Summer Appeal 2023

At St Columba’s Hospice Care, we know that coping with a life-limiting illness and the changes it brings can be a huge challenge for everyone.

Every child is unique and will cope with the death of someone important in their own way. That is why our Family Support Team offers care, advice and support for children and young people affected by the incurable illness of any adult in their lives.

Over the course of the pandemic, we saw a very significant 54% increase in referrals to our service. As a result, we’ve been thinking about how we can best use our resources for maximum impact. This summer, your generous donations could help us ensure that children and young people across Edinburgh and the Lothians get the appropriate pre and post bereavement support, at the right time, to enable them to process grief in their own way.

Our dedicated Child and Family Lead Donna, helps children and young people work through their feelings with other family members so that they will:

• Feel included

• Feel less isolated

• Trust in what adults are telling them

• Have time to talk about the situation, ask questions and build memories

• Be more prepared for what lies ahead

Donna, who has worked with the Hospice for almost 5 years said:

During my time here the number of sessions provided to patients, carers, children and young people has continued to increase year-on-year. Outwith directly working with children and families, we’re also making huge strides through our outreach work with nurseries and schools across the community. Our aim is to provide psychoeducation sessions around Grief, Loss and Bereavement and to raise awareness of the support we are able to provide.”

£ 50

£ 30

£ 130

£ 10

£30 could pay for an hour-long session with a counsellor or chaplain for a patient or their loved ones

£10 could help a family create ‘a little box of big thoughts’ so a bereaved child will never forget how much they were loved

£50 could help pay for a personalised comfort and support pack, providing lasting comfort for a child or young person

£130 could provide a half a day of specialist nursing support to help a patient manage their pain and return to the comfort of their own home with their loved ones stcolumbashospice.org.uk/donate

For this edition of Life, we sat down with Dariusz Wedge, the newest member of our Compassionate Neighbours team!