North Devon Hospice newsletter Spring 2009

All day Conference 4th September TheBarnstapleHotel,NorthDevon

We are delighted to announce that we will be holding the Countess of Arran MBE DL inaugural Palliative Care Conference, marking 25 years of hospice care in North Devon.

The conference, named after our hugely supportive former President, will be held in September and is being organised by our Head of Education, Jenny Penson.

A list of highly eminent speakers has been confirmed for the event; including Professor Karol Sikora, perhaps the leading cancer expert in the country.

‘We hope that this conference will encourage health care professionals from the area and much further afield to come and share their expertise. The main goal of this event is to develop and improve care for people with life-threatening illnesses and their families. With the line-up of international speakers we have been able to confirm, we are confident that it will be a rich and rewarding experience for those who attend.’ Jenny Penson

news

For supporters and friends of North Devon Hospice

Spring 2009

Issue 31

look inside for

Specialist nurse

contact us at:

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North Devon Hospice Deer Park Barnstaple North Devon EX32 0HU

T:

01271 344248 Candlelit dinner

info@northdevonhospice.org.uk www.northdevonhospice.org.uk

Printing generously provided by Bray Leino

present for years to come

This newsletter is printed on paper which is:

Registered

Charity

Number:

286554

The Lynton crew

Sounds so good

xxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx plays the sounding bowl with Donna, one of our Day Hospice nurses Open gardens

being there for all the family

‘We haven’t been out for a meal together for two years,’ commented a guest at our candlelit dinner in December, highlighting one of the reasons for hosting such an evening. When someone is struggling with a life-threatening illness, so much of what we take for granted is either too difficult or too exhausting. By offering a specially selected menu, transport from home and the safety of knowing a specialist nurse was at hand, nine couples enjoyed a range of delicious cuisine from hors d’oeuvres to melt in the mouth profiteroles, carefully prepared by our head chef Pam and catering assistant Julie.

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North Devon Strings youth music group looked and sounded wonderful as they played from a selection of classics and carols whilst staff and volunteers from several different departments were involved on the night and in the planning beforehand. Whether creating the ambience of the softly lit dining room with its beautiful table decorations; washing up; waiting at tables; being on hand as drivers; ensuring the safety of those present and cleaning the rooms afterwards; or just eating the delicious food, the whole evening was enjoyed and appreciated by everyone. Thank you.

R

Hand hygiene is the single most important practice in preventing the transfer of infection from one patient to another. Here at the hospiceweareconstantly monitoring every aspect of our care and have recently completed a hand hygiene audit.

Our hospice was really given a touch of sparkle this Christmas by some veryhelpful‘festivefairies’!Volunteers from Bray Leino visited us in early December to put up Christmas trees and decorations, much to the delight of patients and staff alike.

The local advertising agency also organised for students from Grenville College to entertain our Day Hospice patients with a series of carols and other Christmas favourites.

Day Hospice nurse Maggie Berry was thrilled with the contribution the volunteers made. ‘They just lit up the place’ she beamed. ‘This was just what Day Hospice is about. Good times, lots of laughter and enjoying each other’s company. We always try and create a cheery atmosphere, especially around Christmas time, and these lovely young people certainly added an extra touch of sparkle to the patients’ day!’

Christmaspresence

To our supporters

Keeping a hand(le) on it

You may have been aware of an article in the local press recently about a possible ‘pyramid selling’ scheme called ‘Give and Take.’

In December 2008, North Devon Hospice received three ‘donations’ from the charity group behind this pyramid scheme.

PYRAMID S C H E M E

AfterthehospicetookadvicefromtheFundraisingStandardsBoardandtheCharity Commission, we subsequently returned these ‘donations’ and reported the matter to Devon Trading Standards. I would like to reassure our supporters that we would never accept donations which are linked in any way to illegal activity or that might be damaging to the people of North Devon, whose support we greatly value.

