaningful social interaction with a person they are likely to have, so the value of a reassuring chat over a cup of tea, a trip out to the shops or just a good old gossip about celebrities, is immense.

Compassionate Neighbours Lead at the Hospice, Ali Kilby, said: “Many thanks to those involved. Compassionate Neighbours contribute to the natural psychological needs we all have; that of having a sense of belonging, that life has purpose and meaning, and that people are seen and valued. Feelings of loneliness are a primal signal to reconnect with the tribe to feel safe and secure, and the Compassionate Neighbour programme, whether a volunteer or a supported Community Member, is a tribe to which we all belong.”

Director of Patient Care and Communities, Lesley Monro spoke about the numbers that demonstrate the success of the programme: the Hospice has made over 600 matches; trained 340 Compassionate Neighbours (along with 130 additional people during the Covid-19 pandemic to support with telephone calls and help with shopping and medication collection and delivery), and has almost 150 current matches in place.

All the support is provided free of charge. To find out more about becoming a Compassionate Neighbour or to enquire about one for yourself, please visit: Compassionate communities – Princess Alice Hospice (pah.org.uk)

Princess Alice Hospice are delighted to announce the launch of a brand-new partnership which will significantly increase lottery income for the Hospice over the coming years. In fact, through Princess Alice Hospice ceasing their existing lottery and choosing to work with Local Hospice Lottery instead, it is hoped that more than £1.4 million will be raised for local care over the next five years alone!  

Local Hospice Lottery is a not-for-profit, hospice owned society lottery and from August 2023, Princess Alice Hospice will be one of 33 hospices throughout Great Britain benefitting from the proceeds raised by its weekly draws. This regular and reliable income will make a big difference to the amount of outstanding end of life care that can be provided to people across Surrey, Middlesex and south west London.  

Taking part in the Lottery is an easy, affordable, and fun way to help Princess Alice Hospice to keep caring locally and anyone can get involved by joining online now at www.localhospicelottery.org. 

Director of Income Generation for the Hospice, Angela Grimes, said. “With limited NHS funding we rely on our local community to raise vital funds to ensure we can continue to make an impact. It is only through the extraordinary generosity of all our supporters and volunteers – donating time, money and resources – that we are able to deliver against our strategic objectives and plan for the future. The Lottery is one really important way for us to secure these vital funds, and we believe that Local Hospice Lottery will help us raise even more, so that we can provide more care when it matters most.” 

By sharing management costs and overheads, Local Hospice Lottery’s innovative and collaborative model ensures that as much money as possible can be passed to hospice care, whilst also giving hospice supporters the opportunity to win in a larger prize fund too.   

For each £1 entry in the weekly draw, Local Hospice Lottery will give between 60% and 80% of profits from individuals playing in support of Princess Alice Hospice to Princess Alice Hospice. This is significantly more than most other society lotteries (NB: as a comparison, People’s Postcode Lottery currently passes 33p in every £1 to the good cause, The Health Lottery donates 20p and the National Lottery gives 21p) and to date, Local Hospice Lottery has raised over £50 million for hospice care across Great Britain! Local Hospice Lottery was also named ‘Lottery operator of the Year’ by The Lotteries Council in 2018.  

Princess Alice Hospice considered various options when deciding how to develop the income stream from their existing lottery and after all due consideration, decided that joining the Local Hospice Lottery was the best option for both the Hospice and its supporters. Princess Alice Hospice will now benefit from receiving more from every £1 entry than they did previously – and the more local people that play – the more they will receive!  

Anyone in the UK, aged 18 or over can join the Local Hospice Lottery and play in support of Princess Alice Hospice and have a great chance to win as they help the Hospice to keep caring for local families in need. Membership costs just £5 per month and there are currently 201 cash prizes to be won every week:  

➢ Guaranteed £2,000 prize  

➢ A £1,000 rollover prize (which can reach as high as £25,000!)  

➢ A £100 prize  

➢ 8 x £25 prizes  

➢ Plus 190 x £10 prizes  

That’s a total weekly prize fund of £5,200 – the largest of any hospice lottery!  

There are also three Super Draws that take place every year, giving players the chance to win an additional guaranteed top prize of an incredible £10,000 every March, September and December!!  

When asked what Princess Alice Hospice means to her, Anna, who plays in memory of her friend’s partner, said, “I think playing the Lottery is a great way to help. You know you’re supporting them on a regular basis – and you never know, you could even win! We all know that charities need money to keep going, but they don’t always know when it’s coming. By playing the Lottery each week, I’m happy to support this delightful place regularly in this small way.”  

The income raised through this new partnership will play a vital part in enabling Princess Alice Hospice to keep caring for local families like Anna mentions, both now and in the future too.  

To help recruit new players and raise more money, a team of paid fundraisers will be working in the local area in the coming months – both door-to-door and at venues – offering local people the opportunity to sign up to the Lottery. Each member of the team will be wearing a uniform and have a Local Hospice Lottery photo identity card. If you would like to view photos of the fundraisers, or are interested in becoming a paid fundraiser yourself, please visit the Local Hospice Lottery website at www.localhospicelottery.org  

Seven incredible drag artists – and a rare fire rainbow – lit up the skies this week to raise the glamour stakes, as well as money and awareness of Pride celebrations, for Princess Alice Hospice.  

Scarlett Harlett, Crystal and Le Fil, who all took part in BBC3’s RuPaul’s Drag Race; Rosie Zinfandel, Kiki Snatch, Honey Foxx and Rhys Pieces all took a 10,000ft leap of faith for personal reasons and raise funds, many in memory of loved ones.  

On the day of the dive, a rare weather event known as a ‘fire rainbow’ appeared in the sky, when a cloud turned the colours of a rainbow and remained in view until after the dive. The fire rainbow added extra poignancy for Scarlett, who was in drag for the first time since her mum died. Scarlett recalled how two rainbows had appeared in the sky when her mum died and felt she was sending a sign to her, as her biggest supporter of her drag: 

‘Mum relied on the help of palliative care to make her life as comfortable as it could be towards the end stages of her life. Skydiving for this hospice charity holds a special significance for me because of what my mum had to go through, so I am thrilled to take part in this event to raise awareness, raise funds and honour my mum’s memory.’ 

For Rosie Zinfandel, it was the memory of her aunt, Annette, that provided the motivation: ‘The first experience I had with hospice care was when my aunt Annette was in the last stage of her life after having had cancer. Annette was the first person I came out as gay to, she was also the first family member I told about my interest in drag and showed pictures of makeup I did in my bedroom (it was terrible, but she encouraged me).’’ 

Proving that skydiving is no barrier to keeping up appearances, Rosie’s eyelash fell off just after she jumped from the plane, but she caught it in her hand and carried it all the way down to the ground. 

On the morning of the event, the drag artists came together to prepare themselves, physically and emotionally, sharing make-up tips, experiences and stories ahead of the skydive itself. Production company, Fresh Films, was there to capture those unique moments, as part of a film being produced to explore what equitable, inclusive care looks like at Princess Alice Hospice. 

Rosa Armstrong, the Hospice’s Digital Marketing Officer who coordinated the event, had conversations on the day and was told how dying alone is a very real fear for many members of the LGBTQ+ community, who are more likely to have fewer familial support systems. Some of the divers even likened skydiving to hospice care – being strapped to somebody carrying you through a frightening experience and making you feel safe and supported! 

