North Devon Hospice 30th anniversary newsletter - Spring/Summer 2014

Spring / Summer 2014

news 30th Anniversary Special Edition

Issue 41

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Thanks to you, we are celebrating 30 years of local hospice care Dear supporter, 30 years is without doubt a momentous occasion for any charity. For North Devon Hospice, marking 30 years of care in our local community is something of which so many of you can be incredibly proud.

how big or how small, you have helped make a real difference to local families at a time in their lives when they need care and support the most. On behalf of the thousands of patients and families that we care for every year, I would like to thank all of you for your continued support. It is because of your dedication, fundraising and belief that our specialist care is possible. As a local charity we are only here for you and because of you, so here’s to the next 30 years!

Thank you.

Chief Executive

We are only able to celebrate our 30th anniversary thanks to every person who has contributed to making our care possible.

This contribution stems back over 30 years and continues now on a daily basis.

Whatever part you have played, no matter

THEN

Founding fathers ...and sisters!

It was three ladies called Ivy Shirley, Dorothy Towell and Vera Watts and the gentleman above, Jim McGowan who are credited as being the initial driving forces behind establishing a hospice care service in North Devon. These rare photos from the late 70’s show the friends who knew eachother from the Quakers organisation. It was in 1981 that Hospice Care Trust (North Devon) was actually created, followed by 3 years of 2

PICTURED ABOVE: IVY SHIRLEY, DOROTHY TOWELL,VERA WATTS AND JIM MCGOWAN; THE PEOPLE WHO DEDICATED YEARS TO MAKING LOCAL HOSPICE CARE BECOME A REALITY IN NORTH DEVON

fundraising and working with local healthcare professionals before the first nurse was appointed in 1984. In the 30 years since then, only 3 people have held the post of Chief Executive (Philip Jewell, Gordon Lester and today, Stephen Roberts) providing great continuity for the local charity which was founded by some extraordinary volunteers.

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Patients and their families speak to BBC Spotlight For the first time in 30 years, some of the people we care for took centre stage on the news. In a week-long series with Spotlight, people from across the community told their stories and spoke about their experience of our care. It is a rare glimpse into a world that most people never get to see.

The Weeks family talked about their mum and grandmother, Betty. Betty’s daughter, Linda said:

Betty’s grandaughter Nicola said:

“She (Keely, the hospice nurse) came into our lives, and through this heartache and despair, just guided us in looking after Mum. Mum’s wish was to be at home up until the end and with Keely coming in, that enabled us all to help Mum out and make it happen.”

“She was like an angel, which is what Nan used to call her. Towards the end she used to say that ‘Keely’s my angel’. She helped us all, helped us all care for Nan, she didn’t come and take over she just guided us and let us do what we had to do and in the right way.”

Martyn, who is supported in his own home said: “If I’ve got problems, instead of letting us have the pressure of trying to look into it, Mary (hospice nurse) will jot it down and fight our corner, and she’s brilliant at it. I can say that about the hospice in general, they really are brilliant, it’s hard to put into words...they are a lifeline.”

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Steps along the journey Vicarage Lawn (1985)

The Long House (2014/2015)

North Devon Hospice started from a 2 up, 2 down in Vicarage Lawn, Barnstaple. From there we cared for the wider community. Nurses travelled on bikes and volunteers delivered patient meals from the backs of their cars. It may surprise you to find out that some of the people who volunteered at Vicarage Lawn are still volunteering at the hospice today!

This year we are raising money to build ‘The Long House.’ Patients from Holsworthy and the surrounding areas will be able to access a range of care and support, including support groups, bereavement support, complementary therapies, and specialist advice on symptom management. If you would like to make a donation to The Long House Appeal, please visit northdevonhospice.org.uk or call Ali Hunt on 01271 347206.

The Bedded Unit (2005) Thanks to fundraising throughout the community, we raised the money to build the purpose-built Bedded Unit. It continues to be the only specialist palliative care facility for the people of North Devon. Last year alone the Bedded Unit cared for nearly 200 new patients whose ages ranged from just 18 years old to over 80.

1985 Vicarage Lawn, Barnstaple

2005

The Bedded Unit was built at Deer Park

1984

Appointment of first nurse, Wynne Withers

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1993

The hospice moves to Deer Park

nie H An

ogg, Hols wo r th

yC munity Nurse Sp om ec

Did you know?..

We cover one of the largest geographical areas of any hospice in the UK, providing care over 800 square miles of rural countryside

ist ial

Our charity shop in Holsworthy is run solely by volunteers. It was also the second charity shop we opened We care for over 2,000 patients and family members every year Annie Hogg has been North Devon Hospice’s community nurse specialist for more than 20 years.

