News

 

Lottery jackpot winner makes donation back to St Clare Hospice - and encourages others to sign up

A supporter of the St Clare Hospice lottery, who has won the £1,000 jackpot twice in ten months, is urging people to support the charity by taking part in the weekly draws.

Kaye Fryer, who has made a donation to the hospice to help support its valuable work following her latest success, said: “Two of my closest friends have needed the support of the hospice when their fathers fell ill.

 

“What the hospice offers is just invaluable to so many people at such a difficult time in their lives, the support is so precious and positive.

"My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, fortunately she made a full recovery, but not everybody is that lucky."

Kaye added: "Taking part in the hospice lottery is so easy. I have three chances and pay £13.02 a month by standing order. Each chance works out at £4.34 for a month's lottery play.

"It is a great way to support the charity and you stand a chance of winning something yourself!"

Kaye, a mother-of-three who lives in Harlow, added: "The work they do is incredible."

Kaye signed up for the lottery when she was approached by a doorstep canvasser from St Clare.

Kathy Fuller, the hospice's lottery officer, said: "All our canvassers carry photo ID and their names are listed with Essex Police.

"We are really pleased to say that The St Clare Hospice Lottery now has 6,000 players taking part in the draw each Friday."

She added: "We still need more players and we encourage members to pay by standing order as this is the most cost effective way to play our lottery. It was not so long ago that our numbers had really dropped and we are so grateful to all our members both old and new.

"Of course not everyone can pay by standing order and some people pay by cheque or credit card. We also have some very dedicated lottery collectors who call on existing members each month."

Kathy added: "One of the best parts of working in the lottery department is that on a Friday either myself or another member of the team has the fantastic opportunity to phone the £1,000 winner. It is such a privilege to be able to do this and a lovely end to our week.

"I actually made the phone call to Kaye and it was just great to hear her reaction! You never know if you are a member, the next call I make could be to you!"

For information about how to join the lottery visit www.stclarehospice.org.uk or give the lottery team a ring on 01279 773730.

Each week there is a £1,000 jackpot, a £100 second prize and 40 runners-up prizes of £10.

Lottery participants, who must be aged over 16, are allocated a unique number which they have for as long as they play. Winners are selected in a computerised random draw every Friday.

Prize cheques are sent out automatically so there is no need for winners to claim their prize.

The winning numbers are featured on the hospice’s website and in the Harlow Star and Saffron Walden Weekly newspapers and on the Everything Epping Forest and Everything Harlow websites.

 

 

St Clare Hospice community Macmillan Nurse passes Masters in Advanced Practice

IRENE O’Dell, St Clare Hospice’s community Macmillan Nurse, has passed her Masters in advanced practice.

As part of her studies Irene spent a day a week for two years at Anglia Ruskin University at Chelmsford studying various elements which covered Interprofessional working, leadership, ethics, and research.

Irene said: “I found the course very challenging. I was well supported by colleagues and St Clare Hospice and I am delighted to have passed.
"It will enable me to enhance previous knowledge and skills and adapt to changes for the 21st century."

Community manager Alison Kempthorne said: “Obviously Irene had to put an awful lot of her own time and effort into achieving the end result.

"She talks fondly of the support from her team members who rallied round to pick up patients on her case load to ensure care was not compromised while Irene stretched herself with study and research.

“The purpose of this study was to arm Irene with the additional knowledge skills and disposition over and above her clinical practitioner expertise.”

Alison added: “St Clare Hospice and the people we care for will now reap the rewards of her hard work and I am delighted to have her working as a member of our team.”

 

Dogs raise money for St Clare Hospice
About 270 people and dozens of dogs took part in the St Clare Hospice 'Winter Walkies'.

The walkers braved the cold weather on Sunday morning as they followed a 5km route from the hospice in Hastingwood Road, Hastingwood.

 

Their efforts look set to have raised about £3,500 for the charity but organisers hope this will increase to £5,000 when sponsorship is paid in.

 

Many of the dogs were dressed warm for the occasion with a prize going to the best dressed canine ('Honey', owned by Lia Greathead, from Harlow), while their owners were judged for the best wellies competition (won by Kate Peacock, from Harlow).

 

The walkers returned to the hospice for a warming cup of tea or coffee while there were dog treats and a special medal for each of the canine finishers.
There was also a homemade cake stall and a raffle with many canine-related prizes up for grabs.

 

The hospice's events fundraiser, Tracy Stratford, said: "Despite it being a misty cold morning we were thrilled at how many people came along to join us for Winter Walkies.

"It was great seeing so many people make an effort with their footwear for our 'Best Wellies' competition and also the dogs in their outfits for the 'Best Dog competition'.

 

"Thank you so much to everyone who helped us raise over £3,500 for our patients. The money will make a valuable difference."

 

Sailors take to the water to support hospice

Sailors at Broxbourne Sailing Club took to the water to raise money for St Clare Hospice.