Speaking on her motivations for the event, she said: “Princess Alice Hospice care is for everybody, and the Drag Dive was a joyous way to shine a light on underserved communities. We’re so lucky to have had such incredible voices speaking on the importance of inclusive and compassionate Hospice care, and we can’t wait to share these in our upcoming film.” 

Claire Woodward, Community Partnerships and Events Lead for the Hospice, said: ‘Each year, it costs us £10 million to provide free, specialist, end of life care to people with life limited illnesses, so the money our drag artists raised will help us continue to provide free compassionate care to local people who need us most – we can’t thank them enough.’ 

To date, the Drag Dive event has raised £3,764, just over 50% of the divers’ collective fundraising target of £7,500; further details can be found here:  https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/dragdive 

The Princess Alice Hospice Summer Fete and Dog Show is back on Sunday 25 June at its new location, Sandown Park Racecourse. The Fete will run between 10:30am and 3pm, entry is £3, with under 5s and four-legged friends going free!  

This year, the Fete will be bigger and better, moving from the Hospice grounds to its new home at Sandown Park, courtesy of The Jockey Club, where the additional space will allow for even more artisan stalls, delicious food, activities, games and entertainment, for a day packed full of fun in the sun.  

The ever-popular Dog Show will be back, with several categories, from best small dog to best bad fur day, to allow every pup to shine. Advance online sign-ups and all other details on the website, www.pah.org.uk/fete. Categories sell out quickly, so register online in advance to avoid disappointment. 

Leah Jewel, The Voice Kids UK performer and local singer-songwriter, whose career has been going from strength to strength since she last sang for the Hospice, will be returning to serenade and support.  

A brilliant community and family day for all, the fete also raises essential funds to allow Princess Alice Hospice to continue to give free outstanding, compassionate care to local people and their families at the hardest of times. It costs over £10 million pounds each year to provide these crucial services and the Hospice relies on donations and community fundraising events like this.  

If you are attending the fete, Sandown Park has plenty of parking on site for a stress-free and seamless family day out. For any further information, please visit: www.pah.org.uk/fete 

The event, which starts at Esher Rugby Club, is for anyone over the age of 11 but is mainly targeting men, although women and girls are most welcome, too! The Hospice hopes to smash the stereotype that men don’t talk about their grief and won’t access any bereavement support, even if they need it and it’s available. 

Walk with mates, colleagues, your dad, uncle, brother or other family members. There are two routes, one 10 miles and one four miles.  

Your registration fee includes a Rugby Match Day Ticket (Esher v Bishop’s Stortford, the match will take place after the walk at Esher Rugby Club), a soft drink for under 18s or beer for entrants aged 18+, a delicious burger (vegan, vegetarian and other dietary options available), a Talk The Walk t-shirt, and a medal (for people and dogs!).  

Claire Woodward, Community Partnerships and Events Lead at the Hospice, said:  

“We know that grief is not easy for anyone, but many people, mainly men, won’t seek support. We want to raise awareness of our bereavement services while raising funds for the Hospice Last year’s event was great fun – 75 walkers took part, and this year we’re hoping to double the number of walkers.”

Leader of Surrey County Council, Tim Oliver, whose daughter, Emily, died at the Hospice in 2019, took part in last year’s event and said:  

“Talk The Walk is about raising the profile of Princess Alice Hospice and its bereavement services and encouraging men to speak about their feelings. One in three men don’t access any bereavement support, but it’s so important to talk about grief and know that help is available when things are tough. 

“The Hospice is a fantastic charity which must raise more than £10 million each year to fund its vital work. I attended the event last year with my son, and we thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was great to speak with other men and young people about their experience of grief and loss.” 

For more information and to sign up go to www.pah.org.uk/talkthewalk 

This year’s Live ‘n’ Kickin’ concert presented by the Ember Big Band, in support of Princess Alice Hospice, is being hosted by one of the UK’s most listened-to radio presenters, Ken Bruce, who will look back at 60 years of hits from Count Basie to The Beatles, Fred Astaire to Aretha Franklin, Bing Crosby to Queen. Ken is leaving the BBC after 45 years to present a new weekday show for Greatest Hits Radio in the spring.

The band will be conducted by Allan Rogers, Musical Director of the very successful Strictly Come Dancing live tours and there will be a special video contribution from Anton du Beke, Strictly Come Dancing’s ballroom and Latin professional, and judge.

Having first embarked on their musical voyage as a Big Band in 2010, the Ember Big Band has developed their sound and performed across the borough of Elmbridge and wider afield, raising money for some amazing charities, including the Hospice.

Claire Woodward, Community Partnerships & Events Lead said: “We look forward to the Ember Big Band raising the roof on Saturday, 25 March at the Hammond Theatre, Hampton School. We are so incredibly grateful to the band and the school for their continuing support – the funds raised will help us to continue to deliver our vital free, specialist end of life care to thousands of people within our communities.”

For tickets to this fabulous concert in aid of Princess Alice Hospice please visit – pah.org.uk/events/ember-big-band-concert/

If you live in KT8, KT7, KT10, KT11, KT12 or KT13, you can take advantage of our Christmas tree collection service; donations will help to raise crucial funds to allow the Hospice to continue to provide free compassionate end of life care within our local communities.   

From Tuesday 15 November, you can register online, make your donation and have your tree ready for collection on Friday 6 January, Saturday 7 January or Sunday 8 January 2023, and we’ll do the rest.  

Rianna Davies, Partnerships Fundraiser said: “We started the collection service last year which resulted in the collection of 753 trees, raising a fantastic £11,600 for the Hospice. This year, we hope to smash our target of 1,000 trees. 

“As well as it being an amazing, hassle-free way to support our vital care for patients and their families, you’ll be doing your bit for the environment as every tree is chipped and recycled – and the best part is, you don’t even have to leave your home! Just pop it out the front of your property, and we’ll collect it.” 

To register please visit www.pah.org.uk/events/christmas-tree-collection  

A small act of kindness can go a long way: 

• £17 could pay for a Dovetail session for one child following the death of a parent. 

• £28 could cover two hours of support from a physiotherapist. 
• £36 could cover the cost of an hour’s care for a patient in our In-Patient Unit this Christmas. 
• £81 could enable a Princess Alice Nurse to visit a patient at home over the festive season. 
• £215 could pay for a year’s worth of monthly Dovetail sessions for one bereaved child. 
• £432 could pay for 12 hours of compassionate care for one patient in our In-Patient Unit this Christmas. 

We’re also looking for volunteers to help us support this service. If you have a van and are feeling strong, we’d love you to take part in this tree-mendous event. Please contact us at [email protected].  

200 guests were welcomed to a Black Tie event at The Richmond Hill Hotel earlier this year, to raise funds for Princess Alice Hospice in Esher and another charity, Fight for Sight.

Organiser, Kirsty Perkins, whose daughter, Emily, had volunteered on the Hospice In-Patient Unit, was so impressed with the work the Hospice does to provide specialist end of life care, completely free of charge, that it inspired her to fundraise.

Guests to the Eye Ball were treated to an enjoyable evening which raised more than £24,000 for the Hospice, with the same amount donated to Fight for Sight, who support sight saving research.

