2 People July 2013
News YOU CAN DO THIS MONTH 5 THINGS 1. WIN A MOUNTAIN OF VOUCHERS This year, why not take on a mountain and hiking challenge in aid of Marie Curie? Whether you conquer Ben Nevis or trek across the moors of Dartmoor, it’s the perfect opportunity to get away from it all and enjoy the great outdoors. If you sign up to a challenge before 31 July you’ll be entered into a prize draw to be in with a chance of winning £500 worth of vouchers courtesy of holidaycottages.co.uk. To read the terms and conditions or find your mountain challenge, head to mariecurie.org.uk/mountain 2. GET MORE KIDS TO GROW DAFFODILS Do you, your relatives or friends have children aged 3–11? Then ask their teachers to sign up for Mini Pots of Care, Marie Curie’s florid fundraising activity. This autumn, all the budding gardeners involved will get a free kit of daffodils to plant and care for, while learning about science and nature. And next spring, they’ll celebrate their blooms by painting flower pots and holding fundraisers for us. This year, we’re aiming to sign up 3,000 schools, nurseries and groups – and we need your help. So please tell everyone to register by calling 0845 052 4184, emailing minipots@mariecurie.org.uk or visiting mariecurie.org.uk/minipotsofcare 3. FILL UP YOUR SHOPPING TROLLEY Christmas might seem a long way off, but it’ll be here before you can say “Hark the herald angels sing”. That’s why you might want to start thinking about shopping for all those presents. And what better place to start than with the Marie Curie Christmas catalogue, as 100% of profits help the charity? Head to mariecurie.org.uk/shop now to browse our online shop and stock up on Christmas cards, gifts and more. 4. HELP SOMEBODY SHARE THEIR STORY Have you heard that we have a Share your story form on our main website? By filling this in, people with a connection to Marie Curie can tell us all about their experiences. Whether their loved one was cared for by our nurses or they’ve supported us in some way, their story could help to raise awareness of our work. But first we need you to help spread the word. So please, include the link to our form – mariecurie.org.uk/mystory – in your emails this month. 5. STEP OUT FOR MARIE CURIE Walk Ten, our 10k twilight walk, kicks off this month. This is your chance to gain exclusive access to some of the UK’s most stunning locations, enjoy live entertainment as the sun goes down, share an unforgettable summer’s evening with your friends and family and raise money for people with terminal illnesses. So take your first step now and sign up at mariecurie.org.uk/walkten. Or call 0845 052 4184 for more information.
People
MEDICAL ADVISER GIVEN OBE HONOUR Marie Curie’s Medical Adviser, Dr Teresa Tate, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to Marie Curie and to palliative care. Teresa was delighted to receive the award. “I think it’s great that there is a recognition of palliative care in this way,” she said. “This is a reflection of the work of clinical colleagues within the charity and further afield.” Teresa retires this month, after just over 13 years with Marie Curie. She has been Medical Adviser throughout a period of rapid change and development, when the charity has grown in size, and developed into a high profile organisation leading end-of-life care in the UK. Until recently, Teresa was – among many other appointments – Deputy National Clinical Director for End-of-Life Care in England. “It’s been very exciting to be part of the development of Marie Curie and to have contributed to what the charity is doing to lead in palliative care and end of life care,” she said. “We have achieved so much by engaging with the public, the NHS and the wider world.” Also awarded the OBE was Jo Hockley, now a Nurse Consultant at St Christopher’s Hospice, who first persuaded Teresa to move from radiotherapy to the new discipline of palliative medicine in 1988. “It’s been a really exciting field to be involved in over the years, because the
RECOGNITION: Dr Teresa Tate said her OBE reflects the work of her clinical colleagues
speciality of palliative medicine was only recognised in 1987. I’ve been lucky to be in the right place at the right time,” Teresa said. Also honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours were Legacy Advisor Judy Glossop, Marie Curie Nurse Iris Honor Wright and former Matron of the Marie Curie Hospice, Solihull Sally Derry, all of whom were awarded the British Empire Medal. Judy, who joined Marie Curie Cancer Care 19 years ago in September, was honoured for services to people with
cancer. She said: “What a surprise! I could not believe it. Of course, it’s not just for me, it’s for everyone who has supported us – a lot of our volunteers have been here longer than I have. “My daughter, Sally, who died aged eight, has been my inspiration, and has given me strength.” Former Matron Sally Derry spent the last 22 years volunteering for Solihull Bereavement Counselling Service. She described her volunteering as “an absolute privilege”.
Major Windows upgrade offers speed and security benefits All Marie Curie Cancer Care’s 1,800 desktop and laptop computers are set to be upgraded to Microsoft Windows 7 and Office 2010. The major upgrade, which will begin next month, will mean all computers will be on a new operating system and Office application by the end of February 2014. Project Manager for IT Operations Janette Hellyer said: “We need to do this as Microsoft is withdrawing support in 2014 for our current systems, Windows XP and Office 2003. This would leave the charity’s computers exposed to viruses and security issues, and it would
be impossible for our IT service partner to support the computer users. “The new system has various additional benefits: it is built with better security options, faster at executing certain tasks;
Courtesy of Dell Inc.
it’s compatible with a greater range of business applications; and we will have less compatibility issues when sending or receiving Office documents with organisations that have already transitioned to Windows 7 and Office 2010.” The IT team is currently testing how compatible Windows 7 is with the charity’s present business applications. Once this has been successfully completed and piloted, the upgrade will roll out across Marie Curie, starting with devices at Albert Embankment and moving on to computers at Pontypool, Links Place, the Marie Curie Hospices, Swindon and then fundraising and nursing offices.
Marie Curie
Marie Curie People is the charity’s official newspaper for staff and volunteers. It is published monthly.
Editor: Nick Moulton Writers: Clair Whitefield, Lara Jennings, Rob Jones, Angela Burton Designers: Artful Dog Publishing and Marie Curie Creative Services
Repro by: Selsey Press Printed by: Mortons Managed & distributed by: CDL Circulation: 6,500
MARIE CURIE PEOPLE NEEDS YOUR NEWS. Send stories to Editor Nick Moulton, Creative Services, Marie Curie Cancer Care, 89 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7TP. Email nick.moulton@mariecurie.org.uk or phone me on 020 7599 7706 and I’ll draft a story from your call.