Gordon Lester, Chief Executive

sportingsomethingnew There are many ways to show support for the hospice, and this year two of North Devon’s biggest sporting teams have found a special way of doing so. Instead of displaying a large sponsor on their shirts, Barnstaple Rugby Club and Barnstaple Town Football Club have both supported us at North Devon Hospice by using our logo instead. With hundreds of spectators coming to watch matches each week, both clubs are doing sterling work in promoting the hospice within our local community.

In May 2008, Keeley Dempsey received a standing ovation when she appeared on stage at the Landmark Theatre in front of a sell-out crowd.

However, this wasn’t because she had been singing or dancing. At a fundraising show in memory of Betty Blackmore, a local dance teacher, Betty’s grandson told the audience how much Keeley’s support had meant to the whole family. It was this story that prompted the audience to show their appreciation in such a way.

Keeley has been a Community Nurse with North Devon Hospice for nearly 18 months. ‘I must admit I was nervous when I started out, and it was ironic that my first patient was Betty, because down the line her family was able to show me how important my support was for them’ she said Having been a nurse on the bedded unit for over two years, in 2007 Keeley took the opportunity to experience another side of hospice care.’ The opportunity came up for me to join the specialist community team, and that had always been my great ambition,’ she said. ‘After working with such a caring and close-knit team on the bedded unit, I felt I had the experience and knowledge to go out into the community to help people in their own homes.

From working in the community, I have learned that we community nurse specialists can be whatever our patients and their families need us to be. Whether that is symptom management, emotional support or using our contacts to access other forms of help. It is this variety that I love about the role.’

When asked about her future as a community nurse, Keeley is unequivocal about her plans. ‘This is absolutely where I want to be,’ she said. ‘Becoming a community nurse specialist was the best thing I have done in my career. So you won’t see the back of me for a while yet!’

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The Lynton Crew

Despite being the smallest town in the area, Lynton has certainly made a big impact on North Devon Hospice. Cathy Richards and her fellow volunteers have been on a mission to make the most of their supportive community.

The Lynton shop, on Queen Street, is by far the smallest of our retail premises and is run entirely by a small team of volunteers. Trevor Ley has been a member for some years: ‘I really enjoy it. It’s a good cause, you meet such a variety of people and the work is always interesting.’

However, the Lynton crew’s fundraising effort doesn’t stop at the shop. The volunteer team, speared headed by the ever-enthusiastic Cathy Richards, spend all summer collecting donations from visitors to the town’s famous Cliff Railway.

‘I saw long ago what hospice care means to patients and families. So I never mind putting in the hours to help, whether that’s in the shop or holding the tin at the Cliff Railway. With this tiny team, we managed to contribute around £20,000 to the hospice last year. If we had more people to help, we could do even more.’ Cathy Richards Whether working in the Lynton shop or holding a collecting tin, Cathy is sure you will enjoy it.

For more information about helping in any of our shops across North Devon, please call us.

Keep your diary free for the highlight of the summer! On 21st, 22nd and 23rd August we are organising one of our biggest ever events.

The English National Sheep Dog Trials and Devon Country Fayre will be held at Castle Hill, Filleigh, to raise much needed funds for our hospice.

This the first time that the English National Sheepdog Trials have been held in North Devon, and hospice fundraiser Ali Hunt is delighted to be bringing this event to North Devon. ‘This will certainly be one of North Devon’s biggest summer attractions,’ she said.

‘Not only will we have the best Sheep Dog trialists in the land, but we will also have the Devon Country Fayre, showcasing all that is great about our rural county.’

The ticket price also includes access to the beautiful gardens at Castle Hill, the home of the Earl and Countess of Arran MBE DL. Tickets at the gate will cost just £10 for adults and £9 for concessions while accompanied children will be admitted free of charge.

Alternatively, to buy tickets at a specially discounted rate, please call 01271 347206 or visit northdevonhospice.org.uk/sheepdogs or North Devon Theatres 01271 324242 All profits from this fabulous weekend will go towards caring for local people, so please come along. See you there!

The English National Sheep Dog Trials and Devon Country Fayre

a warm welcome to all our new (and not-so-new) faces!