Tickets included a glass of champagne, 3 course dinner, coffee and wine. Live music was provided by Electric Kicks, dancing and entertainment was provided by Vernon Ray, who multi-tasked as compere, auctioneer, DJ and host throughout the evening; guests were also treated to Magic Marco visiting their tables during the event, delighting guests with his tricks and illusions.

There was also a raffle and a silent and live auction for guests to bid on, with some fabulous prizes won on the night.

Kirsty told us: “We were thrilled to raise such a great sum of money for Princess Alice Hospice, which plays such an important role supporting our local community with its provision of end of life care. We were extremely well supported by local businesses and individuals and all those who attended The Eye Ball and made it a such a fabulous, fun and very memorable evening “

Senior Partnerships Fundraiser at the Hospice, Kerry Brown added: “We were blown away by how much Kirsty was able to raise for us. This is a huge amount for a single event and we are so grateful. Thank you so much Kirsty!”

It costs the Hospice over £10m a year to provide care to the local community. If The Eye Ball has inspired you and you would like to make a donation to the Hospice, please contact [email protected]. If you would be interested in organising your own fundraising event, please contact [email protected].

Despite its name, the Man Shed also welcomes women and offers an easy-going but structured and safe environment for people to socialise, chat, learn new skills and produce practical or artistic objects – mainly out of wood. 

Jim, who suffers from a life-limiting disease that affects his ability to speak, soon learned that the volunteers who were supporting him in the Man Shed were all wood carvers and he was encouraged to try his hand at carving.  He started by carving a dolphin and then moved on to a more challenging Celtic cross.  He worked at it patiently and painstakingly for several months, before and after the lockdowns, communicating with volunteers via a small whiteboard and marker pen.   

Jim took his half-finished project home with him during August, while the volunteers had their summer break, and continued with sanding and polishing it at home. When he returned to the Man Shed, he proudly showed the other attendees and volunteers how well it had turned out.

Families and Carers Lead at the Hospice, Rosie noble said: “Jim’s success in seeing his project through was a tribute to the supportive ethos of the Man Shed.  Jim has been coming along since before the pandemic and is one of our most regular attenders. Like others who attend, Jim finds that it’s not only a place where you can socialise and have an informal chat about all sorts of things, it’s also very satisfying to use practical skills to produce useful or beautiful artefacts, like his Celtic cross.” 

Jim is now moving on to an even more ambitious three-dimensional carving of a man, which he has designed himself. 

In 1986, the Hospice was privileged to have been officially opened by the Queen’s beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. In 2016, our bereavement volunteers were honoured to be awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for volunteer groups in recognition of outstanding community service.

The Queen was a much-admired public figure who saw the nation through many periods of difficulty and change. She was a pillar of strength and resolve, and her selfless dedication to charity and public service will remain an inspiration to so many people within our local communities.

Chair of Trustees  – Professor Sean Hilton                  

Nicki Shaw – Chief Executive      

Over the years, the annual Pro-Am tournament has raised an astonishing £600,000 for the Hospice, providing much-needed high-quality specialist care and support to adults with life-limiting illness and enabling us to reach out to more people at a time when they need us most.

Claire Woodward, Community Partnerships and Events Lead said: “On behalf of everyone at the Hospice, I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in the Nelson Trophy each year – the money raised so far is quite astonishing. We appreciate the generosity and warmth of all who take part and for the huge effort put into organising the day by St George’s Hill Golf Club and Your Golf Travel. We simply couldn’t continue to do what we do without this outstanding support.”

September’s mixed teams’ event at St George’s Hill will be supported by Captain Hugh Roberts who said: “We always look forward to this wonderful annual event that supports an amazing charity. Princess Alice Hospice is a great cause and one that is close to so many of our hearts at the club. We know it will be another fantastic event and look forward to welcoming all who take part.”

2021’s Nelson Trophy was awarded to Conor Coles, grandson of English champion golfer Neil Chapman Coles MBE, who had a successful career in European Tour golf, winning 29 tournaments between 1956 and 1982

To reserve a team space for this year’s Nelson Trophy on 17 September, please contact: Event manager Daniel Edwards at [email protected]

Photo caption: The tournament at St George’s Hill Golf Club last year raised more than £24,500 for the Hospice.

Left to Right:

Ross Marshal – Your Golf Travel

Claire Woodward – Hospice Community Partnerships & Events Lead

Hugh Roberts – St George’s Golf Club Captain

Philip Worthington – General Manager

Joining the 144 players who gave it their best shot on the day were top player and TV commentator John Virgo, professional snooker champion Patsy Fagan, and film and TV stuntman Rocky Taylor, whose credits include James Bond and Indiana Jones movies.

A popular event, this year the Golf Day raised £2,230 – bringing the total raised since the event’s launch in 2013, to £23,310.

Local furniture specialist Roche Bobois sponsored the hole in one competition, with a prize of £15,000 for anyone dropping a hole-in-one on the 12th hole.  Four players came close, but in the end, no-one managed this elusive feat.

Throughout the day, the sun shined as guests enjoyed a post-golf BBQ, had fun with a visiting magician, practised their skills on the archery targets and rounded off the day with some spectacular live singing.

The Hospice is extremely grateful to Hersham Golf Club Manager Dean Mara and his staff, the generous event sponsors (Srixon, Wilson Bet, Swing Grip and Aquajoy) and the many Hospice volunteers who turned out to make the event such a success.

[Photo shows (left to right):  John Virgo, Rocky Taylor and Dean Mara (Manager, Hersham Golf Club).]

On Saturday, 9 April, 75 people walked a 10-mile route starting and ending at Esher Rugby Club to raise awareness of the Hospice’s vital bereavement services. The event sought to reach out to men in particular, who, research has proven, often find it difficult to talk about life and death, share emotions and seek help and support when they need it.

The walkers, wearing their Talk the Walk t-shirts, included 13 teams – the largest team, named Walk About, consisted of 19 people, all family members of different generations, and the youngest walker was a 12-year-old boy whose mum was cared for by the Hospice. Other participants and volunteers travelled from as far as Manchester and Essex to take part or support the event.

As many people met for the first time, conversation flowed and new friendships were forged. The route started at Esher Rugby Club in Hersham, past the Barley Mow pub and through Whiteley Village to the Avorian Cricket Club and Cobham Rugby Club, back around Garsons and the Hospice, finishing at Esher Rugby Club. Once there, everyone gathered to watch the Esher v Bury St Edmunds rugby match while having a well-earned drink with a burger.

Leader of Surrey County Council, Tim Oliver, whose daughter, Emily, died at the Hospice in 2019, was interviewed by BBC Radio Surrey shortly before he set off for the walk with his son, James. He said:

“ Talk the Walk is about raising the profile of Princess Alice Hospice and also its bereavement services, and trying to encourage men to talk. One in three men doesn’t access any sort of bereavement support. It’s good to talk and to know there is support available to help get through difficult times.

“The Hospice is a fantastic charity which needs to raise more than £10 million each year just to fund the work that it does. It’s really important that people know about the important work they do.”

Claire Woodward, Community Partnerships and Events Lead at the Hospice, said:

“The atmosphere was amazing. Mostly guys, and some brave women too, walked shoulder to shoulder along the route in the glorious sunshine. It was a lovely day and we’re so pleased we managed to smash our £30,000 target (£31,378 and counting).

