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Hospice News

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35th Celebrations – thank you for everything!

Join us this Christmas

Jingle Bell Jog

What’s inside ...

pg 4 & 5

pg 6

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Your Hospice News Autumn 20142

ContentsWelcome ................................................................................ 3

35th Celebrations – thank you for everything! ....... 4 & 5

Join us this Christmas ..................................................6 & 7

Spotlight on – Hospice at Home ................................ 8 & 9

Light up a Life ......................................................................10

Ready Steady Bake ..............................................................11

Upcoming Events ...............................................................12

About your newsletter .......................................................12

[email protected] www.birminghamhospice.org.uk

Welcome to our autumn edition of your Hospice news. With the Christmas period just around the corner our thoughts are with our patients past and present and their families for what will undoubtedly be a difficult time of year for them.

We are approaching our Season of Remembrance and our special Light up a Life appeal, we know many of you support this important campaign year on year and we hope to see you here at the hospice again this December. Christmas is our busiest time in fundraising and we have lots of exciting events and campaigns to share with you as well as other updates about the Hospice and the part we play within the community.

By supporting Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice you have already made a positive difference to the lives of many patients and their loved ones. We are extremely grateful for your on-going support, as it really does mean so much.

We hope you enjoy your newsletter

Thank you. Birmingham St Mary's Hospice Fundraising Team

dearFriends

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What a year!Thank you for the part you have played:

Became a research hospice. Did you know that the Hospice integrates teaching into its clinical practice? We offer advice and support to GP’s and District Nurses. We also aim to support the improvement of generalist and specialist palliative care through formal accredited training and workshops. This year, we have now officially become a research active Hospice and aim to build an evidence base for the development and transformation of palliative care.


Celebrations35th

We launched our very first Ready Steady Bake competition

and hundreds of people got involved making fabulous cakes and holding Bake Sales to help

raise money for the Hospice.

Completed our new Harry Moseley Family Centre - A new facility which will allow families living with terminal illness to spend precious time together opened in May. The opening of the family centre is the result of an exciting partnership between the Hospice and Help Harry Help Others (hhho.

org.uk), which donated funds, along with the Department of Health. The Harry Moseley Family

Centre at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice will enable families to stay at the Hospice to be with

a loved one whilst medical and nursing staff manage the symptoms of an illness, assess a patient’s readiness to return home, or during

their precious final days.

[email protected] www.birminghamhospice.org.uk 5

On 18th July we opened our first shop in Solihull. The opening was

attended by staff, Hospice supporters and local residents. Located at 387A Warwick Rd,

Solihull it is the 13th store. Head of Trading, Lorna Forrest said: “I am so excited about

our new Solihull store. Last year the Hospice cared for 82 patients and their families from across the local area, so it’s great to finally have a retail presence here. We have some

really high quality items being sold in the shop, which has a boutique feel to it.

My team and I look forward to welcoming the local residents”

In September, we welcomed our new Chairman of the Board of Trustees Vijith Randeniya, OBE.

Vijith has recently retired from his position as Chief Fire Officer for West Midlands Fire Service

which he made a safer and more prosperous organisation. Amongst other non-executive,

advisory and visiting lecturer roles he has served as Chairman of Birmingham Metropolitan

College and President of the Chief Fire Officers' Association. Vijith brings vision and a wealth of

experience.

Vij said: “I look forward to making a contribution to an organisation that does such fantastic work.”

Day Hospice Lead Nurse Helen Smith

shaved her head and raised over £1,000!

A great night – 100’s of you joined us for

our 35th anniversary Moonlight Memories Walk making it our

biggest event to date!

A special celebration took place in the summer,

we welcomed 100’s of you to our Selly Park Family Fun Day, a great way to get to know some local families

and raise awareness of our important work.


The festive season is a very busy time of year for Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice.

We have activities galore for you and the whole family and there is sure to be something to get you in the festive spirit and at the same time helping us to raise vital money to support less fortunate families this Christmas. From dressing up as Santa, singing Christmas carols to going green and recycling your tree, get involved and have fun with us this winter.

Join us this Christmas and help us to care for

more families living with terminal

illness

[email protected] www.birminghamhospice.org.uk

For all you wannabe Santa’s why not come along to the hilarious Jingle Bell Jog. This will be the first ever Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice Christmas run and we’d love it if you could come along and join in the festive fun.

The two mile fun run will start and finish at the beautiful Kings Heath Park at 11am on Sunday 7th December. Hundreds of Santa’s will be donning their FREE Santa suit and running, jogging, walking or stumbling around the course in aid of the Hospice.

Open to the whole family including the dog, this fun filled event is sure to get you in the festive spirit.

If you are more of a practical person and want to get rid of your tree before your carpet turns green with pine needles, then sign up to Treecycling. We will collect your Christmas tree in return for a donation and you will be supporting your Hospice and the environment. Sorted!