Since our last newsletter there have been some significant new faces to the hospice family. At our AGM we were delighted to welcome The Rt. Revd. Bob Evens, Bishop of Crediton as our new President. Bishop Bob has supported the hospice for some time now and has a wonderful rapport with patients, families, volunteers and staff alike.

We were also delighted to welcome David Morgan as one of our Vice Presidents. David is Chairman of a local advertising agency, Bray Leino, and has supported the hospice greatly for many years, both personally and through the agency.

We also had a change in our board of trustees as Dr John Womersley took on the role as Chairman with Angela Webb as Vice Chair. John is a well known GP in the Ilfracombe and Woolacombe area, whilst Angela has a wealth of experience in public relations, especially among charities.

welcome

2009 IS A SPECIAL YEAR FOR ALL OF US

2009 marks our 25th anniversary. In 1984, our very first community nurse set forth to provide specialist care in people’s homes. Since those fledgling days, the hospice has grown to provide many more services and has been warmly embraced by the people of North Devon.

During this year, we will be undertaking some events to mark our anniversary and celebrate the relationship that exists between the hospice and the local community. The first of these events saw our former President, the Countess of Arran MBE DL, ceremonially plant the final tree in our Community Orchard on 1st April. This latest addition to our gardens will provide a quiet and tranquil space for patients and families to enjoy.

Throughout the last 25 years, we wouldn’t have been able to care for so many patients and families without your amazing support.

From everyone at North Devon Hospice, a very big and heartfelt thank you. And here’s to another 25 years together.

When the hospice moved to its Deer Park home in 1993, one of the most attractive prospects of the location was the potential for the gardens.

In those 16 years, many people have worked long and hard to provide a beautiful, tranquil and calming environment for patients and their families to enjoy.

To mark our 25th anniversary we are opening our gardens to the public, as part of the National Garden Scheme, so our community can share in these lovely surroundings.

Over the weekends of July 11th and 12th and September 5th and 6th, you are warmly invited to come and take a stroll around our gardens at your leisure and then enjoy a cream tea. There will be a charge of £3, (children free), the proceeds of which will go to the hospice.

We welcome you to come and enjoy!

open gardens

MAY JULY

5th ‘Guys ‘n’ Gals Charity Challenge: An all-day event of challenges and problem-solving to really test your mettle!

11th & 12th Deer Park Open Gardens: North Devon Hospice opens its beautiful gardens as part of the National Garden Scheme. Come and enjoy the surroundings and even have a cream tea with us.

12th UK National Sandcastle Competition: The ultimate chance to show off your flair, imagination and creativity as teams sculpt sandcastle masterpieces on glorious Woolacombe beach.

AUG

21st-23rd English National Sheep Dog Trials and Devon Country Fayre: (see enclosed article)

SEPTEMBER

7th Coast to Coast Challenge: Get on yer bike for either a 100 mile or a 100 km cycle from Devon’s north coast to the south coast.

21st Floating Bye: Join us on Instow beach to say goodbye to someone you’ve loved. Place a flower and message on a raft on an outgoing tide.

23rd North Devon Day: Now in its second year, North Devon Day sees local people organising events (of many different sizes) to celebrate our wonderful area and raise money for the hospice.

What could you do in your community?

22nd - 28th The Great Pub Party Week: Pubs across the area will be organising fundraising events for the hospice; from currys to quizzes, from darts to discos! Look out for details or even organise one in your local.

5th & 6th Deer Park Open Gardens: Another chance to enjoy the hospice’s beautiful gardens as part of the National Garden Scheme.

13th Walk For Life: With 10 different walks around our amazing countryside and coastline, this sponsored event is ideal for all the family.

19th & 20th Canonteign Falls Dangle: Abseil down a 220ft man-made Victorian waterfall, all in aid of North Devon Hospice! Places are strictly limited so be sure to apply early.

DEC

JUNE

9th Nightwalk: Having fun with the girls! A night-time sponsored walk along the Tarka Trail. Last year, over 1,800 women took part. Why not be among them this year?

6th Santa Fun Run: Get festive with this 3-mile fun run as over 100 Santas pound the pavements! This is certainly a sight to see, and even more fun to be a part of it!

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