The thrill of a lifetime as Hospice supporter skydives for her 80th birthday
Pg.6
Building caring communities with the Compassionate Neighbours Project Pg. 8
Welcome
Welcome to the first issue of our charity’s new look magazine, where we shine a light on the important work being done for the community by the team at St Raphael’s Hospice.
In this issue, we share how your support is helping our charity continue to provide free Hospice care to the people of Merton and Sutton.
We feature EMDR therapy, as we are the first hospice in the UK to offer this supportive therapy for complex grief.
We also have an update on the brand-new counselling rooms and family suite available on site – and how people like you are helping us to build leading support facilities for patients, their carers and families.
You will also find news from some of our fantastic fundraisers – like Auriel, our supporter who celebrated her 80th birthday with a skydive to raise vital funds.
I hope you enjoy this issue.
Our nurses raised over £3,500 for the Hospice
Nurses tackle Mount Snowdon
A trio of St Raphael’s nurses conquered the Mount Snowdon Night Trek over 4 and 5 August, to raise funds for the Hospice.
Clinical Nurse Specialists Lorraine, Rebecca and Kate began their 1,085m climb under moonlight and reached Snowdon’s summit in time for sunrise.
It sounded brilliant to do something that would be good for me while raising funds for the Hospice. Gifts of flowers, cake and love in support of my cancer journey really restores the faith that people genuinely care. This has also been a great reminder for me that, instead of cake or flowers at times like these, it is our Hospice who needs the vital support so we can continue helping others.
– Lorraine
EMDR Therapy
The Psychosocial team at St Raphael’s is leading the way in innovative grief support. Providing EMDR therapy, patients and bereaved loved ones are being supported to process their complex grief and trauma.
For some people, immense feelings of loss can be debilitating and without improvement over time. This is known as complex grief or persistent complex bereavement disorder, a form of PTSD. In such cases, painful emotions can become so severe that one has trouble recovering after their loss.
The mind can often heal itself naturally, in the same way the body does. Much of this healing occurs during sleep, particularly during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) utilises this natural healing ability to stimulate memory so connections can be made for the brain to process the information differently.
Using rapid eye movements is believed to relieve the distress associated with the trauma, for the original traumatic event to be viewed from a more detached perspective.
EMDR equipment includes a light bar paired with small devices, such as tappers or pulsars, controlled by an experienced counsellor specifically trained in the therapy. The counsellor taps into the necessary messages and series of questions for the brain to begin to process. This therapy enables patients to reframe the original trauma (reprocessing), and to release the body’s stored negative emotional charges around it (desensitisation). The brain is then able to integrate and adapt the experience, allowing the negative, painful emotions to give way to more resolved, empowered feelings.
“Through EMDR, we have seen patients able to think of their loved ones with joy for the first time without the consumption of grief, guilt or trauma. Seeing the positive results has been a great privilege for me and our team, and life changing for many of our patients.”
– Cecilie, Patient & Family Counsellor and EMDR Accredited Therapist at St Raphael’s Hospice
Nick Stevens
CEO, St Raphael’s Hospice
Spaces of comfort
Family Suite
With patients and loved ones positioned at the heart of everything we do at the Hospice, the recently completed Family Suite on the Inpatient Unit combines leading facilities with homely comforts.
To accommodate families with ease, the suite includes an open plan bedroom and living room, en-suite bathroom and kitchenette, leading onto a private patio and garden.
Rebecca Trower, Clinical Director at St Raphael’s says:
“We regularly have families at the Hospice. Although we have facilities for relatives to stay in the same room as a loved one, it can be difficult at times to accommodate a number of people wanting to stay with one patient. It is a great privilege for our Hospice to provide a comfortable space for families through each precious moment.”
The Family Suite also serves as a fully equipped bariatric room, which has been built to a larger scale than standard. The term “bariatric” relates to the treatment of obesity. To skilfully support our bariatric patients, a specialist overhead tracking hoist has been installed for easy movement throughout the space, as well as a bariatric bed and armchair designed for size and strength. The suite also includes a sofa bed to accommodate families overnight and will soon incorporate a TV screen and children’s console.
Counselling & Social Work Hub
St Raphael’s Psychological Support Services have recently relocated their rooms to a refurbished hub on the Hospice grounds. The new counselling spaces feature soothing colour palettes, art and plants – a tranquil, home-from-home environment for our counsellors and social workers to support patients, families and carers.
For more information on our Psychological Support Services, visit straphaels.org.uk/counselling
The new Family Suite at St Raphael’s Hospice
Sessions in the new Counselling Hub
“St Raphael’s will look after more loved ones in our lifetime than we realise. This charity is a local treasure that we must all try to support. I’ve been thinking of what I can do next!”
Auriel Glanville, 80, completed a daring skydive and raised more than £3,000
The thrill of a lifetime
Calling all daredevils! Sign up for an exhilarating skydive and help raise vital funds for our charity.
Auriel Dowty Glanville celebrated her 80th birthday with a 15,000 ft skydive, in memory of her late partner, Richard Mackie. St Raphael’s community team cared for Richard during the last few weeks of his life. She also gathered 150 friends for a big birthday bash, requesting donations made to St Raphael’s in place of gifts.
Auriel’s skydive was also in memory of friends Dave Lofthouse, Philip Beardsworth and the
young Conor Boyd, who were all in the care of St Raphael’s Hospice. In their honour, she raised more than £3,000.
She said:
The timing felt right to celebrate my 80th birthday in honour of my late partner, while fundraising for the charity that greatly supported us both. Coming from an aviation family, I have wanted to do a skydive since I was 30 years old. It just goes to show that it’s never too late to sign up, especially for such a worthy cause.