She’s spent those 20 years visiting families in the Holsworthy area, providing essential care and support at the most difficult of times Sho pv olu

Sy

lvia The Long House at Holsworthy

auline, Shirle ya rs, P nd ee nt

2014-2015

We care for people affected by a life-limiting illness; most commonly cancer but also Motor Neurone Disease, COPD, Heart Failure and Renal Failure Our volunteers play a huge part in all that we do. Last year alone they dedicated 144,923 hours to volunteering. That equates to 16 years worth of time in 1 year!

We need to raise £3 million from scratch every year to provide our care and support.

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THEN

THE FIRST HOSPICE SHOP, 55 BOUTPORT STREET

Our very first shop

Today we have 13 charity shops right across the area, but it all started with just one, located on Boutport Street in Barnstaple. Jean Bishop was a volunteer in that shop from day one. “I remember the day the shop opened in July 1987 because the Mayor came to do the ribbon cutting,” she said.

Jean later went on to become manager of the shop, and has even returned to become a volunteer at the hospice’s Joy Street shop for the last seven years.

“It was quite a learning curve in those early days. I remember going round to local businesses to borrow things like hanging rails and carrier bags because we had nothing. 10 years later we still had those same rails on loan!” said Jean. “The hospice nurses also used to drop in for a coffee and it was a very friendly atmosphere. I made some lifelong friends from that shop, including Audrey Isaac, who came in as temporary cover during the late eighties and obviously loved it because she still volunteers to this day. A lot has changed since 1987, because the hospice has grown a great deal and is able to care for many, many more people. This has certainly been helped greatly by the money raised through our charity shops.

But some things have stayed the same, such as the dedication of the volunteers, who get a great deal of satisfaction from their work. I am very proud to be involved almost 30 years on.”

Pop Up shops!

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WHY? With some shops in our High Streets being left empty, local estate agents asked if we would like to use the selling space rent free while permanent tenants were being found. It was a rare opportunity to which we said YES PLEASE!

we just ‘popped up’ for a few months, we hope to do more popping up in the future.

HOW? Thanks to an army of volunteers and the hospice team, we were able to bring you a very different vintage themed shop and a furniture shop! Even though 6

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WHAT? Our Pop Up shops have been a great experience. We’ve met new people, we’ve helped to support the local High Street and our shops have raised over £60,000 for us to put towards patient care.

THANK YOU to the local landlords and estate agents for making this possible.

“ There’s something constant that doesn’t change.. . t he simplicity and peace of just being”

20 years of support from Mandy “20 years ago, we moved to North Devon with our two little children, Joe and Jess.

Like many hospice staff and volunteers, personal experience played its part in drawing me into the hospice world.

My father died from prostate cancer in a crumbling Victorian hospital. We were left in a small side ward and no-one really knew what to say or how to be with us, so they stayed away. The people there were kind and did their best, but the care and support was wholly inadequate. I knew it didn’t have to be like that. Death, like birth and life, was not something that should be shut away. Four years later, in 1994, I arrived for my first day of work at North Devon Hospice.

20 years have passed. Over that time, I’ve listened to hundreds of people of all ages as they negotiate their way through challenging times. Since those early days, I’ve witnessed incredible developments.

More staff and volunteers have been recruited to develop a range of services

MANDY REDGROVE, HEAD OF SUPPORTIVE CARE

including education, bereavement support, help for children, complementary therapies, support groups, the Bedded Unit and Hospice to Home Service. The hospice has been able to reach out to more people and the building has grown to accommodate them.

There have been so many changes. I can’t read without wearing glasses and my hair has gone grey. It’s amazing to think that when I first came we didn’t use computers or mobile phones. But there’s something constant that doesn’t change, and that is the simplicity and peace of just being. In being authentic, in openly sharing our mortality and vulnerability, it seems that our humanity and compassion is revealed. Yes, there are times when working at the hospice is overwhelmingly sad, but it is also full of tenderness, humour and acts of kindness that warm my heart. A patient once said to me ‘it’s incredible that we have to go through all this to know what love is.’ And I think he was right.”

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Thanks to you Hear it from some of the team

1. Naomi, Community Nursing

“It is such a privilege to see on a daily basis the amazing support from the people of North Devon, which enables us to provide care into every corner of North Devon. We couldn’t do it without you so – Thank you!”

