Hospiscare's Autumn 2023 Together Magazine

In memory of our founder, Dr John Searle. See p.3

Welcome to Hospiscare’s Together magazine, full of news and stories from your local hospice charity.

their loved ones in the most difficult of times, I’m inspired by the professionalism and skill of our hospice team and by those within our community who so generously support us, and without whom our work simply wouldn’t be possible. Thank you for helping us to make every day matter for people facing life-limiting illnesses across Devon. Inside this issue, we give an update on recent changes to our services (p.5) and share our collaboration with Exeter-based charity St Petrock’s to provide support to Exeter’s homeless community (p.10).

These are tough times. Nationwide, the cost-ofliving crisis is impacting on individuals, families, businesses and charities, and our public services face tremendous pressure. At a time when charitable giving is dropping, the need for our services is growing, with our patients and their families facing late diagnoses, multiple illnesses and increasingly complex conditions.

As we respond to the needs of our patients and

We also share stories from our incredible fundraising patient, Charlotte (p.6) and a wonderful volunteer, Steve (p.12), plus news on this year’s festive fundraising events - including our new Reindeer Run (p.18) and an update on our 2022 bed appeal (p.19).

Andrew Randall Chief Executive Officer, Hospiscare

In memory of our founder, Dr John Searle (1942 - 2023)

It is with great sadness that we share that our founder, Dr John Searle, died in May at Hospiscare at the age of 81, leaving behind an incredible legacy and a much-loved family.

John’s interest in palliative care arose as a medical student. Impassioned about improving conditions for those diagnosed with a terminal illness, John – supported by his beloved wife, Elizabeth –gathered like-minded people and galvanised the local community to set up Hospiscare in Exeter in 1982. John was later awarded an OBE for services to medicine and the hospice movement.

John’s daughter, Rebecca, shared: “On behalf of the family, we express our immense gratitude for the care provided to Dad and to us, especially in those last few days.

“Dad wanted to end his days in the hospice, it was as he had envisioned all those decades ago – the medical care, the compassion, the dignity, the flexibility and much more. Dad sipping sherry in the hospice garden surrounded by family is a precious memory for us. Being at the hospice felt like being with family, and in some ways, home. We were delighted to hear the stories of the staff, many of whom knew Dad for decades.

“When we were growing up, Hospiscare was affectionately referred to as our parents’ fifth child – so having had the support of the team to care for Mum at home in December 2021 and having been with Dad on the ward at Searle House for his last days has given us a certain completeness.”

Our thanks and gratitude go to John, for all that he did. He will be greatly missed.

The Hospiscare privacy policy is regularly reviewed and updated. Please visit www.hospiscare. co.uk/privacy to check the latest version. Hospiscare is a charity and company registered in England and Wales with a company number 2164215 and registered charity number 297798 at the following address: Hospiscare, Searle House, Dryden Road, Exeter, Devon, EX2 5JJ.

You make a di erence

In uncertain times, regular donations help to ensure we can continue to deliver our vital services to local patients and families. Please help us today by making a regular gi of any size.

Make a regular donation

Your details

Please send completed form to: Hospiscare, Searle House, Dryden Road, Exeter, EX2 5JJ. Contact us by calling 01392 688020

Title: First name: Surname:

Address: Tel. number:

Clinical round-up

Our Clinical Director, Ann Rhys, provides an update on Hospiscare’s care and services.

Postcode: Email:

Data Protection: Supporters of Hospiscare are precious and we respect your privacy. We will not sell or give your details to other organsiations for marketing purposes without your express consent.

Communication with you: We would like to keep you informed about our work and events. If you prefer not to receive these updates please let us know by phone: 01392 688020, email: fundraising@hospiscare.co.uk or by post.

A regular gi will help Hospiscare nurses make a di erence to more people

I would like to give: £8 £12 £20 1st 15th Other each month. Date of monthly payment: £

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society to pay by Direct Debit

Please ll in the whole form and send to Hospiscare, Searle House, Dryden Rd, Exeter, Ex2 5JJ

Name and full postal address of your Bank or Building Society

To: The Manager

Address:

Bank/Building Society

Service user number 2 7 7 9 6 3 Reference

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society

Name(s) of Account Holder(s):

Postcode:

Bank/Building Society account number:

Branch sort code:

Please pay Hospiscare Direct Debits from the account detailed in this Instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this Instruction may remain with Hospiscare and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society

Signature(s):

Updating our outpatient care

Date:

Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit Instructions for some types of account.

Can we Gi Aid your donation?

I want to Gi Aid my donation and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past 4 years to Hospiscare. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gi Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any di erence. I understand that Hospiscare will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I have given.

