Your Hospice - September 2013

September 2013

Your Hospice Rising from the ashes

Phil Vickery reopens our shop

Oh what a night

Hundreds join our Solstice Walk

dark

From the

into

light

One man’s cancer journey

Finley Turley, aged four, was the youngest participant of our Men’s Walk.

Cotswold Care Hospice is an independent charity providing specialist care for people living with or affected by a life-limiting illness in Gloucestershire.

It is through the generosity of the community that we are able to provide our vital care and support free of charge to the people of this county when they need it the most.

Published by: Cotswold Care Hospice, Burleigh Lane, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire GL5 2PQ T: 01453 886868 F: 01453 885282 E: info@cotswoldcare.org.uk www.cotswoldcare.org.uk Patron: HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB, OM Registered Company Limited

by Guarantee. Number 2213662 Cotswold Care Hospice is a registered charity. Number 298627 Written by: Damselfly Communications Ltd Designed by: Melanie Wood Design Pictures by: Thousand Word Media Printed by: Severnprint

Chief Executive’s Welcome

We’re building for the future

This summer has been so busy at the Hospice we have hardly noticed the changing of the season. But, as autumn approaches, we are taking stock of the many activities going on at Minchinhampton and beyond.

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Of most importance, we have first-hand accounts from patients and ex-patients, carers and loved ones. These tell you the reality of Cotswold Care Hospice and we are indebted to them for sharing their very personal stories. It is a surprise to many that your Hospice has such a calm, positive and cheerful atmosphere - but we don’t keep it a secret!

The building work is racing ahead and we watch with excitement as our new Creative Space extension grows daily. Read about our first Solstice Walk, held from here in the wonderful grounds of the Hospice, and about our supporter, fundraiser and volunteer activities which continue apace.

Finally, Phil Vickery has reopened our Stonehouse shop, now repaired after the arson attack, so we are trading in all 14 branches again - thank goodness.

With best regards

Jules Eaton, Chief Executive

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Front page: Tim Jamfrey with his son Joe. Tim talks about how Cotswold Care Hospice helped him come to terms with bowel cancer. Picture by: Thousand Word Media

ork on the newly expanded care facilities at Cotswold Care Hospice should be completed in October. In May we launched an urgent appeal to raise £55,000 to carry out the work after we were awarded a £116,000 Department of Health grant to extend our creative therapy space. The grant will pay for two thirds of the work, leaving us to raise the final £55,000.

Thanks to all your wonderful support we have raised £41,000 - just £14,000 short of our target.

“We are deeply touched at the positive response from the community following our plea for help,” said Jules Eaton, Chief Executive. “Work is going well as the weather has been kind to us.

We are all anxious to get it completed as soon as we can and to cause the least disruption to the people we support.”

The extension will allow us to develop our range of creative therapies including music, drama and writing, and continue to provide these services free of charge. Therapeutic art helps people with life-limiting or lifethreatening illnesses - and their families - to cope with trauma, anxiety and depression. We also offer Art for Health, which is specialist one-to-one therapy to help with specific issues.

It is not too late to donate, visit www.cotswoldcare.org.uk/ urgentappeal or see the back page.

Building work to extend our creative therapy space.

Looking after the carers Cotswold Care Hospice will once again host a free Positive Caring course for carers in Gloucestershire starting in October. The six-session course is run

by Gloucestershire County Council and is aimed to provide knowledge and support for people who look after a relative, friend, neighbour or child with a disability. This will be the third time the Hospice has hosted the course as part of our commitment to supporting families and carers of those living with or affected by a life-limiting illness.

3.

How creativity makes a difference

Art is helping me find myself again

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hen Penny Perkin was diagnosed with breast cancer she had no time to worry about herself.

Within two weeks her husband was also diagnosed with cancer and she became his carer until he died in August 2011.

“In the art room

the outside world gets forgotten and the art is helping me find myself again, to get sorted about what I want

In October 2012 Penny was to do. told that her tumours were growing. “I thought I was coping and I didn’t want to be a burden on the family. I wasn’t sleeping and was always in floods of tears,” she said.

”

Penny was initially referred to Cotswold Care Hospice by social services. During her recent programme, she rang and referred herself. “I asked for a session with a counsellor and following that she suggested I would benefit from a course of day hospice.”

“I was very reluctant to go to the Hospice.