2. Margaret, Nursing “Thank you so much for your support it means

we can provide the best possible care for our patients and those who are close to them. It means so much to us all”

3. Gavin, Maintenance

“We have some people who volunteer with us and I can’t thank them enough for the great job they do and what they bring to the team”

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4. Wendy, Nursing “Without the contributions from the people

of North Devon I wouldn’t be able to care for so many inspirational and amazing people”

5. Angie, Housekeeping “Every day I see what a difference your

donations make”

6. Will, HR “Every week I’m told by family, friends and

acquaintances what brilliant care is provided by the hospice. To hear how many people are touched by what we do makes me feel very proud and privileged”

7. Pam, Catering “If it wasn’t for the people of North Devon

our patients wouldn’t have freshly cooked and comforting meals. Thank you”

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8. Steve, IT “Thank you for supporting our care. We

11. Christa, Supportive Care

9. Kim,Volunteer Support

12. Louise, Physiotherapy “Everything you do makes such a difference

couldn’t offer what we do without you”

“It’s thanks to our amazing volunteers that we are able to offer additional support to so many people across North Devon.You make a real difference in offering time, skills, kindness, care and above all, a friendly smiling face. It is such a privilege to work with wonderful people”

“The hospice helped us to care for my mum at home. How ever you’ve supported the hospice, I wanted to let you know that it made a difference to me and to my mum. Thank you” 1

to local people. It’s really heartwarming to know that as a community, you’re helping us to care for people throughout it”

13. Pippa, Occupational Therapy “Thanks to you I am able to support

10. Marie, Marketing & Communications

“Thanks to you we are able to support families too”

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patients in their wish to go back home”

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THEN

Our very first nurse

The founders of North Devon Hospice knew that because we live in such a large rural area, the priority was to provide hospice care in people’s own homes. So, in September 1984, Wynne Withers was appointed as our very first nurse. Providing care to local patients and families for the very first time was a milestone and one that we are celebrating 30 years later.

Speaking back in 2007 Wynne said: “I had to leave my husband behind, albeit temporarily, but I knew I was coming to be part of a very worthwhile cause. I must admit, when I got off the train, I thought I was heading to the back of beyond!”

WYNNE WITHERS PICTURED ABOVE

“When I got off the train, I thought I was heading for the back of beyond!”

It was this remote rurality that made Wynne’s job so difficult, trying to care for patients all over vast North Devon. Wynne completed an extraordinary circle of care when she herself was cared for by the hospice. In 2007 she died in our purposebuilt Bedded Unit, something which would have been unimaginable when she became our first ever hospice nurse all those years ago.

THEN

Specialist Care John Fletcher-Cullum, who was initially a volunteer in the1980’s and then became a nurse with the hospice remembers: “In 1987, the hospice supported two beds in a local nursing home so that patients who needed more intensive, specialist nursing could be cared for without the need for a hospital admission.” It’s thanks to so many dedicated staff, volunteers and most importantly, support from the community, that the Bedded Unit is now here.

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“ I’ve met people from all walks of life, of all ages.”

“In my 25 years of hospice nursing I’ve met people from all walks of life, of all ages and in completely different circumstances.

“The one constant is my belief that the hospice can make a difference to each of our patients and families by being there for emotional support as well as the clinical expertise. We work closely with the Primary Healthcare Team.

Care at Home Mary Brooks, has been one of our hospice Community Nurse Specialists since 1989.

During those 25 years she has cared for hundreds of people in their own homes and supported their families too. From someone who knows so much about the hospice, we hear from Mary about specialist care at home.

“As Community Nurse Specialists, our role is to make sure that each patient has the best mix of all care services, including the many services offered by the hospice. But on a different level, we are also here to provide a listening ear, to understand what patients and families need during this time of great upheaval.

“Retiring after 25 years at North Devon Hospice is certainly emotional, and I will miss everyone, but I am very proud to have been part of something so special.”

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Today we provide specialist care around the clock from our purpose-built Bedded Unit.

After an appeal in the community, the money was raised and this amazing facilityUnit opened Bedded and other in 2005, providing the community with seven fered at home beds. As well as offering specialist care to those who have come to the end of their lives, we have supported patients who, having visited the Bedded Unit for symptom management, are then able to return home for their care to continue.

24-hour services of-

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Margaret’s Memories...

Whilst celebrating our 30th anniversary we have been looking back at how things have changed over the years, while others have remained very much the same! Margaret Whittaker has been a volunteer since 1989 and reminisced about her early days helping out with North Devon Hospice: “In the beginning, lunch was cooked in the tiny kitchen of the terraced house on Vicarage Street. But most of the work was done by the volunteers at home beforehand because the kitchen was so small! During lunch, it was even too cramped to use the bathroom because the door was on the other side of the dining table! I learned so much from the many patients who came from such different walks of life.

Thanks to all who have and do support the hospice - it has been a huge success and helped so many people.”