If you would like more details about our Christmas activities then please contact: [email protected]

Jingle Bell Jog

The Christmas PosterSave the time and

hassle of sending cards this year and request a

Christmas poster

8 Your Hospice News Autumn 2014

Our exciting Christmas Treecycling scheme is back for 2015! We are inviting you to save yourself the hassle of taking your real Christmas tree to the local tip by letting us do the hard work instead.

In return for a minimum suggested donation of £10, your tree will be collected by our fantastic corporate volunteers and taken to Birmingham City Council’s household recycling centres, where your tree will be turned into compost.

We will be collecting in the following postcode areas: B13, B14, B15, B17, B28, B30, B29, B31, B38, B27, B26

If you live in one of the above listed postcode areas and would like to book your tree collection now, please visit www.birminghamhospice.org.uk/treecycling or contact the Fundraising Department on 0121 472 1191.

This initiative is kindly supported by Birmingham City Council, along with our friends at Dawnus, Fitzgerald Civil Engineering Contractors, Mott MacDonald, Opal Contracts, RAW, Shaylor Group, Whiting Landscapes, Lyndale Estates Maintenance and Forum for the Built Environment.

Northfield Methodist Church support the Christmas Poster campaign

Northfield Methodist Church are getting into the festive spirit by supporting Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice’s Christmas Poster campaign.

The Church have been supporting the Hospice since 1990 through regular collections in their services and by taking part in the Christmas poster campaign. Indeed their fundraising efforts have now raised over £11,000 for the Hospice!

Joyce and Greville Ferry, members at the church have been instrumental in managing the Christmas fundraising. Joyce speaks about why they first started fundraising for the Hospice in 1990:

“We had quite a few members that were troubled with cancer around that time which I suppose awakened the interest really”

Sarah Barber-Jones, Fundraising Projects Office at the Hospice says:

“The Christmas Poster campaign is one of our Hospice’s annual fundraisers. The Christmas Poster is a fun alternative to sending Christmas cards! You can display the A2 poster in your office, classroom or at home. Get everyone to write their festive messages on the poster and make a donation to Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice.”.

The Christmas Poster campaign raised just under £6,000 in 2013. Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice is encouraging people to get involved this year to raise even more money to support local families living with terminal illness.

www.birminghamhospice.org.uk/christmasposter

Tree cycling

We collect your Christmas tree

you support your

hospice


Thank you Sandwell for making Onesie in the Park a great success

The fun and popular ‘Onesie and Wellie Walk’ event attracted 112 participants and several canine

friends in the three mile stroll around Sandwell Valley Park.

27 sea cadets marshalled the route for the Hospice as well as volunteers and participants who all helped to make the day

a great success.

Lucy Watson, Events Manager, Birmingham St Mary’s

Hospice said: “It was such a beautiful and warm Autumnal day for a fun event. I would just like to thank all the wonderful people of Sandwell for coming along and supporting our Hospice. We even had the former Lady Mayoress joining in the fun. The care we provide makes a difference to so many patients and families at the hardest time of their lives.”

Join us for our next fun-filled sponsored event on Sunday 7th December. The Jingle Bell Jog is a 2 mile fun run around Kings Heath Park.

Hospice employee jumps from plane in charity skydive

Lucy is more at home arranging exciting and adventurous events for the general public to raise funds for Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice. But she decided that it was time to face the fear and experience the thrill of a skydive for herself.

Lucy Watkins said: “Since starting work at the Hospice, I’ve been inspired by the hard work of the doctors, nurses and counsellors that I felt I wanted to do something to raise funds. It was an amazing experience if not a little scary. But I felt great after completing the challenge and would like to do it again.”

Lucy raised £520 for Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice. If you would like to follow in her footsteps, then you can sign up to a Hospice skydive weekend on the 14 and 15 March 2015. Further details are on the website: www.birminghamhospice.org.uk/Event/skydive.

It’s never too late to take on a charity challenge

In April this year, 71 year old grandfather, Graham Butler, from Birmingham, cycled over 300 miles in four days in aid of Birmingham St Mary's Hospice.Graham's wife Aoibheann was cared for at the Hospice after being diagnosed with a terminal illness in 2010. Following Aoibheann's passing in 2010, keen cyclist Graham decided to undertake the London to Paris cycle challenge to raise funds for the Hospice alongside his daughter, Helen.

Graham said: “Helen and I were keen to embark on a challenge like the one Aoibheann faced in those 10 months of her illness. This was a really huge task for me, so I aimed to raise as much money for the Hospice as possible.”

Graham raised an amazing £6415.19 for the Hospice, which was in itself an amazing achievement.

As we go to press, Hospice Volunteer Counsellor Alison Paris is taking on the challenge of a lifetime. She is completing a week long trek through dense jungle and along treacherous mountain passes in Vietnam all in aid of the Hospice.

