St Clare Hospice medical director elected Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners

St Clare Hospice’s medical director John Zeppetella has been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

 

Dr Zeppetella has been with the hospice since 2003 and since then has worked closely with general practice colleagues in west Essex to support patients with life-limiting illnesses.

 

A Fellow of the College of General Practitioners is an ambassador for the college’s standards and values in whom the college is happy to signal its pride.

It is an honour that denotes the esteem in which a doctor is held by his or her peers, and can merited both by the breadth and the depth of achievement.

Already a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Dr Zeppetella was particularly proud to receive the honour.

 

He said: “Having been nominated and supported by my general practice colleagues is particularly important to me.”

 

Following nomination, Dr Zeppetella’s contribution to Clinical Care, Patient-Centred Practice, Education and Training, Innovation and Creativity and Academic and Research was considered by the Essex Faculty Fellowship Committee and Fellowship Committee of Council, after which he was recommended for election to Fellowship.

 

Also elected as Fellows were Old Harlow-based GPs Dr Richard Anthony and Dr Krish Radhakrishnan who are both enthusiastic supporters of St Clare Hospice.

Anglers net cash for St Clare Hospice

Eighteen anglers took part in a six-hour charity fishing match which raised £590 for St Clare Hospice.

 

The event, held at Moreton Lake, was organised by Ongar & District Angling Society.

 

First prize was won by society member Terry Commer, from Harold Hill, Romford, with Terry Commer Jnr second.

 

The match was kindly sponsored by independent funeral directors Daniel Robinson & Son, Epping, who provided the prize winnings and goody bags for each competitor.

 

Dave Bishop, the hospice’s community fundraiser, said: “A very big thank you to Tommy Eldridge and the members of Ongar & District Angling Society for allowing the competition to be held at their lake in Moreton.

 

“I would like to express my gratitude to Tom Baldwin, of Harlow Angling Centre, for kindly donating the wonderful raffle prizes on the day.

 

“I would also like to say a big thank you to Steve Moore for his support including generously giving his time on the day and to Daniel Robinson & Son for their continued support towards St Clare.

 

“We look forward to doing it all again soon.”

St Clare Hospice holding open morning

St Clare Hospice is holding an open morning to give people a chance to find out more about the wide range of services that it offers.

 

Visitors are welcome at the hospice, in Hastingwood Road, Hastingwood, at 10am on Wednesday, May 16.

 

There will be a chance to meet the hospice’s care team and find out the latest on the services provided.

 

Hospice volunteers, supporters and representatives from local agencies will be among those present.

 

Following a welcome from St Clare Hospice Chief Executive Tanya Curry there will be short presentations from Inpatient Unit Manager Beth Burton, focusing on the hospice’s specialist care services, and communications manager Giles Wright.

 

Giles Wright said: “We are holding the morning to help highlight the wide range of services which are provided free of charge to patients but require the generosity of local people to fund them.

 

“We are constantly looking at ways to raise the profile of the hospice and its services and hope that those who come along will then spread the word about us.”

 

There will also be an opportunity for visitors to go on a tour of the hospice.

Anyone planning to attend should contact Giles Wright on 01279 773752.

 

Runner's first marathon supports hospice

A marathon runner braved one of the wettest days of the year and raised about £250 for St Clare Hospice by completing the Milton Keynes Marathon.

 

Tim Carter, from Buckhurst Hill, was taking part in his first full marathon and completed the 26.2 miles in 4hrs 3mins 45secs.

 

Tim, 44, said: “It was exceptionally cold and damp, especially as I was wearing just a St Clare Hospice singlet!

 

“I had previously run half-marathons and had done training runs up to 18 miles.

“I was secretly hoping to get under four hours as I had run the half-marathons in just over an hour-and-a-half however the conditions were a little against me and I was doing it for a good cause.”

 

Some 5,000 runners took part in the race which finished at the MK Dons football ground.

 

“I raised about £250 for St Clare Hospice and I vowed to never run a marathon again but I am sure that I can get under four hours so maybe I will enter just one more!”

 

Tracy Stratford, events fundraiser for St Clare Hospice, said: “We are all very grateful for the support Tim gave St Clare Hospice.

 

“It takes months of training and dedicated so we really appreciate all that Tim did for us, especially as the weather was against him on the day! Thank you Tim!"

 

Businesses holding fundraising Jubilee event for St Clare Hospice

TWO Church Langley businesses are joining forces to support St Clare Hospice with a day-long fundraising Jubilee event.