“I’d like to give huge thank yous to our Hospice Man Shed volunteers who made bespoke medals for

everyone who took part and to our wonderfully generous corporate supporters for helping to make the event such a great success – Esher Rugby Club, Whiteley Village, Cobham Rugby Club, Barley Mow Pub (Hersham), Avorian Cricket Club, Garsons, Family Building Society and Lodge Brothers. We are immensely grateful.”

Following publication of the full report on its website, the CQC highlighted how 92% of patients achieved their preferred place of death and “doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals worked together as a team to benefit patients”. The report concluded that “multidisciplinary working was widespread across the service and reflected a focus on holistic, multifactorial care”.

Inspectors said that “staff demonstrated initiative in their kindness and efforts to make people comfortable and happy in their last days”, and they provided many examples of staff and volunteers who had gone above and beyond in their roles, planning and delivering new ways of providing patients with positive experiences.

Several areas of outstanding practices were highlighted, including the provision of emotional support to patients, families and carers to minimise their distress, and the comprehension of patients’ personal, cultural and religious needs. Inspectors stated that “staff empowered families and carers to understand their condition and make decisions about their care and treatment and be active partners in their care”. It was also noted that “staff had assessed regional unmet health needs to identify vulnerable groups who may benefit from access to hospice care”, e.g. people experiencing homelessness within the broad geographic care area.

The Hospice was commended for its promotion of inclusivity and equality as well as its tangible sense of flexibility and adaptability amongst staff to meet people’s needs. The CQC said the service had a vision for what it wanted to achieve and a strategy to turn it into action in a sustainable way.  It had a culture of learning, demonstrable high levels of engagement, and a willingness to introduce new approaches to care, such as delivering Wellbeing sessions using Zoom and making use of emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR).

Nicki Shaw, Chief Executive, said: “The last couple of years have been immensely challenging, but we have made it through thanks to an amazing and dedicated team and the support and encouragement of our communities. It’s a great privilege to provide free, expert, compassionate palliative and end of life care to patients and their families and carers at a very difficult time in their lives.

“The publication of this report comes as we are about to embark on the launch of our new strategy for the future. The retention of our Outstanding rating – first awarded in 2016 – is a tremendous boost to everyone and will give us the confidence to help us achieve our vision.”

The event is a 10-mile walk that begins and finishes at Esher Rugby Club via Cobham Rugby ground, where walkers can stop for refreshments before continuing through Whiteley Village and back to Esher, in time for kick-off.

After listening to our supporters, we have introduced a shorter wheelchair accessible four-mile route setting off from Esher Rugby Club to the Hospice in West End Lane and back to the rugby club. Registration for both walks is £30 per person (£25 for 11-17-year-olds, and a discount of £5 per person for groups of four or more), which includes a rugby match day ticket to watch Esher vs Bury St Edmunds; a burger, a pint (or soft drink) and a Talk the Walk t-shirt.

Bereavement Lead at the Hospice, Sarah Friggieri, said: “Men’s grief is no less intense than women’s grief. All people go through the same process regardless of gender, but for some it is sometimes unseen, not spoken about or misinterpreted – and this is sadly more likely for men. As much as society has changed in a lot of ways, the unhelpful notion of strength in silence can at times prevail for men, and that can result in them not always receiving the care and compassion they need and deserve.”

Community Partnerships and Events Lead, Claire Woodward added, “We offer our bereavement services to anyone who has lost a loved one under our care – men, women, young people and children. On this occasion, we created Talk the Walk to encourage men to come together, shoulder to shoulder and challenge themselves while having fun, making new friends and raising money for the Hospice. Please register for the event today – anyone aged 11 and over can take part to support the males in their life, and we hope they do. It’s sure to be a wonderful day with plenty of walking to work up an appetite!”

It cost the Hospice £10.1 million last year to provide its free care and support, and that figure is likely to increase year on year, with just a small proportion coming from NHS grants and service funding. To find out more about the event and register, visit www.pah.org.uk/talkthewalk.

**We are extremely grateful to The Family Building Society who are sponsoring the event and have given us £2,500, and to Whiteley Village who are supporting the event by allowing the walk to travel through the village estate. **

Ruth May and her team – Duncan Burton, Deputy CNO, and Professor Deborah Sturdy OBE, Chief Social Worker – visited the Hospice on 28 October 2021 to meet with the Chief Executive, Nicki Shaw, the Chair of Trustees, Professor Sean Hilton, and the Director of Patient Care, Lesley Munro, who then conducted a tour of the Hospice. Ruth described the Hospice as “incredibly impressive and wonderfully warm”.

As Ruth was meeting staff before she left the building, she said: “I want to say a huge thank you for everything you do. It is a real privilege to say thank you and to recognise people’s contribution. I especially want to congratulate Jo Reynolds – it is a huge privilege to say a personal thank you from me to you. Thank you for the leadership you have shown.”

On the day of the visit, Ruth had in fact two awards to present, however, the second recipient, Julia Lucioni, was on annual leave, and due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, it was only in mid-December 2021 that a surprise attendee appeared on the Zoom screen during a routine team catch-up.

Ruth said: “I am delighted to be here today, again! This time virtually to present Julia Lucioni with my Silver award for Nursing Excellence.

“Thank you for all you have done over many years and for how you have done it.

“As Chief Nursing Officer for England, I am delighted for you. You have battled this storm while having your own struggles with hearing. I have huge respect for you, and I wanted to take time out to present you with my Silver nursing award.”

Julia said: “I’m bowled over. It’s such a privilege to receive this esteemed award. I have been able to show that it can work – you can work with a disability. It can take a little time to overcome hurdles, but you somehow find the strength and a way to get through.”

Brief details of the nominations:

Jo Reynolds

Jo is an outstanding specialist palliative care nurse who is known by all who work with her for her expertise, high standards and compassion. Her specialist areas are head and neck, palliative fungal wound management and developing multi-professional teams’ clinical practice. Training specialist and general community teams in the management of altered airways is essential to ensure patients have a real choice around their advance care planning. The reality is that most patients who cannot care for their own airways at end of life get caught up in acute beds in the hospitals as most hospices and nursing homes can support this need. Princess Alice Hospice now has a reputation for supporting patients with altered airways and referrals, from within and out of the area, come through regularly. Jo has created, implemented and evaluated a training programme for Hospice staff caring for patients with altered airways at end of life. Jo is passionate about teaching clinical staff about the management and lived experience of fungal wounds. Many nurses, healthcare assistants, doctors, GPs and District Nurses have benefitted from her teaching and expertise.

Julia Lucioni

Julia has and will always advocate for staff with hidden and visible disabilities. She is a remarkable nurse leader and despite her conductive deafness she has shown immense courage and resilience throughout her career and the pandemic. Julia has had to endure casual and passive discrimination throughout her career so when COVID arrived at the Hospice in March 2020, it was clear she was not going to allow it to defeated her. Julia could not wear any PPE with ear loops, and thus could not wear FFP3 masks or even use the FP3 hoods due to her hearing aids. Her resilience showed through in her response to these challenges; rather than focusing on herself, she rallied around all the staff with disabilities on the IPU –  she raised awareness during team meetings giving the team helpful advice about what small things could help staff with impairments feel less isolated in and more included. In recent years, Julia has supported staff to continue nursing with early stage dementia, mental ill-health, Tourette’s Syndrome, anxiety, hearing and sight impairments. She knows that being open about her own disability helps build a diverse team where differences are celebrated and supported.