I thought it was for people who were really ill - in the final stages of a terminal illness. I thought I was coping.

Her opinion changed when she visited the Hospice and started on her 12-week programme.

“I’d been very nervous about coming and meeting people but everyone was so nice. When you walk into the building 4.

Creative therapy is offered through workshops, one -to-one, group and open art sessions.

you can feel your shoulders dropping and relaxing.”

One of Penny’s favourite refuges was the creative therapy room. Penny who worked as a primary school teacher enjoyed creative work with the children but never thought of herself as artistic.

The therapeutic art has helped Penny come to terms with what is happening and to regain control. “In the art room the outside world gets forgotten and the art is helping me find myself again, to get sorted about what I want to do.

“It gives you a sense of achievement.

You can forget that you have this horrible thing growing inside you. Outside I have learned to cover up what I am feeling but here at the Hospice I don’t have to. I can be myself.”

During her journey Penny has had bereavement counselling following the death of her husband and counselling to help her cope with her own illness as well as attending Day Hospice over two different periods.

“I feel very grateful for everything that has been done for me here at Cotswold Care Hospice. Coming back here has been like coming home.”

Penny Perkin with one of her pieces that she has created in the Hospice art space.

“It gives you a sense of achievement. You can forget that you have this horrible thing growing inside you.

Outside I have learned to cover up what I am feeling but here at the Hospice I don’t have to.

”

I can be myself.

Thanks to the appointment of an art practitioner a few years ago and the development of creative therapy volunteers, more people than ever before are now accessing the service.

Creative therapy helps people with a broad range of emotional problems, from dealing with difficult feelings for example, life events and their aftermath, or to exploring more about themselves.

Through art people can find strength to cope with difficult life situations. It supports people who may be experiencing difficult feelings such as anger, depression, anxiety, grief or stress. It also provides people with time to relax and reflect and to enjoy the simple joy of creating something.

Our extension to the creative therapy space will enable us to provide this service to more patients and their families in the future. See page 3 for more details.

5.

I wanted to give something back When retired psychotherapist Liz Bentley was diagnosed with ovarian cancer she decided she could best cope with her experiences by being positive - even if it meant denying the trauma.

But the subsequent surgery and chemotherapy made her feel detached from her body.

“I cut myself off from what was

happening to me. When you go through chemo you’re in a different space and not quite the person you usually are. When I went through chemo I felt in a different space, a bit disconnected and not quite myself.”

For Liz, art became the language for her to express and deal with the trauma and to re-connect with herself.

Now Liz works as a volunteer in the creative therapy space at the Hospice, supporting others who are going through their own challenges as they come to terms with having a life-limiting illness.

“I got so much out of being here

that I wanted to give something back,” said Liz. “It keeps me aware of mortality. I am fortunate that I am well.”

Every year our dedicated volunteers donate tens of thousands of hours to Cotswold Care Hospice. They provide vital support which we could never afford to pay for and the Hospice would not be able to function without them. Do you have a few hours a week you could spare? Here are a few of the roles we are desperate to fill:

She came to Cotswold Care Hospice for support and took part in Art for Health, a one-to-one therapy where a patient explores particular issues and concerns through art.

Charity shop assistants: to serve customers, handle, sort and display donations and be an ambassador of the Hospice in your community.

Pop into your local Cotswold Care Hospice charity shop and have a chat with the Shop Manager for more information.

“Art for Health helped me process

what was going on at an emotional level. It gave me the opportunity to talk intimately. Art became another form of language for me,” said Liz.

Shop warehouse administration volunteer: to answer the phone, deal with general correspondence and oversee deliveries and collections.

“I always felt that it was possible to

Van drivers: to assist with driving or as a driver’s mate by moving stock around our 14 shops.

express feelings and emotions through Art for Health. The art therapy was a healing experience. It helped me heal.”

Volunteer Liz Bentley working in the hospice art therapy room.

6.

Can you spare a few hours?

Finance administration assistant: to support the finance team with general administration tasks, preferably someone who is part-qualified and looking to gain some experience.

Adapted vehicle drivers: to drive our wheelchair adapted vehicle from Monday to Friday.

Garden volunteers: to help with all the tasks that will keep our two-acre site looking lovely at all times for our patients.