THEN

“ They worked tirelessly for the hospice dream” Whether it’s skydiving or knitting that appeals, today there are a hundred different ways in which people can raise money for the hospice. Yet there is one particular fundraising activity that started at the very beginning and, amazingly, still continues to this day...

DOROTHY TOW ELL, PICTURED IN THE NORTH DEVON JOURNAL IN 198 7

“In the 1980’s I knew very well the quintet of Ivy Shirley, Dorothy Towell, Vera Watts, Irene Smalldon and Reverend Bob Beak who all worked tirelessly for the hospice dream,” says Helen Robinson, who was part of the Quakers Society of Friends with these early hospice pioneers. “The group would make homemade cards to sell and raise money for the local hospice cause and by 1987 Dorothy and Vera had already made some 15,000 cards.” This process continued with various members of the Society of Friends and is the longest-running source of fundraising for North Devon Hospice, raising thousands of pounds over the years.

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Bray Leino’s expertise to help the local area Throughout our 30 years award winning agency, Bray Leino have been putting their expertise towards supporting our hospice.

This comes in the form of a gift in kind every year equating to many thousands of pounds. Ever since David Morgan, Bray Leino’s founder, decided to support North Devon Hospice, the Filleigh based team have touched nearly every aspect of North Devon Hospice: from designing logo’s to Trustee training, creating Gift Aid campaigns to increasing our Marketing including last year’s Sheep Dog Trial TV adverts. As a North Devon company, they know all too well how living in a rural area can present challenges in accessing services and the information we need. Claire, Account Manager from Bray Leino said: “The hospice cares for thousands of people every year.

We know first hand what a difference they make to local families and that’s why we’re

happy to offer our expertise year on year to make a difference too. It’s not always easy to access information especially when you’re working long hours, caring for a family, or in the case of most of our community, living in a rural area.

Therefore, this year, in acknowledgment of the hospice’s 30th anniversary, we’re extremely proud to be designing, developing and launching their new website. We know that for many people the website will be their entry point into the brilliant work of North Devon Hospice. It will work across all devices, be easy to use and full of valuable information. Furthermore, it will really improve access to information for patients, their families, healthcare professionals and hospice supporters.”

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A gift in your will means we can carry on caring Whilst most people will be familiar with typical fundraising activties for North Devon Hospice such as sponsored events and the lottery club, gifts left in wills are the hidden, yet most vital, element. Gifts in wills account for nearly a third of our income and as such ensure that as a local charity we continue to provide our care not just now, but also in the future. We simply could not continue to care without these contributions.

People have left gifts in wills for North Devon Hospice for many reasons; some as a way to say thank you for looking after them or their family, others because they would like to know that they are making a difference after they have gone. If this is something you would consider and would like to know more, please contact Ali Hunt in our fundraising team who would be happy to help.

THEN Gifts left in people’s wills have played a huge part in the history of the hospice.

One of our founders, Ivy Shirley, left a gift of £5,000 so that her good work could be carried on Ivy’s son, David Shirley, who was himself a volunteer for the hospice, also left a gift in his will. This was for an amazing £87,000 More recently, Ron Munday’s gift of his house to the hospice raised an incredible £216,000. All these gifts have supported continuity of care for patients and their families

01271 347206 @ alihunt@northdevonhospice.org.uk.

“What the hospice meant to my mum will never leave me.

I know whatever I leave will make a difference.’’

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The Future So here’s to another 30 years... but what will our care look like? Stephen Roberts, the hospice’s Chief Executive, begins to answer that question...

“It is always important to remember our roots, and so as we think about the future of North Devon Hospice we need to look back and realise that providing care in people’s own homes still remains a priority. Patients and families facing life-limiting illnesses continue to tell us that they wish to receive care at home, so there’s nothing new here, other than the challenge of adequately covering the 800 square miles that is North Devon. We have one of the largest catchment areas of any hospice in the UK and so constantly review the most effective way to support as many of you as possible. Our hope is to bring additional care nearer to your home so that some of you don’t have to travel such long distances.

“Nationally, healthcare is changing, with local commissioning coming into effect and greater strain being placed on overstretched resources. Within the vast spectrum of medical care, both private and public organisations will try to accomodate and support the increasing number of people being diagnosed with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses.

“Here at the hospice, we are not immune to these changes or this pressure, but will seek to continue to provide the quality of care that has been present for the past 30 years. As an independant, local charity, these increasing demands will inevitably place greater strain on all our resources, but together, and only together, we will not only survive but grow.

Thanks to you.”

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Thank you Contact us

Tel: 01271 344248 Email: info@northdevonhospice.org.uk North Devon Hospice, Deer Park, Barnstaple, North Devon, EX32 0HU

www.northdevonhospice.org.uk . Registered charity no. 286554