Your
HOSPICE MATTERS SPECIAL EDITION
APRIL 2020
Fundraising as a family
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elcome to this special edition of Your Hospice Matters. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, we have adapted the full newsletter we would have normally sent out at this time of year to bring you news from the hospice and also let you know about the ways you can still support the hospice from home through this period of social distancing. As our supporters we’re incredibly grateful for everything you do to support the hospice and we’re sending our thanks and best wishes to all of you during this very difficult time.
Mistry family’s Scafell adventure in honour of ‘Kamubaa’
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hen the Mistry family’s matriarch, Kamlaben Amritbhai Mistry, known as KamuBaa by her grandkids, was cared for at the hospice, they wanted to show their thanks. Manesh, her grandson said: “We wanted to help other families have access to the services that Cynthia Spencer provided to us. It was the least we could do and our grandmother would’ve agreed that giving back to such a worthwhile
cause would help others.” “The respect and kindness from the hospice meant she was able to live out the time she had in ease with great support. She had a fantastic life married to my grandfather, Amritlal and they were able to spend time together at the hospice which meant everything to us. She had a massive family that supported her as she had supported us her whole life 4 children, 3 daughters in-laws,
1 son-in-law, 15 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren!” So how did the family decide on doing the Scafell Pike walk to raise money? Manesh explains: “As a family we do a challenge a year to help give us goals to achieve so Scafell Pike was a great choice. We knew there was only one charity that we wanted to support and that was Cynthia Spencer as it was the least we could do after they did everything for our family.”
How you can help us from home The Coronavirus crisis is affecting all of us in many different ways and we are all facing a period of uncertainty. One thing that is for certain though is that the hospice needs to continue to provide specialist palliative care to the people of Northamptonshire and support for their families, both within the hospice and throughout the county. We are asking for your help in ensuring we can do that. With months of uncertainty and guidelines around social distancing and restrictions on gatherings we will see a significant reduction in donations due to events and collections being cancelled over the coming weeks and months. In response to this we ask you if you could please consider supporting us in virtual ways which don’t require social contact but can still help make you feel connected to your community, your friends and your family. Visit our website to find out more https://www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk/get-involved/help-us-from-home/
Fundraise from your home Spencer’s Mission Stay Home Staying in is the new going out! Join Spencer in taking part in our ‘Spencer’s Mission Stay Home’, a virtual challenge to stay active at home whilst helping the hospice.
Trip to Tokyo
Take on our virtual long distance challenge. Even though the 2020 Olympics have been postponed it won’t stop our Trip to Tokyo.
Horticultural Heroes
Now we’re mainly confined to our homes while our social and travel plans have been put on hold for some time, it’s a great time to get your garden ready for what will hopefully be a brighter summer! Throw in a bit of a competitive edge and of course doing something fantastic to support your local hospice while indulging your green fingered skills, and what do you have? Horticultural Heroes! Choose the category that best suits your style of gardening and get out there and plant, prune and pot your way to some great prizes!
Create a facebook fundraiser
As we’re all spending much more time at home with not much to do, we’re all spending more time on social media so it’s a perfect time for you to set up a Facebook Fundraiser for the hospice!
Caveman Corona
No Barbers? No Groomers? Grow those ‘lock down’ locks to help Cynthia Spencer raise money during this challenging period. Text CAVEMAN plus the amount to 70085, i.e CAVEMAN £XX to 70085
Special honour for former hospice nurse
Hospice News
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ackie Phillips, a former Cynthia Spencer nurse (pictured here with Rocky the hospice dog) passed away last year and was honoured posthumously with a Cavell Star Award. The Cavell Star Awards are national awards given to nurses, midwives, nursing assistants and healthcare assistants who shine bright and show exceptional care to their colleagues, patients and families of patients. In 1986, Jackie became Senior Clinical Nurse at the hospice then becoming Nurse Manager of Palliative Care for Northamptonshire before her retirement in 2006. Richard Glasspool, Service Manager for Specialist Palliative Care, said: “Jackie was held in high respect by all who knew her and there are many staff who have been managed by her in her time at the hospice who all hold fond memories.”
from the sofa Fundraise from your sofa
Shop our eBay store You’ll be amazed at what wonders you’ll find in our eBay store.
Play our Lottery
New ultrasound scan machine makes a huge difference to patient care
Support the hospice and be in with the chance of winning cash prizes.
Use Amazon Smile
If you’re ordering more things online now, don’t forget to use Amazon Smile and select us as your chosen charity.