Lesley Munro, the Hospice’s Director of Patient Care, Community Engagement & Support said: “Both Jo and Julia have given their lives to the service of patients and nurses. I am so very proud of them both.”

Collaborative working between SIA Specialist Nurses and the Education & Research team at Princess Alice Hospice has resulted in the development of this module and gives information about SCI and the specialist care needed in the final stages of life, something which is too often lacking in a general nursing/care setting.

Unusually, the training course has been sponsored by a member of SIA, Mary Tye, whose own spinal cord injury was sustained while in her eighties. Her daughter, Leo, a volunteer for Princess Alice Hospice, was dismayed by the dearth of medical knowledge about her mother’s situation.  She says, “My mother broke her neck 13 years ago, so we’ve had all of her nineties to prepare for her end-of-life care plan.  I’ve since learnt that most medical professionals don’t know much at all about spinal cord injury, and we’ve had to learn a lot about it ourselves.

“When I googled ‘end of life care for spinal injured people’ there was absolutely nothing.

“This course has been created to support medical professionals, and the families of SCI people, to ensure that their relatives get the very best treatment in that final chapter of their lives.

“It makes me and my family glad to know this collaboration between SIA and the Princess Alice Hospice has produced a first-class course, which enables professionals to know they’ve done the best they can for the people they care for.’

Carol Adcock, SIA Academy Lead and SCI nurse specialist, said: “We can’t thank Mary and her family enough for what they’ve done.  Their generosity and inspiration will help us to help so many more SCI people in years to come.

“We’ve been pleased to design this course together with the palliative care team at Princess Alice Hospice. Together, we hope that we can make that final chapter easier to bear for the patient and their loved ones.”

Jane Berg, Deputy Director of Skills, Knowledge and Research at the Hospice said:

“We were delighted to work with the SIA to produce A Fulfilled Life: The Final Chapter.

“The Hospice provides expert Palliative and End of Life care; we deliver care to people who are approaching the end of their life as a result of many different illnesses and conditions. We became aware that people with spinal cord injuries are increasingly living longer and experiencing the additional illnesses and frailty that age brings. They also have specific care requirements from their spinal injury which are not always well understood.

“Working with the SIA has been fantastic and has allowed us to share our different but complementary skills and knowledge to produce this resource, which is available for all healthcare professionals and will support them in delivering care to this growing and important group of people.”

This in-depth course covers a wide range of topics and information from explaining what SCI is, and types of SCI, to focusing on the key elements of rehabilitative palliative care, Advance Care Planning, symptom control, management of breathlessness, to giving advice about neurogenic bowel dysfunction and bladder management.

The number of SCIs (though illness or trauma) is thought to have been underestimated. Recent data suggests that 2,500 people a year in the UK are diagnosed with SCI rather than the 1,000 previously thought with the number of people living with this condition in the UK estimated at approximately 50,000.

Entitled A Fulfilled Life: The Final Chapter the course is available to all healthcare professionals for free.

For the past six years Annette and Paul Jones have organised a charity Golf Day at Burhill Golf Club in aid of Princess Alice Hospice. They’ve been organising events for 18 years, but started fundraising for the Hospice after meeting stuntman Rocky Taylor who lives close to the Hospice in Esher.

Retired professional footballer, Paul, who played for Southampton, Wolves and Liverpool, has many celebrity friends willing to join in to help raise the profile of the event. Famous guests included former professional footballer Razor Ruddock, former boxer John Conteh and Moody Blues bass player and vocalist, John Lodge, who has recently released a new album, The Royal Affair and After.

The day started with golfing teams, each with their own celebrity, teeing off against each other for the winner’s spot. The day was followed by an evening of dinner, fun and games, all hosted by famous comedian and local resident, Bobby Davro. This year’s event proved so popular that the evening celebrations were moved to a larger venue, Brooklands Hotel, to accommodate the number of supporters.

The fundraiser raised £8,500 for the Hospice, which is double the amount raised in previous years. Annette suggested this was because events have been so limited during the pandemic which made everyone keener than ever to get involved.

Annette said, “We really enjoy organising the events, we’ve met some lovely people over the years and it’s always a good day. Having the celebrities attend creates lots of excitement with everybody wanting to be in their teams.”

Community Partnerships and Events Lead at the Hospice, Claire Woodward, said, “It was lovely to see so many people having fun after the year we’ve all had and we’re so grateful to Annette, Paul and of course Rocky for all they do for the Hospice.”

Rocky, who is now filming Death in Paradise in Guadalupe after finishing Mission Impossible, added, “The event is always good fun and this year it was great to be back after having to cancel last year.  I’m really pleased the amount raised has increased this year too, it’s a hard time for charities so this is really great news”

Rocky, John and Bobby visited the Hospice to present the cheque to Claire Woodward.

If you’d like to organise your own event to support the Hospice, you can find information and ideas on the website here – https://www.pah.org.uk/how-you-can-help/do-your-own-thing/

Tom and Mason Chisholm, whose father David died at Princess Alice Hospice in 2018, are exercising non-stop for 24 hours on Saturday 30 October, to raise funds in gratitude for the care their father received at the Hospice in Esher. The brothers have already taken part in several fundraisers for the Hospice, including Munday’s 5k and the Royal Parks half marathon; they also run their own Chisholm Cup football tournament raising over £8,000 for the hospice in 2018 and 2019, which has unfortunately been delayed for the time being due to the ongoing uncertainties around COVID-safety.

Since David died, the brothers have been looking for ways to express their grief. From that they created the Geezers Grief podcast in December 2020. The podcast allows them to talk openly and freely about their feelings and encourages other men and boys to do the same.

Tom and Mason have interviewed several people on their podcast with their own stories of grief, and it has really helped them, the interviewees and their listeners. The podcast is available on Spotify and Instagram via https://www.instagram.com/geezers_grief/

The boys have proven to be extremely loyal supporters of the Hospice and their 24-hour exercise challenge will see them working out continuously in their home gym, inviting as many friends and family as possible to encourage and motivate them through the muscle aches and tired limbs, as well as supporting with much-valued donations. Invitees can even join in if they’re brave enough. Anyone wishing to donate can do so here – https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Geezersgrief

Community Partnerships and Events Lead at the Hospice, Claire Woodward, said, “I don’t envy these boys exercising for 24-hours, but I am incredibly impressed that they plan to do so and support the Hospice at the same time. I’m also pleased to hear they’ve found a way of dealing with their grief. We all cope in different ways and it’s great that they’ve found a way that works for them.”

Once the boys recover from their latest challenge, they’ll be back to planning for next year’s Chisholm Cup – watch this space!

Information and ideas for organising your own fundraising activities to support the Hospice visit their website – https://www.pah.org.uk/how-you-can-help/do-your-own-thing/

Princess Alice Hospice provides expert end of life care and support to people at the Esher-based Hospice and in their own homes. Education and Research plays an important role in the Hospice’s success and is integral to one of their current strategic goals, which is to “share our knowledge and expertise”.

This year the Education and Research team celebrated twenty years of the European Certificate in Essential Palliative Care (ECEPC) course which was founded at Princess Alice Hospice. In 2001, the course launched with 31 candidates; in 2021 it is projected to reach in excess of 7,000 candidates.