Alison has been training hard in preparation for the trek and to date has raised an amazing £2171. There is still time to support Alison in her Vietnam challenge by donating online www.justgiving.com/Alison-Paris

So are you feeling inspired to take on the next big challenge? If so, why not consider complete the 3 Cities Cycle Challenge next July or join our group of explorers trekking through Nepal next November? Visit the website for details – www.birminghamhospice.org.uk

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Offering a wider range of services than ever before, we wanted to share some highlights with you. In this edition, we will focus on Hospice at Home:

Hospice at Home offers a complete package for patients when they are nearing the end of their lives and wish to be cared for at home. The service enables our patients to be cared for in a familiar environment surrounded by their loved ones.

Hospice atHome

Spotlight on



Q

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Here is a quick question and answer session with Trish Squire our Lead nurse for Hospice at Home:

Why extend the Hospice service in people’s homes, Trish?

“Well, for many years Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice has offered care in the community through its Community Palliative Care Team, even offering palliative care services in prisons and nursing homes. The development of the Hospice at Home service has enabled us to care for people who are at the final stage of their illness and have expressed a wish to die at home.”

Why is it so important to offer people choice?

"It is really important that people are in an environment they feel most comfortable with and surrounded by loved ones. We knew there was a demand to provide this service for the local community and the care is very much planned to the individual’s needs. It is really important that we raise awareness that people can be cared for in the familiarity of their own home.”

How does a Hospice at Home nurse help the family?

"We provide personal care which gives the family a break and more time to be a wife, husband, son or daughter. We also follow a holistic model of care which means we look after the emotional and psychological needs of our patients and their families. In simple terms this means we have time to sit and listen and talk to the family and address their concerns."

Why did you decide to become a nurse?

"I wanted a vocational career not just a job."

Who do you most admire?

"My Mom!"

Why should the Hospice at Home service continue?

"Because there is no other service like ours in the area and we provide excellent end of life care in partnership with district nurses and GP's."

How can the public help to keep the service going?

"By supporting us, by visiting our shops, by telling other people about us!"


“A memory is a keepsake of time that lives forever in the heart”

On Thursday 11th December, join us here at the Hospice and unite with others to remember your lost loved one. Light up a Life is a very special event which takes place each year in December.

Thousands of people dedicate the name of their lost loved one so that their name will appear in the Book of Remembrance which is on display at the event. With two ceremonies taking place, one at 4.30pm and one at 7.30pm, the events are free to attend and the whole family are warmly invited. Although it is a night to remember, it is very much a celebration of the lives of people who sadly are no longer with us. It is a wonderful festive evening with local school choirs singing some festive favourites along with adult choirs and musical performances from other local groups.

There are two ways to get involved, make a donation and dedicate the name of your loved one to the Book of Remembrance, or come to the event itself in December for a special celebratory evening.

To make a donation and to find our more about this years event vist www.birminghamhospice.org.uk or call 0121 472 1191


Ready Steady Bake is coming back in 2015 - help us celebrate the Hospice's birthday and support our patients.

Exclusive to you - email [email protected] or call 0121 472 1191 to be put on our VIP mailing list to be the first to receive info on this campaign. By doing so you will be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a Christmas Hamper!

[email protected] www.birminghamhospice.org.ukYour Hospice News

Upcoming Events & about your newsletter

14

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice 176 Raddlebarn Road Selly Park, Birmingham B29 7DA

Tel: 0121 472 1191 Fax: 0121 472 5075

St Mary’s Hospice Ltd registered in England No. 1161308. Registered Charity No. 503456

Support your Hospice:

Jingle Bell Jog – Sunday 7th DecemberJoin us in your Santa Suit for some festive fun and a 2 mile run around Kings Heath Park

Light up a Life - Thursday 11th December Unite with others and remember your lost loved one at our special evening of remembrance. Donate and dedicate a name or join us at this free event open to the whole family

Treecycling - Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th January Go green for Birmingham St Mary's Hospice and donate to have your tree collected and recycled by our fantastic volunteers. On Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th January we will have an army of volunteers waiting to collect Christmas trees to be recycled and all we are asking for is a donation to support our work caring for terminally ill people in your local communities

Ready Steady Bake – March 2015Get Baking and join in with this year’s ‘Ready Steady Bake’ – throughout March join others as they raise money through bake sales, baking competitions and other cake related activities

About your newsletterPlease also let us know what you would like to hear about?

→ Runs and walks

→ Challenge events

→ Family Activities

→ Volunteer opportunities

→ Staff and volunteers

→ Fundraising highlights

Would you like to share your story?Raising awareness of what the Hospice does is very important. Many people in Birmingham are still unaware of the services we provide and the different ways we help both individuals and families. The best way for us to teach others about what we do is to share personal stories from people who have experienced the care and support provided by the Hospice. Raising awareness in this way helps us to raise more vital funds to support our on-going work. If you have been touched by the Hospice and would like to share your story, please get in touch with us.

Contact: Jodie WiltshirePR Projects [email protected]

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