Eden Hair Design and Co-op Travel will be holding raffles and running various other events on Saturday, June 2.

Staff at Eden Hair Design will be dressing up as different Queens with customers and visitors invited to guess who they are.

There will also be a raffle and a stall selling cup cakes with their fundraising running from 8am until 5pm.

Stylist Sam Fields said: “We do have their collection boxes and do a lot for the hospice which is a good local cause.”

Staff at neighbouring Co-op Travel will be running a book stall and a raffle and also a children’s colouring competition with entrants having to design a crown.

Travel advisor Sharleen Wynne said: “St Clare Hospice is a very good charity. My nan was helped by the hospice and it is somewhere that is close to peoples’ hearts.”

Hollywood star makes a donation to St Clare

Scarlet is more than just another boutique in Queens Road, Buckhurst Hill

Walk down Queen’s Road in Buckhurst Hill and you can lose count of the number of fashion boutiques.

Browse into the window of Scarlet and it looks the same as any of the other fashion shops - but Scarlet is something different.

People may not realise as they glance at the window display but Scarlet is a charity shop, albeit a charity shop with a difference.

Because of its location Scarlet sells designer fashion offering customers a regularly changing stock at knock-down prices.

For example among the top-of-the-range items hanging on the rails was a new £650 designer dress on sale for £50.

Sandra Mann, one of the shop’s 18 volunteers who has helped since the shop opened in September 2007, said: “I love the shop. When I first came in I didn’t realise it was a charity shop, it looked like a boutique, it looked so nicely laid out.”

And that is what Scarlet and its volunteers pride themselves on.

Shop manager Helena Henriques said: “The difference is our location which requires us to be a bit more upmarket.

“Our shop is based on brands – we have Monsoon, Karen Miller and Ted Baker, to name a few. We aim to sell designer brands but the reality is that the economic situation affects us as much as anyone else.

She added: “People come in expecting us to have top-name items for a fair price but we can’t control what we have, we rely on donations and the co-operation of the other St Clare shops who pass on to us anything that is top quality.”

Helena added: “It’s important for people to realise that if they donate they are helping a good cause and that’s the important message we need to get out."

Margaret Moss, who has volunteered at the shop since before it opened, said: “I love clothes and we are helping the hospice. By volunteering here we have also made lots of new friends and get lots of regular customers.”

Louise Hamilton, St Clare Hospice's retail sales manager, said: "When we first considered opening a shop in Buckhurst Hill we knew a regular charity shop would not work, it had to be something special and Scarlet is certainly that.

"Nestled among the coffee shops and boutiques Scarlet blends in well with its surroundings and is very successful at raising funds for St Clare Hospice.

"We've developed a discerning clientele who appreciate the excellent customer service and stylish fashion available at Scarlet, so much so that Scarlet is now becoming a victim of its own success and as soon as the good stock goes on sale it is quickly snapped up by our fashion savvy customers.

"All the other St Clare Hospice shops support Scarlet by sending the shop any designer donations they receive. However to develop and grow the income the shop generates for the hospice we need more stock to sell.”

Louise added: "By donating their formerly loved designer and top end High Street fashion to Scarlet our donors can rest assured that we will achieve the best possible price for their donations and they will be supporting a local charity that cares for local people with terminal or life-limiting illnesses and their families at one of the most difficult times of their lives.”

Last year the profit from all seven St Clare Hospice shops exceeded £427,000, all of which went to the hospice,. This year the charity needs to raise more as the cost of running the hospice and its services goes up year on year.

Louise said: "Without our dedicated fashion conscious customers and the on-going generosity of our all our donors who give us goods to sell we could not run our retail business which makes such a substantial contribution to the running of the hospice. “We are exceedingly grateful for the local community's on-going support.”

Scarlet, at 42 Queens Road, Buckhurst Hill (020

8505 5110) is open Monday ot Saturday 9.15am to 5.15pm).

 

Concert of Organ Wizardry to raise money for St Clare Hospice

Music from the Harry Potter films will be among the works performed at a concert of ‘Organ Wizardry’ at the Abbey Church, Waltham Abbey, to raise money for St Clare Hospice.

 

The concert is at 7pm on Saturday, June 16, with the music to be played by Stephen Bullamore, Director of Music at the Abbey Church.

 

Special requests for music to be played at the concert can be made by contacting the church office on 01992 767897 or emailing parish.office@walthamabbeychurch.co.uk.