Family football fundraiser at Sutton United
Three brothers, Paul, Andrew and David, arranged a family football fundraiser in memory of their mum, after the care and support she received from St Raphael’s Hospice.
Friends and family gathered at Sutton United on 17 May for a day of football fun. Paul and David were team captains while Andrew took on the role as referee for the day. David’s team won 6-2 and together they raised £2,620 for the charity.
▲ Friends and family gathered for the fundraiser
Tim’s 106km run raised over £26,000 for the charity and counting.
Local GP takes on Isle of Wight Ultra Challenge
Local GP, Dr Tim Hodgson, from the
the
He chose to sign up for the challenge in aid of the Hospice because of the close working relationship between his practice and the medical team at Raphael’s.
Challenge yourself for your local Hospice! Sign up to one of our events or create your own, visit straphaels.org.uk/events
Wimbledon Village Practice, took on
Isle of Wight Ultra Challenge in
7 St Raphael’s Hospice
Building caring communities
Compassionate Neighbours is an award-winning social movement to promote compassion in our local communities and help to reduce loneliness and isolation.
St Raphael’s provides free training for volunteers to become Compassionate Neighbours. Volunteers are then skilfully matched with a neighbour in the community, based on their interests and personalities.
The
magic is in the match, as these supportive pairings often become natural friendships.
Compassionate Neighbours can make a truly positive difference in people’s lives by:
• Visiting regularly to share a cup of tea and a chat
• Offering friendship, emotional support and a listening ear
• Encouraging their neighbour to do things that they enjoy
• Helping their neighbour to stay connected to the community, family and friends
“The Compassionate Neighbours project has helped bring me back to life. Through the right support and companionship, it is incredible how things can change for the better. Penny, my Compassionate Neighbour, has become a wonderful friend. We both enjoy gardening and popping to garden nurseries together, shopping for plants and catching up over a coffee.”
– Graham
Since the launch of the campaign in January 2023, we have received an overwhelming response from our community in need of Compassionate Neighbours.
We are currently searching for more volunteers to support this initiative, helping us to alleviate loneliness in Merton and Sutton.
32,000 people in Merton and Sutton are often or always lonely and could do with extra support for an hour or two.* Our amazing volunteers
725 Hospice Volunteers
43 Compassionate Neighbour Volunteers
56,321 hours of volunteer time £786,000 saved for our charity
Retail for St Raphael’s
Sustainable shopping & donations made easy
Charity shops are at the forefront of sustainable retail. With people and planet in mind, charities are actively helping to reduce waste from reaching landfill. For St Raphael’s, this is a full-circle relationship that helps continue supporting the community with free Hospice care.
The Hospice has opened the doors to our newly-relocated donation centre, just over the road from the old centre, in Lodge Place. The space serves as a central hub for donations, both large and small, which are then sorted and distributed for sale across our 12 charity shops.
This was an important step forward for the sustainability of the charity’s retail arm, helping streamline an effective donation process with greater ease for the public.
Alongside the new Donation Centre, we have also opened our first furniture store, enabling us to breathe new life into pre-loved sofas, wardrobes, beds and much more. All sales go directly into providing free Hospice care for the people of Merton and Sutton.
St Raphael’s is excited to have recently opened our new clearance store in Morden too, as we look to further expand our retail presence in the community. Helping us connect with more people at the heart of our charity.
Visit the new Donation Centre at Windsor House, Lodge Place, Sutton SM1 4AU
St Raphael’s has opened our first-ever Bridal Department in Wimbledon Park.
Christmas 2023
Beautiful bridal wear for savvy brides
St Raphael’s has opened our first-ever Bridal Department in Wimbledon Park.
Our charity’s Wimbledon Park store has officially become home to an exclusive bridal section! As savvy shoppers seek out planetfriendly bargains, bridal parties are showcasing that wedding wear can be loved and pre-loved. Shop from a curated collection of dresses that deserve a second time around the dance floor. Helping their purses, planet and local Hospice.
If you would like to share the love, please donate your pre-loved wedding attire and encourage family and friends to spread the love too!
To find your nearest shop, visit straphaels.org.uk/shops
Light up a Life Services
2 & 3 December 2023
Remember and celebrate the lives of your loved ones at this special event. Enjoy choir performances, readings and the lighting of our tree, alongside Christmas stalls, food trucks and cosy indoor seating.
straphaels.org.uk/lualceremony23
10 December 2023
A new Christmas market is coming to Nonsuch Mansion. A cosy indoor market and Santa’s Grotto awaits. The perfect place to get into the festive spirit and find those unique gifts and stocking fillers! straphaels.org.uk/christmasmarket23
Santa Dash
10 December 2023
Walk, skip or run and have great family fun! Join the festivities at Nonsuch Park and you will receive your own Santa suit and a shiny medal at the finish line!
straphaels.org.uk/santadash23
Throughout December 2023
The residents of Lower Morden Lane are leaping into the Christmas spirit once again and will be showcasing their extravagant displays of lights along the lane.
straphaels.org.uk/lmllights23 Market in the Mansion
11 St Raphael’s Hospice
New Year
Skydive Day
12 May 2024
Salisbury
If you’ve ever fancied the idea of freefalling from over 10,000ft, reaching speeds of 125mph, then sign up to skydive for your local Hospice.
This adrenaline fuelled challenge is certainly something to cross off your bucket list!
Jurassic Coast
18 - 19 May 2024
Various start locations depending on distance
Choose your distance from 10km to 100km as you trek through this Spectacular World Heritage coastline.
Highlights include Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, Portland Bill & Chesil Beach.
Snowdon Sea to Summit
5 - 6 July 2024
Snowdonia National Park
Peddle, paddle and trek your way through Snowdonia National Park as you take on this amazing 30-mile challenge.
Start on a bike, finish in a kayak and climb Mount Snowdon in the middle!