The course runs as an eight-week distance learning qualification, aimed at healthcare professionals new to palliative care. Candidates are supported by a facilitator, provided with an extensive course handbook and given access to a comprehensive virtual learning site, which has been developed continuously in format. Learning culminates in a mandatory assessment day, which in recent years has taken place simultaneously across multiple, global sites. Since the start of the pandemic, the day has been held online via Zoom, with over 350 people joining the most recent assessment from national and international locations.

On 16 September, Education colleagues, and healthcare professionals from different settings gathered in person at the Hospice and online from as far as Australia, to celebrate twenty years of success. Betty Riddle, a longstanding volunteer at the Hospice, was in attendance too, in recognition of the many years of dedicated service she has provided to the Education team since the early days of the course.

At an evening reception, Nicki Shaw, Chief Executive, welcomed everybody and introduced Jane Berg, Deputy Director of Education and Research, to say a few words. Attendees heard recollections from course co-founder, Max Watson, Project ECHO Programme Director at Hospice UK, about the first ten years. Clair Sadler, ECEPC Course Lead and Senior Lecturer at Princess Alice Hospice, went on to explain how the course has evolved and increased in scope as an increasingly globally recognised qualification through the proceeding ten years. Guests were then invited to watch a short animation (below). The presentations were followed by a social gathering over drinks, canapes and celebratory cake, which gave guests an opportunity to share personal reflections and memories. During this time, people were invited to offer up three words to sum up the ECEPC course; words included ‘care’, ‘knowledge’, professional’, ‘confidence’, ‘collaboraton’, ‘hollistic’ and ‘community’.

Clair Sadler said:

‘’20 years of the ECEPC is a significant milestone. We are so proud of the course and the candidates who have completed it. We believe that the course enhances the care that candidates offer their patients as they approach the end of their lives – regardless of the setting in which they are cared for. We are confident that the course will continue to be responsive to changing needs for many more years.’’

Since 2015, Ocean Cycling has been raising valuable funds for Princess Alice Hospice by cycling 300km from the Hospice in Esher to Paris; now in its sixth year, the group was determined to continue the event despite COVID restrictions, which necessitated them rerouting from Esher to Land’s End instead.

Ahead of their quest to raise funds, the cyclists gathered at the Hospice to fill up on bacon butties, croissants, tea and coffee before being waved off on their adventure: four gruelling days of cycling across the English countryside, covering a total of 580km to reach their destination in Redruth for a well-earned rest.

The annual event, which is organised by Kevin Taylor and Matt Pegg, started out with just four riders and has expanded to 20 this year. Since beginning the event, they’ve managed to raise almost £80,000 for the Hospice and donations for this year’s challenge are still coming in two weeks after the event. Their target this year was £10,000 and at the time of writing the total raised was more than £12,500.

Organiser Kevin said: “It feels amazing to finally put on a ride for the Hospice, after having to cancel last year’s event. This one is a bit different to our usual trip but one we won’t forget!”

Community Partnerships and Events Lead at the Hospice, Claire Woodward, said: “What a great group they are and what a fantastic job they’re doing of raising funds for us. Four days in the saddle with only short breaks sounds like hell to me, but they battle on, through blisters and muscle aches to do an amazing job – thank you guys.”

Anyone interested in taking up a cycling challenge for the Hospice can register here – https://www.pah.org.uk/events/category/cycling/

While most parents are busy getting into the swing of the new academic year, Retail workers at Princess Alice Hospice are already focusing their thoughts on Christmas. They believe it’s never too early to start planning for the festive season, which means Hospice Christmas cards are already being snapped up by customers and supporters, both in the Hospice shops and online.

The sourcing of the cards that the Hospice sells begins well in advance. The past few years have seen the Hospice focus on recycling and Responsible Sourcing to help the environment and reduce their carbon footprint.

This year the Hospice has researched festive products that are kinder to the environment and also more sustainable. Their new range of Christmas cards will be completely recyclable, including the packaging, so there’s no plastic, foiling, glitter or cellophane. The range features all new designs in recyclable boxes which contain embossed, cut out and multi-folded cards, but the price range remains the same – from £2.00 to £6.00 for a box of 10 cards and with 100% of profits going to Princess Alice Hospice.

Volunteer buyer, Leo Tye, is responsible for sourcing the cards and told us, “I am so pleased that we have managed to make such a step forward in Responsible Sourcing and our smart new boxes.  We have also included a QR code for additional donations to our charity.”

The sale of Christmas cards for Princess Alice Hospice raises vital funds each year, which in turn help to ensure the compassionate care continues for patients and families.

Christmas Crackers are also new for 2021 and are recyclable too, with the crackers themselves and their contents containing no plastic.

If you would like to buy Christmas cards and crackers and support the Hospice, the easiest way to secure your order is online, at www.pah.org.uk/christmascards or by visiting your local Princess Alice Hospice shop; you can find your local one here: www.pah.org.uk/shops

Princess Alice Hospice supporter, Mikolaj Zieleznik, has just completed his three part challenge, starting and ending in Chamonix, France, in a bid to raise £20,000 for the Esher based Hospice.

The challenge started with a run: 90km distance, 6km elevation in the Chamonix Ultra Marathon – through snow and sunshine. Mikolaj completed this run in 19 hours 36 minutes beating his 20 hours target! He had a well-deserved day off before setting off on a drive to Italy to climb the 4,000m Grand Paradiso peak. This is Italy’s highest independent peak and a very difficult event after running 90km!

After finishing on day 5 he then drove back to Chamonix for a rest day, in readiness for Challenge 3 on day 6/7 climbing Western Europe’s highest peak: 4,800m Mont Blanc. The mountain stands between the regions of Aosta Valley, Italy, and Savoie and Haute-Savoie, France.

However, the weather had other plans for Mikolaj and he was unable to complete this section of his challenge due to the severity of it. Not to be deterred he drove back to Italy, where he was met by some equally awful weather, but still was able to climb Piramide Vincent  (4,215m)  on Friday morning, having sat out the storm at Refuge di mantova (3,500m) before flying back to the UK on Friday afternoon in time for his daughter’s birthday.

Mikolaj’s decision to attempt this three part challenge came when he learned how badly the local charity had been affected by the COVID pandemic with almost all events being cancelled during 2020. It costs £10.1m to run the Hospice for a year with 76% of the income coming from local supporters like Mikolaj.

Training for the events started in January before Mikolaj was sure how or when the lockdown was going to ease, but he knew he would be doing something big to support his local Hospice.

He said, “Local charities have suffered enormously over the past year and I felt the need to do something big to try and help. What the Hospice does in supporting those at the end of life and the help they give families and friends is priceless.”

If you’d like to take on a less daunting challenge you can visit the hospice website at https://www.pah.org.uk/how-you-can-help/events/find-an-event/

You can also check out the latest images of Mikolaj on his travels on his Just Giving page here – https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Mikolaj-Zieleznik1

Staff at Princess Alice Hospice embodied two of their values, Compassion and Excellence, recently when they made it possible for one of their patients, David, to participate in his daughter’s wedding blessing alongside his wife, Carole.

When David and Carole’s daughter, Hannah, expressed a wish to have the blessing in the Hospice, the Housekeeping team sprang into action. There’s nothing they love more than a celebration so they went shopping for balloons, ironed the bunting and decorated a room close to David’s own room as a lovely surprise for the family.

In-Patient Unit staff then organised for David to be wheeled into the room with his daughter by his side, to give them that special Father and Daughter memory together.