For more information contact the Hospice’s Volunteer Manager, Suzie McDonnell on 01453 886868 or email suzie.mcdonnell@cotswoldcare.org.uk

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Anne Tandree, Therapeutic Art Practitioner, and volunteer Liz Bentley.

I understand those stories now

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otswold Care Hospice has appointed its first lead in carer support and user involvement. And she understands all sides of the story.

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inda Woodman knows a lot about hospice care - she has been working at Cotswold Care Hospice for almost a decade.

Over that time she has held a variety of roles including being the Lead for the Day Hospice service. But it is Linda’s own journey that gives her a unique insight into her new role as the Hospice’s first Carer Support and User Involvement Lead.

A year ago Linda had a chest infection she couldn’t shake. Following a course of antibiotics, her GP gave Linda a blood test. Within 48 hours, Linda was in the oncology unit at Cheltenham General Hospital being treated for leukaemia.

Over the next 12 months Linda received extensive chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant and blood transfusions.

Now she has recovered her health and returned to work in her new role funded by the Honey Trust.

“Working in the Day Hospice I often heard people’s stories about their journey with their illnesses. Now I really understand them,” says Linda.

want to give patients a voice, “ We to allow them to be honest about

the services they receive and to take all their comments on board - good and bad.

”

“It changes your life forever. You can’t go back to the way you were. I always wanted to play a role in carer support and user involvement. As a patient you don’t want to share everything with your carer. It has to be your journey.

“As my family became my carers there was so much they wanted to do but couldn’t. It was my battle, my journey.

All they could do is be there for me and I truly understand how difficult that was for them.”

Among Linda’s first tasks as Carer and User Involvement Lead will be to oversee the Hospice’s patients’ survey and to set up a users’ focus group.

Linda will present patients’ views in the development of new services and ensure that the Hospice meets patients’ needs.

It is the Hospice’s ethos to ensure that patients are treated with dignity and respect. Linda will also be developing carer support by finding out what services and help carers need - from signposting to services, to support from fellow carers.

The Hospice is hoping to take part in a national pilot research project which will focus on assessing carers’ needs. The findings will help us to direct the range of support for carers and families to improve our services.

As a hospice we take a holistic approach to care. That means not just treating the illness but the whole patient including their well-being.

“Their families are very much a part of that complete picture. They do an amazing job and need our support.”

9.

We’re back in business Rugby legend Phil Vickery praised the team spirit which has helped our arson-hit charity shop rise from the ashes.

Our shop in Stonehouse - one of 14 in Gloucestershire - was badly damaged in an arson attack in early May. Countless bags of donations went up in smoke in the blaze which destroyed the storage shed and the kitchen and work areas of the shop in Bath Road. The shop has been closed for two months for major refurbishment.

The good news to this terrible story is that former Gloucester and England player Phil Vickery officially reopened the shop on 15th July 2013.

The 2i’s Café, which provided the Hospice shop staff with food and drink while they cleared up after the fire, donated sandwiches and refreshments for the opening.

Another near neighbour, The Sugar Craft Shop, provided a special cake to mark the reopening.

“It’s a fantastic achievement that the shop is back in business. It was with great sadness that I heard about the arson attack,” said Phil.

“But the drive and the determination of the staff and volunteers have turned this sad story into a positive one. It’s the perfect example of that Gloucestershire resilience when everyone pulls together for the general good.”

Ann Symonds, manager of the Stonehouse shop, paid tribute to the people of Stonehouse. “Everyone has been so supportive and we are so very grateful. On average our shop receives 250 bags of donated goods every week. As a result of this attack 10.

Phil Vickery at the reopening of the Stonehouse shop.

Manager Ann Symonds after the fire in Stonehouse.

Phil Vickery with shop volunteers Lil Hughes and Natalie Smith.

the charity has lost more than 2,000 bags of possible donations.”

“Phil is a great supporter of Cotswold Care Hospice and it was wonderful of him to come out and cheer on the shop team. They have worked so hard to repair and re-launch the shop, and are very upbeat, but Phil’s cheerful presence really was the icing on the cake,” said Jules Eaton, Chief Executive of Cotswold Care Hospice.

Having an autumn clear-out?

If you are planning to have a clear-out this autumn then please think of Cotswold Care Hospice. We are always in need of good quality donations of clothes, books, dvds and bric-a-brac.