Pre-pandemic, Hospiscare ran a weekly day hospice providing care for patients who were well enough to travel to our sites in Exeter, Honiton or Tiverton for a full day.

at different stages of their diagnosis and help more people make the most of every day, but the changes brought about by COVID-19 delayed implementation.

Thankfully, in the last three months, we’ve been able to start delivering the new services and we now offer a wide range of outpatient care across our part of Devon.

These include appointments with doctors, specialist nurses and therapists in Exeter, Honiton and Tiverton, an extended care navigation service, group sessions focusing on symptom management in Exeter, social activities across our patch, including walking groups, coffee mornings and a monthly film club.

Plans remain to extend more outpatient services into Honiton and Tiverton to increase access to our care and we’ll continue to review our services to ensure the best care possible for our patients and their loved ones.

For more information on our services, please see www.hospiscare.co.uk/our-services.

Changes to the ward entrance

We are pleased to share that we now have a new clinical entrance at Searle House, which enables patients and their families to be admitted to our ward with more privacy, instead of via the busy main reception area.

Meeting Dylan the pony

Signature(s): Date:

A decline in day hospice referrals and patient attendance over time led to a review of the service in spring 2020, with the aim of ensuring our care matched patient needs. A new outpatient service was developed to offer flexibility to patients

In May, we welcomed Dylan the pony to the Searle House garden to visit his owner, Becky. Becky and Dylan previously embarked on an 88-mile horse ride to raise funds for two charities, and James (Becky’s friend) is now planning another trip in aid of those same charities plus Hospiscare.

Charlotte Snow was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. Here she shares her story and experience of Hospiscare.

“I had chemo in 2017, followed by a mastectomy and intensive radiotherapy and I got the all clear in August 2018. In September 2018, my son got diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma while he was on holiday in Germany, I flew out there with not much hair, because I’d only had chemo in June.” Thankfully Charlotte’s son is now in remission.

Charlotte’s dog, Maisie, has been her support throughout this journey, “Maisie-Moo has been my saviour. She was the one that knew I had fresh cancer because she kept sniffing my neck, which made me feel it.”

“There’s no cure because it’s come back in my neck and it’s wrapped around my jugular and major nerve bundle, so an operation was out of the question. We tried chemo and I had injections every three weeks in my bottom… I did not have a Kim Kardashian bum at the end of it… I had a sore bum!

“Then, they told me that it hadn’t worked.

“I always keep in touch with my friends and tell them that I love them. It’s important to tell everybody that you love them and how much they mean to you, because I feel I’ve been blessed, and I’ve got the opportunity – many people don’t get that opportunity.”

Charlotte then came into contact with Hospiscare. “I met the main nurse and she chatted to me

about what they do and how it could help me. The feeling I got from meeting the staff and seeing the place was that it just seemed so calm. I went into the lounge area and it was lovely. I thought, I could come in here.

“I’m surrounded by Hospiscare, so I feel like I’m in a safe place. I’ve phoned them for help with pain control as, after chemo, I was in a lot of pain. Having talked to the support team, they advised me to increase my painkiller and I realised that they’re there to help.

“After the chemo my hair was coming out and my head was sore, so I braved the shave to raise money for Hospiscare, as I try to make a positive out of a negative.

“I had some friends around and we had a great evening. My neighbour, who is a hospice nurse, came and sat with me and held my hand while my son was shaving it off. I’d always worried about

my hair, so everybody was surprised that I coped. At the end of the day, I am still me whether I’ve got hair or not!

“These charities deserve every penny that we can raise for them because they’re all angels as far as I’m concerned. They do such a wonderful job, you cannot find a better charity that’s going to help people out, especially when you’re really poorly and you need that care and attention, the hospice is always going to be there for you.”

Donate today to support end-of-life care in your community, or consider leaving a gift in your Will. Please visit

Charlotte’s story: the hospice is always going to be there for you

Ask an expert: Sarah Carter

Ask our complementary therapist…

Sarah Carter, our Complementary Therapist, explains why massage, reiki and other therapies are so beneficial to our patients and their carers.

What role does complementary therapy play at Hospiscare?

Complementary therapy is used alongside medication to ease pain, aid relaxation or simply to help people feel like themselves.

We use a very gentle type of massage to help relieve muscle tension and promote relaxation. Reflexology also uses massage techniques, but just on the feet. Certain points on the feet correspond to different parts of the body, so reflexology can help with symptoms like insomnia, constipation, restless legs and neuropathic pain.

What does a typical work day look like?