Senior Healthcare Assistant on the In-Patient Unit, Gill Sansom, said: “The family was so happy to

be able to make special memories with David and are extremely grateful to everybody on the In-Patient Unit who made it possible. It was such a lovely occasion for them all.”

Just as the country went into a national lockdown, John Jemmett’s wife Ruth died in March 2020. During the weeks and months that followed, he found that friends slowly started to distance themselves from him and he was left with almost nobody he could freely talk to about Ruth.

It was Compassionate Neighbour Co-ordinator at Princess Alice Hospice, Alison Kilby, who first suggested to John that he be matched with someone who could support him through this difficult time.

Princess Alice Hospice Compassionate Neighbours are trained volunteers who offer friendship, a listening ear and regular emotional and social support to people in their local community; people who are lonely or socially isolated due to the effects of their own or a loved one’s long term or life limiting illness.

John was matched with Robin who phoned John weekly to chat about anything and everything.

John quickly learned that Robin was a good listener and understood his situation. He could talk to Robin freely about Ruth and this reduced the stress he felt. They also shared a love of football which led to a regular swapping of notes on their teams.

What started off as a weekly phone call, due to COVID restrictions, soon progressed to regular Zoom sessions and these gave John something to look forward to. In John’s words: ‘a reason to get up, get washed and get a proper shirt on’.

He also added: “I would whole heartedly recommend the service even for a short time to get over the initial months of bereavement.”

Since March 2020, Princess Alice Hospice has recruited 130 Compassionate Neighbour Lite (CNL) volunteers from diverse backgrounds to provide telephone support, medication collection and shopping support during the successive pandemic surges and associated lock-downs.

If you, or somebody you know, could benefit from the support of a Hospice Compassionate Neighbour, please visit https://www.pah.org.uk/our-care/compassionatecommunities/

The family of a patient at Princess Alice Hospice gathered together in the early June sunshine to release some beautiful butterflies into the grounds of the Hospice in Esher.

Sue, who has been receiving palliative care at the Hospice, was keen to release the butterflies herself as she had reared them from eggs. Sue’s husband arranged to transport the butterflies and Hospice staff organised for Sue’s bed to be moved out onto the terrace so that she could be part of the release. Sue wanted her grandson present so he could see them fly off and the whole family was involved.

The Hospice has always tried to accommodate the wishes of patients and families, encouraging pets to visit, allowing puppies to be born and now butterflies to be released.

Senior Health Care Assistant at the Hospice, Gill Sansom, said, “It was lovely to watch the whole family get together in the sunshine and release the butterflies that Sue had raised. Her grandson loved it. There were lots of squeals of delight, a real family memory for them all to cherish.”

The Clumps Allotment in Ashford, launched by Princess Alice Hospice in May 2019, is holding an open day on Wednesday 16 June 2021 between 1pm and 3pm. It has recently re-opened after having to close in March 2020 due to the pandemic.
The open day coincides with Loneliness Awareness Week, which runs from 14-18 June.
Aimed at people in the local community who may be feeling isolated due to ill health, being a carer or recently bereaved, the allotment offers a place where residents can escape for some much needed fresh air and a cup of tea over a friendly chat.
The idea of the allotment is to bring people together to grow healthy food, meet new people and feel closer to nature. Community volunteer-led allotments can have a hugely beneficial effect and, you don’t need any gardening experience.
Head of Volunteering and Community Engagement, Vanessa Hill, said, ”We know that when you’re living with a life limiting illness or chronic condition, if you’re caring for someone or are bereaved, it can lead to loneliness and isolation and it can be difficult to feel part of the community. Our community allotments are a great way of bringing people together in a relaxed and friendly way.”For more information or to register your interest in the open day as well as the weekly sessions, email [email protected] or call 01372 461870.
Sessions are held on Saturday 10am – 12pm and Wednesday 1pm – 3pm at The Clumps Ashford, Feltham road, Ashford, TW15 1AA.
One of the Hospice’s aims is to reach more people in their community and support them through a range of services from the allotment to the Community Choir. For more information you can visit https://www.pah.org.uk/our-care/compassionatecommunities/

David Hughes and his father, Darryl, are rowing a full marathon and a half marathon respectively to raise funds for Princess Alice Hospice. The event, due to take place on Friday 28 May, will consist of David and Darryl using two rowing machines situated side by side and will be live streamed so supporters can watch their progress and suggest motivational music tracks.

David’s mother, Alison, Darryl’s wife, received care both at home and at the Hospice in Esher over the course of a year.  David says the Hospice Community Team ‘played a vital role in providing care’ for his mum and this enabled her to stay at home until her very last days in December 2020, when she was admitted to the Hospice.

Training for the event has been challenging for them both, having to motivate themselves to row alone due to COVID restrictions. However, David has found the time to fit in several 30km stints in preparation for the big day.

Of the care Alison received, David said: “The realities of cancer and caregiving for family members are incredibly difficult and would be even tougher without institutions like Princess Alice Hospice. Together my dad and I will row some 39.3 miles and it would be great if you can give what you can to the Hospice.”

Community Partnerships and Events Lead, Claire Woodward, said: “What a challenge! Thank you to both David and Darryl for taking on such a feat. We are always in awe, or even oar, of the lengths (literally) some people go to. We hope you don’t ache too much afterwards and thank you!”

If you would like to donate to David and Darryl’s event for the Hospice, please click here – https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RowforAlison

The Hospice receives only 24% of its income through NHS grants and so relies heavily on the generosity of the general public. If you’d like to create a challenge for yourself or take part in one of the other Hospice events, visit www.pah.org.uk/events.

Before the Service, Keetje talked to ITV News (which was later broadcast on News at Ten) about the crucial part the Princess Alice Hospice team has played in the pandemic effort, and the effort and resilience still required ahead. Following the Service, Keetje said: “It was such a beautiful ceremony, and I feel incredibly proud to have been invited. I had a lump in my throat watching the procession of the Roll of Honour, followed by the lamp being carried to the High Altar.”

Helena Bonham Carter said: “They looked after us – we must look after them. The irony is we actors get awards all of the time. Sometimes, I think it is disproportionate to what we actually do. We pretend to be heroes and heroines. These people are genuine heroes and heroines.”

Note: The Service is available to watch until 12 June 2021 – Streamed services | Westminster Abbey (westminster-abbey.org)

Watch the News at Ten package, broadcast on 12 May, featuring Keetje Gull – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uPD02y_Z33s&feature=youtu.be

Nurses at Princess Alice Hospice need stamina and commitment to achieve what they have during the past year. Now some of them are about to go one step further. Not one but two teams of clinical staff have signed up for the Snowdon at Night challenge to raise funds for the Hospice. www.pah.org.uk/events.
Senior Staff Nurse and Night Team Leader at the Hospice, Jayne Nelson, and her team of Night Avengers have been training by walking up and down Box Hill, while In-Patient Unit manager, Keetje Gull, is donning her trainers to get some steps in before the big event.
Jayne told us. ”During a very busy night shift we decided we needed a fun challenge and something to look forward to. We decided to combine that with supporting the Hospice so took up the Snowdon at Night challenge. We’ve been trekking up and down Box Hill to do some training, wearing our Hospice T-shirts and the support from the public has been amazing. We are keeping fit, having fun and raising funds. What could be better?”
Senior Partnerships Lead, Claire Woodward, said, “As if they don’t do enough for us! We’re so impressed with our nurses, they’re great. Good luck to the Night Avengers and thank you for taking on such a challenge for the Hospice.”
If you’d like to see how the Night Avengers are doing for the event which takes place on 22 May, you can check out their JustGiving page here.
It costs over £10.1 million each year for the Hospice to provide its free, high-quality care. As a charity, only 24% of their income comes from NHS sources. If you’d like to take on a challenge to support Princess Alice Hospice, you can find details on the website www.pah.org.uk/events.