The three-month closure of the Stonehouse shop – which is one of our most popular shops for receiving donations – has left a huge gap in our supplies. During that time we believe we have lost over £23,000 worth of donated goods. Please help us make up for the lost time.

11.

You helped me leave a very dark place Tim Jamfrey was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2011. The 53-year-old tells about his journey, coming to Cotswold Care Hospice for counselling and learning to live a new way of life. He lives in Stroud with his wife Carol and 17-year-old son Joe.

D

uring my battle against cancer I

surgery to reverse the colostomy and

found myself in a very dark place.

left me with my plastic bag. I felt like a

I recognised that what was going on in my life was beyond my ability of sorting out myself. I knew I needed help.

My chemotherapy brought its own complications and I had two adverse

So I came to Cotswold Care Hospice for

reactions to the chemo drug which meant

counselling. I lost it mentally. Cotswold

two more trips to hospital by ambulance.

Care Hospice helped me put by head back together. What was so beautiful about the whole thing was that it was I who did all the work and I who found the solution to my problems.

My journey started over Christmas in 2010.

I noticed blood when I went to the toilet and

By September - when I had thought I’d be off on my motorcycle ride - we were being told that there were still cancer cells and that I would have to go through the entire procedure again though this time it would be more complicated and more risky.

it was apparent that something was wrong.

The only way I was going to be able to

When it was diagnosed as bowel cancer in

what I had experienced. I started reliving

January I wasn’t surprised. We took the diagnosis well as a family. But we didn’t know what was coming. We didn’t know how bad it would be. I was still making plans for a motorcycle ride in September thinking that everything would be done and I would be recovered.

First there was the surgery to remove the tumour. There were complications and I developed an infection. I was so ill that I was in bed and couldn’t move. It went on for weeks. I then got deep vein thrombosis in both my legs.

go through it all again was to confront the trauma that I had boxed away. I couldn’t sleep. I had flashbacks. It was a very dark place.

It was the little things that would set me off. I was watching the Tour de France on TV and started crying because I didn’t know if I would ever go to France again.

I finally went to the doctor who suggested counselling. I knew someone who had bowel cancer and came to Cotswold Care Hospice for counselling and that it had helped them.

I was a bit cynical about the whole thing but

I knew what it was and told my wife Carol

I thought I’d go and give it a try. In my first

‘I think I have a blood clot’. We went to

counselling session we went back to my

the doctor who told Carol to drive me

childhood and I talked about the sort of

straight to hospital as there wasn’t time

person I am and I had a light bulb moment.

to call an ambulance. I collapsed at the hospital entrance.

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medical experiment.

I had no idea how important it is for us to just be able to say what we are going to do,

Of course I had to then go on blood-

to have control of our lives. When you are

thinning drugs which again delayed my

ill you have to accept that you are not in

13.

control. It’s a bit like a bus journey.

Tim Jamfrey completed a motorcycle challenge – 11 countries in seven days – to raise money for Cotswold Care Hospice

In life you buy a ticket and get on a bus with a destination. When you’re ill it’s a mystery tour and you don’t know what the destination is. Once you understand that you can begin to deal with it.

Thanks to Cotswold Care Hospice I gained back what control I could of my life. Nobody thinks of their own mortality until they are diagnosed.

I don’t worry about the future so much any more, I am still undergoing tests but that understanding I gained through counselling helps me cope.

Cotswold Care Hospice and the counselling changed my life because I couldn’t see beyond this problem that was confronting me. The place and the counsellor changed my way of looking at life.

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im Jamfrey has completed a 3,000-mile charity motorcycle challenge as a way of saying thank you to Cotswold Care Hospice.

He travelled through 11 countries across Europe in seven days, raising £3,500 for the Hospice.

He rode his BMW 1150 through: Belgium, Holland, Germany, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, and France.

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The hardest part of the trip was the 40C temperatures from Slovenia to Italy.

“It was like driving with a hair dryer in your face,” he says.

But he says it was a trip of a lifetime. It took him more than a year to organise.

“It was brilliant and I loved every minute of it. I would love to have gone further and for longer if I could have afforded it.”

The highlight of his trip was driving through the mountains in the Czech

Republic and Austria. The most boring was travelling back across France to go home.

His main sponsor was Novalis Trust and he paid his own expenses so that all the money he raised could go directly to Cotswold Care Hospice.