It’s quite varied, which I love. I have the help of five fantastic complementary therapy volunteers. Between us, we try to cover the ward five days a week, up to around 8pm. I also visit patients and carers at home, and we’re planning to start offering complementary therapies through our outpatient clinics too. So I’m darting about here, there and everywhere!

Do you have any relaxation techniques or ways of reducing anxiety and stress that readers can use at home?

When we’re stressed, our breathing becomes quick and shallow, and our mind feels very overwhelmed. That causes physical effects like muscle tension. Breathing techniques can really help. For example, breathing in through your nose for the count of four, holding your breath for the count of four, and then breathing out through your mouth for the count of four.

Another technique is grounding. Look around the room and notice five things that you can see, four things that you can hear, three things that you can touch, two things that you can smell and one thing that you can taste.

These techniques are relatively quick to do, so you just need to find little pockets of time. You could try them while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, for example.

Reiki can be either a hands-off or hands-on treatment, and is often done alongside music and guided relaxation. It’s about rebalancing the energy system and creating a sense of peace and calm. We also offer relaxation therapies such as guided visualisation and breathing techniques, which can help with anxiety and panic attacks. Whichever therapy we’re using, the main goal is for the patient to feel calmer, more relaxed and more in control. That then eases the patient’s sense of pain. So complementary therapy can improve people’s overall experience, not just the specific symptoms that we’re targeting.

If you’d like to find out more about our complementary therapy services, please visit www.hospiscare.co.uk/complementary-therapies

What a wonderful thing to be offered complementary therapy whilst on the ward. After a discussion with Sarah, it was decided that reflexology would help my symptoms the most. I have not had it before so was a bit dubious. I’m now a complete convert!”

Supporting homeless people in Exeter

If you live locally, you’ve most likely heard of St Petrock’s. The Exeter-based charity provides a vital service for homeless people in the city, whether that’s by offering a hot meal and a shower, or by giving advice on debt, welfare and housing opportunities. Tony Maguire, a senior project worker at St Petrock’s, explains, “We try to work with, engage and support rough sleepers and ideally provide the opportunity for them to move on, get out of that lifestyle and lead a more comfortable life.”

Many of the people the charity works with have significant health challenges. Tony shares, “Rough sleepers are a marginalised group, so they find it hard to access many services in society, whether it’s housing, drug and alcohol services or health. They may get to a point where they

ignore symptoms and may find it intimidating to go into a clinical setting, so a lot of the time they won’t address things until a late stage. A lot of our clients will end up accessing hospital services through a blue light service.”

According to the national charity Shelter, the average age of death for a homeless man is 45 and for women it’s just 43. That’s over 30 years’ younger than for non-homeless people.

At Hospiscare, we want to reach as many of the people who need our help as possible. So, back in 2019, we contacted St Petrock’s to ask how we could support local homeless people.

Tania Davies, an advanced nurse practitioner at Hospiscare, explains, “Often when people hear the word ‘Hospiscare’, they say, ‘I’m not there yet.

I’m not dying; I don’t need you’. Our role is not just about somebody who might sadly be nearing the end of their life, it’s also about trying to support people whose lives may be cut short to live life to the full.”

Hospiscare nurses now accompany St Petrock’s outreach team once a month. Tania shares, “We walk around with them to show our faces, and to show that we’re here for everybody. We go to St Petrock’s centre if we think there’s anybody there we can support, and people can come to see us at the centre or we’ll go to them.”

We’re also working with the Clock Tower Surgery –a GP practice for patients who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The surgery refers patients to us who it feels would benefit from our support. Because we’ve already met many of these patients through St Petrock’s, they feel more comfortable about the referral as they’ve built a rapport with our nurses and learned to trust us.

If you would like more information on St Petrock’s work, please visit www.stpetrocks.org.uk

Our role is not just about somebody who might sadly be nearing the end of their life, it’s also about trying to support people whose lives may be cut short to live life to the full.”

St Petrock’s Centre in Exeter

Two decades of fundraising

daughter, Lauren, took on a more adrenalinefuelled challenge this year – a skydive. Together with a friend, she raised over £1,584 for Hospiscare, and has recently raised even more by recreating her dad’s 100-mile walk.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Steve, Lauren and all our fundraisers. Without the support of such generous people, we couldn’t do the work we do.

Meet our fundraising volunteer, Steve Pearcy

Steve is one of our longstanding volunteers. He started fundraising for us 19 years ago. He explains, “My wife was brought into the hospice for two weeks at the end of her life. Our children were only two and four at the time. She was given a private room so I could take the children to see her right up until the end. I will never be able to repay Hospiscare for what they did for us.”