About 70 members, aged from six to 81, took part in a 24-hour sponsored sail, with the club’s youth fleet, windsurfers and disabled sailors all involved.
Their efforts raised £1,751 which has been shared between St Clare Hospice and the CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) charity.

The sailing club, based in Meadgate Road, Nazeing, presented the cheque to the hospice’s community fundraiser Dave Bishop on Saturday morning.
The club’s Commodore, Nick Hayes, said: “The 24-hour sail was the first we have held for about five years. It was a great success and raised money for two worthy causes.

"We supported St Clare Hospice because of the link we have with the charity (social secretary Paula Smith is cashier at the hospice’s shop in Harlow).”
The total raised is set to be boosted with match-funding of up to £650 from DHL Enfield.

The hospice's community fundraiser, Dave Bishop, said: "A very big thank you to Commodore Nick Hayes and all the team at Broxbourne Sailing Club for their wonderful donation.

"It must have been very demanding to sail non-stop for 24hours but we’ve been assured by the team that much fun was had completing this wonderful challenge.
"We very much look forward to working alongside the club in the future."

 

Mum to take part in hospice 10k run in memory of her father

 

 

A mother-of-two is preparing to take part in the annual St Clare Hospice 10km run in memory of her father who was cared for at the hospice.
Joyce Taft will be taking part in the 10k run on Sunday, April 1.

She has never taken part in a 10k run before so this challenge will be a first for her!

Before then she is following a training schedule and building up her distances ahead of the big day.

 

Joyce, whose father died at the Hastingwood hospice having suffered from liver cancer, said: "I want to raise money for St Clare because my Dad was there and they did such a lot for him. It would have made him so proud."
Her father, Phillip, attended the hospice's 'Brighter Living Group’ and its Day Therapy sessions.

Tracy Stratford, the hospice's events fundraiser, said: "This run is always a great event which sees serious club runners and new runners looking for a challenge join together to run and raise funds for their local hospice.
"If you have never run before and are looking for a New Year’s challenge like Joyce, then this event is for you!

"We have a fantastic ten-week training schedule for beginners which starts on Monday, January 23, so there’s plenty of time to train and prepare for the event. Just visit our website this weekend, register and download a training plan, which starts on Monday."

Joyce, 28, said her father was always full of praise for the staff and the care that they gave him.

She added: "He said that it was a bit of heaven before you get there."
Joyce, who has two young children, hopes to raise £1,000 through sponsorship to boost the hospice's funds.

She said: "Taking part in the run has given me something to focus on."
As part of her preparations she is increasing her walking, by taking her child to school on foot instead of taking the car.

The hospice hopes to attract some 600 runners to this year's race and raise £15,500 towards the £2.7m needed to run the hospice every year so it can continue to provide care free of charge to patients and their families.
The run is open to all runners aged 15 years and over.

All runners will receive a goody bag, medal and t-shirt.

Family and friends are welcome to go along on the day to cheer on the runners.

Refreshments, including a barbeque, and entertainment will be available.
Registration costs £12 (or £10 for affiliated runners).

For more information, ring 01279 773750 or email fund@stclarehospice.org.uk.

 

 

Following Tanya’s briefing with Robert Halfon MP for Harlow and district, yesterday, Robert has spoken in Westminster today in a debate on the care of the dying. Robert’s speech is included here for your information. Below in text or for a video of the speech

 

We are very grateful to Robert for his support and pleased to have been championed in a Parliamentary debate.

 

Robert Halfon (Harlow): I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr Burrowes) on securing this debate. I have known him as a good friend for nearly 30 years and his values have remained the same over that time.
I welcome this debate because I feel that we need to move the focus of the discussion away from assisted dying and towards quality of life. I became involved with this issue not by accident but through involvement with my local hospice, St Clare. It is one of the most wonderful community organisations with which I have ever had the privilege to be involved, both as a parliamentary candidate in Harlow for many years, and as its MP. St Clare is dedicated to promoting quality of life and care, and it has taught me much about the important role of palliative care and how it needs our support.

I should like to make several brief points, the first of which concerns equity of funding. St Clare hospice in Harlow receives 24% of its funding from the local PCT, although other nearby hospices in other PCTs, such as Farleigh hospice or St Francis hospice, receive around 40% of their funding from the PCTs. I welcome the figure of 40% and do not deride it, but it is important to have greater equity of funding. There is also a cliff-edge issue: 70% of charitable hospices have agreements with their local PCT that last for just one year. We need longer-term agreements, so that hospices can plan ahead.

Although we often talk about the big society, the hospice movement existed before that was even mentioned. It has pioneered the big society for many years, and 157 charitable hospices in the United Kingdom receive the bulk of their funding from private and community sources. More than 100,000 people donate their time to local hospices. St Clare hospice has 500 volunteers, and on one occasion, I was pleased to work there as a receptionist. Given what the Government are trying to accomplish in many parts of the public sector, hospices deserve more recognition for their role as part of the big society. They are models of how charitable institutions can raise extra funds, invest in services and train the community, without resources coming simply from higher taxes.

Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con): I support everything that has been said so far about doing whatever we can to preserve life. Funding has been mentioned, as have the community and voluntary sectors. Medway contains the Wisdom hospice, where £539,000 is raised annually by the voluntary and charitable sectors. That is a great example of how communities want to preserve and support palliative care.

Robert Halfon: My hon. Friend makes a good point that is exactly right; his constituency is lucky to have him serving it so well.

I want to highlight bereavement counselling services. St Clare offers such a service, and about 40% of families that become involved with it receive bereavement counselling. That is a huge extra cost for something that the hospice does not have to provide but nevertheless offers as an extra service. Hospices receive little recognition for their work on bereavement care, and a UK study has shown that such care is often overlooked. In 2010, more than half of hospital maternity units still lacked dedicated bereavement support, thus leading families to turn to their local hospices. In 2007, an Oxford university survey of bereavement care in 10 Marie Curie hospices around the country showed that, although there are some great services, such care is patchy or non-existent in other areas. That is why hospices such as St Clare that go above and beyond the call of duty in the bereavement services that they offer deserve recognition and extra financial support.

To conclude, I should like to comment on the remarks made by my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (Guy Opperman) who is no longer in his place. I have huge respect for him, but he mentioned choice in death. The problem with assisted dying and the move towards euthanasia is that people will be pressured into making choices. That is why I am passionately against any move towards assisted dying.

Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South): I congratulate the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr Burrowes) on securing this debate, and I have been listening carefully to the hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon). Is not part of the problem the fact that if this House eventually—sadly—legislates in favour of assisted dying, that would normalise the situation and mean that people and families who are vulnerable or in desperate straits may think, “That is normality; we will go down that route”? Does the hon. Gentleman agree that that is a dangerous route down which to go?

Robert Halfon: I agree passionately with the hon. Gentleman; we would be taking a hugely dangerous step were we to go down the road of assisted dying. We as a society devalue human life, whether through fiction, computer games or television, or in real life. I often wonder whether Harold Shipman would have got away with killing one patient after another if we as a society had not devalued human life in such a way. We need to move away from that in a big way and back towards dignity for the dying and strong support for palliative care.

The full debate can be found online at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmtoday/cmwhall/01.htm#d2e28 

 

PENNIES FROM HEAVEN

St Clare Hospice and Isabel Hospice are each benefiting from £22,000. of additional funding, delivered to them by an `angel’!

 

The `wine angels’ at the Radisson Blu hotel at Stansted gave a novel twist to the presentation of the cheques, which are the proceeds from the Daniel Robinson & Sons Hospice Ball which was held there at the end of last year.

 

270 guests attended and a wide variety of local businesses contributed to the Rat Pack themed evening raising a staggering £44,000.

 

Gary Neill M.B.I.E., Managing Director of the local funeral directors said, `the generosity and support of local people and businesses in this time of austerity really goes to show how much they value the fantastic work of these Hospices, thank you to everyone who contributed’.

 

Meg prepares to follow the Inca Trail for St Clare Hospice

TWO years ago Meg Martin supported St Clare Hospice raising £6,500 by spending five days walking The Great Wall of China – now she has her sights set on the Inca Trail in Peru.

 

Meg, 56, who lives in Coopersale, will be setting out on her adventure in May – but before then has set herself the target of raising £3,250 for the local hospice.

She said: "The Great Wall of China was an inspirational trip and helped raise a considerable amount of money for the hospice.

It was well worth every one of the thousands and thousands of steps!"

She added: "This time the challenge will be a much harder experience as it will involve coping with much higher altitude and spending several nights under canvas with very limited facilities. Not good for the aching joints or the hair!"

Meg, a former teacher who now works as a freelance education adviser, is supporting the Hastingwood charity after both her parents died in a hospice, in south east London.

 

She said: "Supporting any hospice is dear to my heart. Most people are helped at some point in their lives by the care that hospices give, so I hope people think it is a very worthy charity to raise funds for."

 

She added: "It seems that everyone, including myself, is being affected by the current financial position. But if it is bad for individuals like me, it must be even worse for charities.

 

"It costs St Clare Hospice £5,500 a day to provide its vital support to hundreds of local people with life-limiting illnesses and their families. That's why I'm going ahead with the challenge."

 

As part of her fundraising efforts Meg is holding a quiz night at Coopersale and Theydon Garnon Primary School, Brickfield Road, Coopersale, on Friday, February 3 (arrival from 6.45pm for a 7.30pm start). Participants must be aged 12 and over.

 

Tickets, priced £6 each, are available from the school office on 01992 574890.

To sponsor Meg's Inca Trail trek visit her JustGiving webpage
Meg said: "Please dig deep and donate now and every penny you give will be very gratefully received."