“When I was ill, I lost it mentally and came to the Hospice for counselling. Cotswold Care Hospice helped me put my head back together. This is my way of saying thank you,” said Tim. Tim on the Grossglockner Pass in Austria.

15.

How Jenny found love at the movies

Many people visit the cinema for a first date in their romance.

For Jenny Hill, it was to be the setting for two romances over a span of 40 years.

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mongst the joy of a new relationship, Stroud Cinema for Jenny where she worked after leaving school at the age of 16, was also to be the place where she would remember in time her two loves now gone forever.

Jenny’s first romance was with Rob Hill, one of the two projectionists at the cinema who endorsed their romance with a gift of a beautiful watch pendant on Jenny’s 17th birthday. But alas, true love at that time was not meant to be for the pair who split up some weeks later. However, Jenny and Rob remained friends.

The new love in Jenny’s life was Bernard (coincidently who’s surname is also Hill), the other projectionist of the silver screen at the cinema - a natural step as all three had been friends for some time.

The couple eventually moved in together and enjoyed a wonderful marriage of 30 years in Stroud, their hometown.

In 2005, Bernard was given the distressing news that he was suffering with pancreatic cancer. Jenny became his main carer and nursed him through his seven-month battle with the disease until he died in January 2006 aged 72.

In March 2007, an impulsive visit to the cinema with a friend was to see Jenny and Rob reunited once again. “He was my soul mate, and it all made sense. Rob was a spiritualist, he knew that one day we would end up together.”

In September that year, Rob proposed on one knee and the couple were married in April 2008. Sadly for the couple, fate intervened in their lives once again and on a routine trip to the doctors, Rob had to undergo some tests for his persistent bronchitis which was eventually diagnosed as lung cancer.

Rob wanted to stay at home so Jenny undertook to care for him supported by the Cotswold Care Hospice@Home nurses.

“I can’t describe the relief of having the Hospice nurses with us. When they first started coming at night I thought I would never sleep while they were downstairs looking after Rob. But they put me at my ease and I was so exhausted that I did sleep. They were such a blessing as they gave me a chance to recharge my batteries. I can’t believe how much they supported us.” Rob died on 16 April, 2010.

Jenny received bereavement counselling at the Hospice. “I grieved like I had never grieved before. It was so important for me to share my feelings with someone who wasn’t family. You have to talk.”

“I just wish I had had more time with him. It was fate. I had him and then I let him go and then when I could finally be with him again it was all so short of time.

But I was meant to there to care for him when he needed it most.”

Helping people cope with bereavement

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Projectionist Rob Hill.

Rob and Jenny Hill on their wedding day.

Our bereavement service offers confidential support for those who have experienced the death of a close relative or friend. Grieving is a normal process following bereavement and can affect people in different ways - whether emotionally, physically, socially and in many practical areas of life. We provide support to those who need it. This may be through our bereavement support team, one-to-one sessions or as part of a bereavement group. If you, or someone you know could benefit from talking with our bereavement support team, please contact the 17.

Hospice on 01453 886868 or email info@cotswoldcare.org.uk

What’s on...

16-17 Sept 2013 Cotswold Care Hospice is holding a Make a Will fortnight. For a list of the participating solicitors contact Kathryn Morton on 01453 886868 or

kathryn.morton @cotswoldcare.org.uk

28 Sept 2013

Meet your Hospice, 9.30am-1.30pm followed by lunch at Cotswold Care Hospice, Minchinhampton.

Come and learn more about your local Hospice. Prebooking is essential.

See page 19 for more details.

12 Oct 2013

Race the Train Cotswolds Starting and finishing at Cheltenham race course, this fantastic event pits runners not only against each other but also against the GWSR Steam train. The 14 mile route takes you over the picturesque Cotswolds and then back into Regency 18.

Cheltenham. The Entry Fee of £35 includes a £10 donation to Cotswold Hospice Care. Sponsorship most welcome! To enter the race please go to http://wildboarevents.co.uk or call Wildboar on 07917 191095.

Email. Events@wildboarevents.co.uk

14 Oct 2013

Meet your Hospice, 1.30pm-4.30pm, followed by afternoon tea at Cotswold Care Hospice, Minchinhampton.

Take a closer look behind the scenes at your local Hospice.

Pre-booking is essential. See page 19 for more details.