 

Tickets, priced £8 (£6 concessions), including refreshments are available from The Abbey Independent Funeral Directors Ltd on 01992 711892, email nicola@theabbeyifd.co.uk or the church office.

 

Funeral director Nicola Jarmaine said: "As funeral directors we help many families who have benefitted from the amazing support that St Clare Hospice provides.

 

“Not only do those families take comfort in knowing that their loved one has received the best possible care but the families themselves feel supported and are so often better able to cope with the grieving process.

"We have organised this concert to show our recognition for the invaluable work of St Clare Hospice."

 

St Clare Hospice to launch new ‘early bird’ furniture collection service

Furniture which people want to donate to the St Clare Hospice shops can now be collected early in the morning.

 

The hospice retail team is launching an ‘early bird’ collection service which is aimed at people who are not at home later in the day.

 

Louise Hamilton, the hospice’s retail sales manager, said: “We welcome items large and small which people want to donate for our shops but arranging collections of furniture can be difficult if people are out at work.”

 

Currently collections are made between 9.30am and 4pm Monday to Saturday.

Initially the ‘early bird’ furniture collection service will operate for a trial period in the Harlow and Sawbridgeworth areas on Friday mornings starting at 7.15am

The new service will start on Friday May 25.

 

Paul O'Sullivan the hospice van driver, said: “It will mean that we will have to set our alarm clocks earlier but we want to do all we can to make it easier for people to donate their unwanted furniture which can be sold for the hospice.”

 

Anyone wanting to donate furniture should ring the Harlow shop team on 01279 639760 or the retail office on 01279 454596 for information about the type of furniture needed and to arrange an 'early bird' visit from Paul and Trevor.

 

Marathon runner’s debut run looks set to raise £2,000 for hospice

A LONDON Marathon runner hopes to have raised about £2,000 for St Clare Hospice having entered this year’s race in memory of Susan Bowcher, from Ongar, who lost her long standing battle with cancer a year ago.

Alan Randall completed the 26.2-mile course in 5hrs 24mins.

He said: “It was a great day and I really enjoyed the experience of taking part in the London Marathon for the first time and raising some much-needed funds for St Clare Hospice.

“Susan was very popular and well known in the Ongar area having worked as a teaching assistant at Shelley Primary School for many years.

“Although I only met Susan briefly, she was a lovely lady who was sadly taken well before her time.

“I opted to try to raise as much as possible for St Clare Hospice with permission of her daughter, Hayley Bowcher, in the memory of her mum.

“My partner worked with Susan’s daughter, Hayley’ and when I heard I had been successful in the ballot for a place in the marathon I remembered how highly Hayley had spoken of St Clare Hospice regarding the care her dear mum had received so I decided this would be a fantastic charity to raise some funds for and also I was honoured to run in memory of Susan."

Alan, 49, an electrical engineer supervisor who lives in Hoddesdon, had previously run more than ten half-marathons and entered the first 15 of the Harlow ‘10’ races until he moved out of the area a few years ago.

Alan said: “St Clare Hospice is an amazing organisation that does amazing things, offering fantastic care and support to the unfortunate people who are in their hours of need, offering comfort, dignity and compassion that is so needed to patients friends and families.”

Some 20 runners took part in this year’s London Marathon for St Clare Hospice. Between them they hope to raise £22,000, which could fund six patients in the hospice’s in-patient unit for a whole week.

To sponsor Alan,visit his webpage http://www.justgiving.com/Alan-Randallvlm2012

 

Customers at Waitrose in South Woodford raise over £500 for St Clare Hospice

Shoppers visiting the Waitrose supermarket in South Woodford have shown their support for St Clare Hospice by raising £528 for the charity.

 

Customers are given a green token at the tills and can choose which of three charities to support by throwing their token into the relevant bin.

 

Of the three causes supported by Waitrose in March, St Clare received the highest share of the £1,000 funding available.

 

The store runs a monthly Community Matters initiative supporting charities nominated by customers.

 

Jo Taylor, the store’s Community Matters co-ordinator, said: “Community Matters is quite a unique way of donating to good causes.

 

“St Clare Hospice was nominated by four or five customers and did the best out of the three causes that were supported last month.”

 

Dave Bishop, the hospice’s community fundraiser, said: “A big thank you to Waitrose for choosing St Clare Hospice as one of their charities for the month and to the customers who nominated the hospice in the first place.

 

“Every penny counts when it comes to raising the money needed to help us provide our services and so I would also like to thank the many customers who dropped their green token into the St Clare bin when shopping last month which resulted in us receiving such a fantastic amount of money.”