Signature Senior Lifestyle was looking for a way to increase its expertise in dementia care – they approached the Hospice for help in bringing together and educating the champions to increase their knowledge, skills, and confidence which will then allow them to be a valuable resource to support all care home staff and residents with dementia. A spokesperson for Signature said: “This programme is a wonderful step in ensuring that our residents are getting all the very best care that can be provided, as well as giving family members, friends, and loved ones all the support they could need.”

Using a mix of teaching and interactive learning carried out via Zoom, the Dementia Champions have been encouraged to bring examples from practice which are then used as a basis for discussion and learning.

The role of the champion is to implement organisational change and support mechanisms to facilitate best practice in end of life care for residents with dementia.

Signature went on to say, “We are extremely pleased with the progress with End of Life Care Dementia Champions. As ever, peace of mind, security and reassurance for our residents and their loved ones is of the utmost importance and never has it been more apparent than during the difficulties of the last year.

“It has naturally been a very difficult period for everyone but we are greatly looking forward to implementing this programme, seeing its effects and standing proud behind what can be accomplished in care.’’

This has been echoed by Anne Reed, Community Outreach Practitioner from Princess Alice Hospice who has been impressed with the commitment that staff have made. She said: “Seeing the commitment and enthusiasm demonstrated by the staff caring for residents with dementia to this programme is a real testament to Signature Senior Lifestyle, especially considering the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. This can only serve to enhance the care given to residents with dementia in these environments.’’

Princess Alice Education & Research department can offer the programme to other care home groups or tailor-make a programme to meet different training requirements.

For further information about our Education courses, please contact [email protected]

The initiative was started by Marie Curie; the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, will be joining in a minute’s silence at midday and people are being encouraged to light up their doorsteps as part of a national doorstep vigil that night; prominent buildings and landmarks will also be illuminated across the UK.

At 11.50 am, Chief Executive, Nicki Shaw, and the Hospice’s Chaplain, Revd Dr Steve Nolan, will host an event, which will be streamed on Facebook Live – @pahospice – from 11.50am. They’ll share some of their own reflections from the past year.

Just before midday, the Hospice will pause for a collective one-minute silence, which will be followed by a blessing from Steve Nolan.

If you can, please join Princess Alice Hospice on Facebook. 

Unfortunately, following the outbreak of COVID-19, the production team were unable to film in any hospices, however, they kept in touch with us and we had several conversations during the initial research stages about death, dying, grief and loss.

A synopsis of the programme – Thursday 18 February at 10pm on Channel 5:

In a year of 100,000 unforeseen deaths, with many thousands of people losing loved ones to the COVID pandemic, Dame Esther Rantzen explores the experience of bereavement and coping with grief.

Esther wants to learn from others who have been through loss and enlists the help of six extraordinary individuals. Each has a very different story to tell, from a woman who lost her husband to COVID-19 and a mother whose child drowned, to a young man who was just eleven when his brother was murdered.

It’s exactly twenty years since Dame Esther lost her husband Desmond Wilcox, but in many important ways, she has yet to come to terms with the loss of the man with who she shared her life with.

The much-loved presenter and campaigner, who’s been on our television screens for half a century, strips away the television presenter veneer in this extraordinarily personal and candid exploration of what it’s really like for people to deal with loss. Dame Esther, now eighty, has found widowhood a challenge and likes to focus on looking forward but her family say she’s in denial.

Esther and her fellow bereaved confidantes reveal what it’s like to lose someone you love, and tear up the rule book on bereavement. With unflinching honesty, they explore what is uniquely individual, and discover how much is shared. From the death bed to the first anniversary, from dark days of suffering to finding ways to celebrate, through vivid stories and unearthing memories, Esther takes a journey through life after loss, and with the help of her children, challenges her approach to her bereavement.

In an emotional and ultimately uplifting documentary, over one summer Esther is forced to look back, unlock some doors and recognise there are no rules when it comes to losing a loved one.

**During an interview with Good Morning Britain on Wednesday 17 February, Dame Esther said:

“This was not my idea. What we were going to do was speak to many people who have experienced loss of all different kinds, and have found helpful ways of coping. Then, COVID struck, and the production team said, ‘That’s alright; you can talk about your own feelings’. Before I knew it, my children, all three of them, were levering open the tin can.”

The aim of our Wellbeing Centre is to help give participants, who either have a life-limiting illness, or care for someone who does, the best possible quality of life by managing their symptoms, building their confidence and helping them take back control of their lives.

As part of a varied programme of sessions, the Wellbeing Centre runs an Art Group which currently meets via Zoom weekly.

The Wellbeing Centre team recently put together a gallery of their work – impressive both in quality and quantity (given there were seven regular members) and we’re so delighted with the result, and the participants have been so positive about the benefits they felt.

Here’s team member Nicky explaining more about the Art Group and their gallery in a short video:

Use the arrows to scroll left and right, to take a look at more of the individual pieces below.

Walking 31 miles from Tower Bridge to Hampton Court might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Paul Barrett and Paul Cunningham found it a great way to raise spirits during lockdown 1.0 as well as vital funds for Princess Alice Hospice in memory of Paul Bs sister and Paul Cs good friend, Jane.

When Jane died on her birthday in January 2020, Paul and Paul decided to give something back for the care she had received. Paul C had already experienced the marvellous care and support the Hospice provides as his dad had died there in 2001, which prompted him to become a Hospice volunteer.

Paul and his life friend, also called Paul, organised the two-day walk with an overnight break at Kew Bridge for around 25 family and friends with an original target of £1,000. Lockdown did not put the Paul’s off their mission to fundraise; they simply moved the event to accommodate, keeping people in bubbles in line with social distancing guidelines and raised an amazing £4,500. On top of that, they then decided to arrange a socially distanced cricket day at Old Woking Cricket ground and raised a further £600 for the Hospice.

Paul told us: “The turnout was amazing. The weather was good, and we’re so proud to have raised so much more than our original target in Jane’s memory. The feet were a bit sore afterwards, but we all coped really well considering we’re not seasoned walkers – nobody trained! Big thanks to the Jolly Coopers in Hampton who fed and watered us and huge thanks to the Hospice for all they did for Jane, they were amazing.”

Community Partnerships and Events Lead, Claire Woodward said: ”Wow, 31 miles, that’s quite a distance. Without people like Paul and Paul creating events of this kind that can be completed despite the social distancing guidelines, the Hospice would struggle. We’re so grateful to Paul Barrett and his family and friends who did a great job to raise so much. Thank you.”

Paul’s tip for walking long distances: Cover your feet with Vaseline before donning your socks to avoid blisters. Works a treat!

Anyone looking for a New Year challenge can get involved by signing up to our Try January event here – https://www.pah.org.uk/how-you-can-help/events/find-an-event/