23 Oct 2013

Film Evening at the Dolphin Hall, Tetbury. 7pm in aid of Cotswold Care Hospice. Tetbury Supporters Group will once again be hosting their annual film night with the support of Tetbury Film Society. Watch

The Great Gatsby, have a glass of wine and nibbles. Tickets cost £8 - book early to avoid disappointment, tickets go early! For more information call Barbara Ball on 01666504656.

26 Oct 2013

Annual Craft Fayre, Coaley Village Hall 10am-4pm This annual event is organised by the Cam & Dursley Supporters Group.

Crafts, teas and cakes, quilt raffle and tombola. Free admission and plenty of parking, so just turn up!

Meet your Hospice 31 Oct 2013

History of the Bank Note at Rendcomb College, Rendcomb, Cirencester 12.30pm The Cirencester Supporters Group are organising a luncheon at Rendcomb College followed by a talk from a special guest speaker who will be talking about the history of the bank note. Tickets cost £15. To book, or for more information call Elaine Harris on 01285 652552.

30 Nov 2013

Christmas Stall at the Charities Fayre, Civic Centre, Wotton 10am-4pm. The Wotton Supporters Group are running a stall selling smellies and pampering treats.

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otswold Care Hospice is hosting a number of small events to provide the local community with an informal and educational view of what we do here at the Hospice.

Guests will be given an opportunity to experience some of the therapies and services we provide, as well as a tour of the Hospice.

They will be able to meet key staff and volunteers who support our patients as well as some of our patients themselves. As these are small, tailored events, spaces are limited so pre-booking is required.

We will have a number of dates for 2014, so please do let us know if you would like to be contacted once these are confirmed. For more information about our Meet your Hospice events, contact Michelle Thompson, call 01453 886868 or email michelle.thompson@cotswoldcare.org.uk

Saturday, 28 September 2013

9.30am - 1.30pm, followed by lunch

Monday, 14 October 2013

1.30pm - 4.30pm, followed by afternoon tea 19.

Walking on the longest day of the year Hundreds remembered lost loved ones by taking part in the Summer Solstice Walk on the longest day of the year

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alkers remembered loved ones as they marked the longest day of the year with the Cotswold Care Hospice Summer Solstice Walk.

Hundreds of families took part in the 10km evening walk across Minchinhampton Common which has raised over £16,000 to date.

There can be many dark nights caring for someone you love when they have a life-threatening illness.

We wanted to turn the table and allow people to remember all the good things from a loved one’s life on this longest day of the year.

“

Among those taking part was Barry Guy, from Dursley, who along with his family, were remembering his wife Pat who died in February this year at the age of 60.

“Pat came to the Day Hospice and really loved the art,” said Barry. “Then we had Hospice@Home nurses a few nights so that Pat could die at home as she wanted.

Doing this walk is a wonderful way to remember her and the weather is perfect.”

Jules Eaton, Chief Executive of Cotswold Care Hospice.

”

To watch the Cotswold TV video visit bit.ly/solsticewalkvideo2013 or to see more pictures from the evening visit bit.ly/solsticewalkpics2013

Following the 10km walk, families enjoyed live music from The Old Dance School and food made by our Hospice cook and catering volunteers in the hospice grounds.

At dusk scores of yellow balloons carrying names of loved ones were set out with candles as people stood and quietly remembered those who are no longer with them.

Save this date...

Missed our great Solstice Walk this year?

Then put 20 June 2014 in the diary now and join us next year for our Solstice Walk. Families and dogs are welcome.

We would love to see you there.

@CotswoldCathy

@cotswoldcare Thanks for a lovely #solsticewalk last night! Great organisation, fantastic cause. Hope we raised lots of ££.

@jimmolyneux

Great vibes Solstice themed gig at @cotswoldcare with @OldDanceSchool tonight. Played up on a balcony to many candles and people.

@TammyLynn_17

Walk was awesome! @cotswoldcare Solstice walk, & our team of 3 ladies raised just over £500. :-D We had to stop for a @WinstonesIces too!

20.

21.

Walkers take part in the Summer Solstice Walk across Minchinhampton Common.

Charity work is just the business

Thank you so much

What some of our supporters have been doing to raise money for Cotswold Care Hospice

Colin Boosey raised over £1,000 for the Hospice by climbing to the peak of Kilimanjaro. The 70-year-old from Minchinhampton, was the oldest climber in his group and completed his challenge in eight days.