As a widower with two children under five, Steve didn’t have much free time but knew he wanted to give something back. So, the family started taking part in charity bike rides to raise money for Hospiscare. Steve also started volunteering instore, first in Ottery and then in Whipton, for one day a week. 10 years later, Steve could no longer fit the shop in around his job, so he looked for a different way to support Hospiscare.

A friend suggested joining the Otter Vale Friends of Hospiscare group, and Steve has been a member ever since. “We run all sorts of community events,

including coffee mornings, plant sales, soup and pudding lunches, table-top sales, car boots, and a monthly bingo night. We also organise an annual community cream tea at Coldharbour Farm. Last year, our group raised over £49,945 altogether, which is quite good for a small town!”

Lockdown put paid to most of Hospiscare’s fundraising activities, leaving us struggling to cover our costs. Steve decided to take action, by walking 105 miles in a week in March 2021.

“I could not believe how many people donated. I think they realised that Hospiscare really needed money, and things just snowballed. In the end, I raised around £6,384. It was phenomenal.”

Steve also motivates local businesses to choose Hospiscare as their charity of the year, including Otter Garden Centre, where his daughter works. The team there raised over £14,000 in 2021 and continue to support Hospiscare.

Last year, an attendee of Steve’s bingo nights nominated him to be a baton bearer for the Commonwealth Games. He explains, “I thought it was a joke when I first got the letter through! It was a fantastic thing to be part of; I’m really proud.”

And Steve isn’t the only fundraiser in the family. His fiancée regularly supports Steve’s events, and his children still fundraise for Hospiscare. These days, they’re not just riding bikes. Steve’s

If you’re reading this and thinking about joining your local fundraising group, rest assured that you’ll receive a very warm welcome. As Steve says, “It’s really good fun. Hospiscare is incredibly supportive, and the members of the group have become close friends.”

To find out more about your local fundraising group, please email fundraising@hospiscare.co.uk or call us on 01392 688020

It’s really good fun. Hospiscare is incredibly supportive, and the members of the group have become close friends.”

Enormous THANKS

To all of our supporters!

Thank YOU for all of the amazing things that you do to support Hospiscare. We are so grateful to each and every one of you for giving your time, money and energy to our local charity during this difficult time. Your fundraising continues to be both genius and ingenious and we are so thankful to have such a fantastic community. Across these pages, you’ll find a few of you in action…

Thank you to Dawn Enticott and her family for their continued support, including your children’s lucky dip and toy tombola at Honiton Primary School Fete in July.

Thank you to Otter Vale Friends who hosted a Plant Sale and all who supported, donated, attended and grew plants. The event raised a whopping £3,560!

Thank you to Di Virgin and Honiton Darts League for holding a darts competition and raffle in memory of Paul Kiddle, raising £322.20 for Kings House in Honiton.

Thank you to Yarcombe and District Young Farmers for choosing us as their Charity of the Year and organising a range of fundraising events, including a cream tea, an auction of promises and a community tractor run!

Thank you to Moshulu for being members of our 40 Club, sponsoring our 2023 Coffee Morning and partnering with our charity shops to provide footwear samples and seconds.

Thank you to Jamie Skinner and everyone involved in Cookie Jam for organising their annual BMX festival in Exeter. This year’s event raised an incredible £4,485!

Thank you to Gordon Bess and Tim Bourne for organising A.J’s Big Band Concert at Sidmouth Pavilions. The evening raised £4,444 to cover the cost of new smart screens on our ward.

Thank you to Orange Elephant for holding a wonderful charity day at their ice cream parlour, raising £830 in aid of Hospiscare.

Thank you and well done to Traci Wannell for successfully completing Dry January earlier in the year, raising £1,107 in memory of Casey.

Thank you to St David’s Choir, Dynamix Choir and the Wyndham Singers for holding the Three Choirs Concert at St David’s church, raising £1,100.

Thank you to Mark Rice who celebrated his birthday and the coronation weekend by cycling 270 miles to the four compass point villages of Devon, raising a phenomenal £1,900.

Thank you to Jessica Hitt for completing the Hackney Half Marathon in memory of her father, Andrew, raising an incredible £1,538.60. Supporter Adrian also took part, raising an amazing £1,624 in memory of his mum.

Thank you to #TeamHospiscare for putting their best foot forward and taking part in the Great West Run 2023 to raise vital funds for Hospiscare.

Thank you to all those who took their fundraising to new heights this year by completing a skydive for Hospiscare!