He left on the mountain a small keepsake of his wife Janine who died from breast cancer.

Janine, who was 53 when she died, attended outpatient art therapy classes.

“She loved going to the Hospice. It was so peaceful and quiet and the art therapy really brought something out in her.”

Every week companies support the work of Cotswold Care Hospice.

They help us in a whole range of ways, from donating goods, services and man power, to raising vital funds.

A team from GE Aviation, in Bishop’s Cleeve, regularly donate their time to help at our fundraising events. A team of eight came along to our Solstice Walk in June and dedicated their evening to helping our event to run smoothly, from marshaling the route to blowing up balloons, their support was invaluable.

Every week The Lily Pad Florist, in Stroud, donates flowers free of charge to the Hospice. The fresh flower arrangements make the Hospice more welcoming to patients and carers.

The human resources department from Ecclesiastical in Cheltenham held a team building day with us in May. Thanks to their efforts they provided 108 hours of work in our gardens which would have 22. cost the charity £1,080 to buy in.

“We were made to feel really welcome from the moment we arrived. It felt like we had made a difference by the end of the day,” said Liz Hunkin, CR and Partnerships Executive at Ecclesiastical.

Foodies, Bottle Green and Graze donated vouchers and products to put in our goodie bags for those who took part in our Solstice Walk.

Lorraine Pugh has provided wonderful homemade bunting for our Vintage Tea Party held last month. It was made of beautiful materials provided free of charge by a shirt manufacturer based in Gloucester.

We are always looking for more people to help with a range of fundraising activities throughout the year as well as some big projects at the Hospice. If you would like to learn more about volunteering or how your company could support Cotswold Care Hospice please contact the Hospice’s Volunteer Manager, Suzie McDonnell on 01453 886868 or email

suzie.mcdonnell@cotswoldcare.org.uk

charity meant a lot to them, it felt right to run the London Marathon for you.”

He may be only four years old but that didn’t stop Finley Turley from doing his bit to help a good cause. The Stroud youngster was the youngest walker in the Men’s Walk held at Kingsholm in March and raised £72.

Diamond wedding anniversary couple Jim and Hilda Churches raised almost £200 by asking family and friends to give a donation instead of presents.

Teenager Beth Godwin headed for the heavens in memory of her grampy and loved every minute of it. The 17-year-old raised £575 by taking part in a sponsored sky dive.

“We want for nothing and you never know when you might need the Hospice support.

We’re pleased that the money will help people who need it. It isn’t a lot but if everyone raised a bit then it all adds up,” said Mr Churches, 82.

Hospice@Home nurses supported her grandad Antony Tipper during his battle against prostate cancer. He died in January 2012. “It was amazing. It was cloudy but then it brightened up,” said Beth, who lives in Cirencester. “I loved it!”

Rednock School pupils raised £302 by hosting a school fair before the summer holidays. The figure was raised over a single lunchtime, when 15 stalls were put up for the pupils to sell fantastic food and challenge their friends with a number of games.

Sophie Brunt raised £853 by completing the London Marathon in April. Her grandparents, Joyce and Bill Brunt, from Stroud, and her great-aunt Valerie were great supporters of the Hospice. “As these are three people who meant the world to me and your

There are plenty of ways you can fundraise for your local Hospice, from dare devil challenges to sophisticated high tea! Contact the fundraising team on 01453 886868 or email fundraising@cotswoldcare.org.uk

Well done to all our fundraisers!

Colin Boosey (right) on the peak at Kilimanjaro with fellow climbers.

23.

Creative therapy space extension

We still need your help

Thank you,

you’ve helped us to raise over

£43,000.

But, we still

need £15,000.

IN K S R S O E W OGR PR

!

YES, I will make a donation to help complete Cotswold Care Hospice’s creative therapy space extension.

I would like to make a gift of: £ _________________________________ Your details Title Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss/other ________ Forename ______________________ Surname ______________________ Address __________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________Postcode________________ Telephone _______________________________________________________________________________________ Email ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Please return this slip, along with your donation to Cotswold Care Hospice, FREEPOST SWC2421, Burleigh Lane, Minchinhampton GL5 2BF. Cheques can be made payable to ‘Cotswold Care Hospice’

Thank you so much for your kindness Donate online at www.cotswoldcare.org.uk/urgentappeal