Thank you to Phoebe, Richard, Andrea, Kate S, Rachel, Martha, Kate & Bruce Wheatley, Kyle and Ros for completing the iconic London Marathon for Hospiscare.

In March, the Hospiscare Men’s Walk returned for its 12th year. A record-breaking 1,450 supporters pulled on their walking boots or trainers and walked seven miles along the River Exe in aid of our local hospice, raising over £100,000 – which could pay for 156 days of care on our specialist ward. Thank you to our long-standing event sponsor Wilkinson Grant & Co, event partners Exeter Brewery, Chunk of Devon and Double Locks, and everyone involved in making Men’s Walk 2023 our best one yet!

July saw the brand new Hospiscare Summer Walk take place, with over 450 participants taking on a seven-mile walk whilst donning their coolest sun hats and sunglasses, raising over £35,000 to support local end-life-care. To our amazing walkers, supporters, volunteers, event sponsor Jurassic Fibre and event partner Darts Farm - thank you for your support in making our first Summer Walk a huge success and a fab day out. We can’t wait to welcome you all again next year!

To find out more about donating your quality, pre-loved items, please visit www.hospiscare.co.uk/shops

Gifts in Wills fund the care of one in five

Festive Fundraising

The festive season is almost upon us and what better way to spread Christmas cheer than by raising funds for your local hospice? Throughout November and December, our supporters fundraise in a variety of ways, from making mince pies and carol singing to raffles and fancy dress – how you raise money is up to you!

Christmas Tree Recycling

Leave the effort of getting rid of your Christmas tree to us, as our annual recycling scheme returns to support local end-of-life care. Our volunteers will collect and recycle your Christmas tree between 11-13 January 2024 in return for a donation to Hospiscare. Registration opens on our website in November, where you can find out more and book your collection.

Reindeer Run

We’re excited to introduce our new Reindeer Run school challenge this festive season. Get ready to dash, prance, and make a difference in your local community with a memorable day of fun, fitness, and fundraising. Sign up for FREE as a school, preschool, nursery or group and receive a pack filled with make your own antlers, stickers, games,

activities, letter templates for parents, colouring in cards and lesson plans.

Light Up a Life 2023

Light Up a Life is our annual celebration of the lives of departed loved ones. We hope you will join us in Exeter, Honiton or Cullompton for handpicked readings, poems, music and carols in honour and remembrance of all those people we hold dear. If you would like to make a dedication to your loved one in our book of memories, please visit our website after 9 October.

To find out more about these events and other festive fundraising ideas, please visit www.hospiscare.co.uk/ festive

Update on our 2022 bed appeal

In 2022, we launched an urgent appeal to replace our specialist beds and mattresses for our patients. These beds offer many benefits, such as being fully motorised, mobile and extendable and have an alarm function to alert the nursing staff when a patient is about to get out of bed, ensuring that our patients receive the best comfort and safety during their stay on our ward.

We are delighted to share that thanks to the generosity of our incredible supporters, the appeal raised an incredible £144,876 allowing us to order an amazing eight new high/low beds that make a tremendous difference to our patients.

A retired engineer who was involved in the very first prototype of an adjustable hospital bed over 30 years ago paid a visit to our ward at Searle House to see how the new beds work, after making a generous donation towards the appeal. We are so grateful to everyone who donated to this appeal – thank you so much!

Dates for your diary

Visit hospiscare.co.uk for more!

September

9 Open Gardens, Canonteign Falls

16 Coffee Morning, The United Reformed Church, Pinhoe

16 Coffee Morning, Longdown Village Hall

16 Autumn Wreath Making Workshop, The Coaver Club, Exeter

16-17 The Dartmoor Drop, Meldon Viaduct, near Okehampton

16 Open Gardens, Southey Farm, Okehampton

17 Mayor of Okehampton’s Civic Service, Fairplace Methodist Church, Okehampton

23 Coffee Morning, Okehampton Friends of Hospiscare

23-24 Classic Tractor Working Weekend, Kings Down Farm, Sidmouth

24 Exmoor Open Water Swim, Wimbleball Lake

25 Sustainable Fashion Week, until 8 October, Hospiscare Shops

30 Wyndham Singers Concert, Willand Village Hall

October

3-4 Autumn Fair, Exeter Cathedral

8 Hospiscare Mail Trail, Exmouth (July - 8 October)

21 Coffee Morning, The United Reformed Church, Pinhoe

November

18 Wonford Sale with Pinhoe & Broadclyst Friends of Hospiscare, Exeter

Starcross Shuffle, Starcross

The dates for your diary listed below are correct at the time of printing. Up-to-date information can be found on Hospiscare’s website.

November

25