Make a regular gift Donate a small amount regularly to help us fund important projects and help our clinical teams plan better.
Donate your saved
Saving petrol money or coffee funds and able to donate that saving to the hospice, however small? Please text CYNTHIA plus the amount to 70085
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octor Reema Pal, one of the speciality doctors in palliative care at the hospice cycled from London to Paris in 2018 to raise money to support the purchase of an ultrasound scan machine to help identify fluid in the abdomens of patients suffering from cancer. Before the ultrasound scan machine was purchased, patients would have had to go to hospital to have the scan done which can be quite a stressful experience. Reema explains: “Out of the patients who have been scanned using the new machine, most of them have avoided a hospital visit so it has really simplified the process and made a huge difference to patient care”. The scan machine is also portable so it can be used either on the inpatient
ward at Cynthia Spencer or Cransley hospice, at an outpatients clinic or in the patient’s home. Reema would definitely encourage people to take on a challenge to help raise money: “This equipment will be my legacy from my 10 years working at the hospice so far so I would encourage anyone to achieve their fundraising goal by taking on a challenge and come together with family and friends to raise money”. Check out our challenges now by visiting www.cynthiaspencer.org. uk/challenges or calling 01604 973346 to speak to Sarah, our Events Fundraiser who will help you choose the right challenge for you!
Tribute to Simon Schanschieff OBE
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e would like to pay tribute to Simon Schanschieff, a wellknown figure in Northampton who passed away at the hospice in November 2019. Simon devoted over 30 years to supporting the hospice and was an integral figure in key fundraising appeals to rebuild the hospice. A plaque bearing his name hangs in the hospice reception. Simon was awarded an OBE in 1995 for services to Healthcare
Pam, her daughter and granddaughter volunteering at Cycle4Cynthia
Gifts in Wills: creating magical memories for future generations
back, to say thank you for the way the hospice cared t’s a place where tears and laughter go for Dad,” said Pam. “Cynthia Spencer is hand in hand. Even after more than 30 so dear to my heart. People arrive in pain and discomfort, scared and anxious. years, I still feel passionate about the But here they receive incredible care. hospice.” Patients and their families are able to Pam Nock has been involved with smile again and laugh together.” Cynthia Spencer Hospice for a long As the Chair of Trustees, Pam knows time. Back in the 1980s, her father more than most the pressures on was cared for here until his death. Her hospice services. This year, Cynthia mother, who Pam says ‘was overcome Spencer has to raise £1.3m to cover with grief’, received vital bereavement care. And shortly afterwards, when the costs, and the need to provide increasingly complex care means that hospice became a charity, Pam signed will rise in future. up as a trustee. “If everyone gave a gift in their Will, Over three decades, Pam has seen no matter the size, it would make a huge countless families supported through the hospice. Recently, she added Cynthia difference,” said Pam. “It’s a wonderful Spencer Hospice as a beneficiary in her way of ensuring the hospice is here Will – and is now encouraging others to for the Northampton community, our consider doing the same.“Leaving a gift in children and grandchildren, long into my Will is a way of giving something the future.”
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More information can be found at www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk/makeawill
Congratulations to our
£19,000 rollover winner!
Make a Will Month May 2020
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t the time of going to print our Make a Will Month in May will still be going ahead. However, our participating solicitors will be offering alternative arrangements for client meetings, such as video conferencing and telephone calls in light of current social distancing guidelines. This year our supporting solicitors have kindly donated a number of appointments free of charge to help you make or update your Will. Instead of paying the solicitor for their expertise, they just ask that you make a donation instead to Cynthia Spencer Hospice. To find out more about leaving a gift in your Will for the hospice, or get your Make a Will Month pack, list of solicitors and voucher by contacting John on 01604 973342 or email john@cynthiaspencer.co.uk
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e had the pleasure recently of handing over a cheque for £19,000 to one of our supporters who has scooped the biggest ever Your Hospice Lottery jackpot! Our lucky winner said: “When I was told over the phone how much I’d won I couldn’t believe it. I had to get them to say it again! I never realised you could win this much as I’ve only ever won £10 before. I’ll certainly be continuing to support Cynthia Spencer Hospice by playing the lottery as I have had friends and neighbours cared for so have visited the hospice many times and it’s important to me to support a local cause”. Since Cynthia Spencer joined Your Hospice Lottery nearly 6 years ago, our lottery supporters have raised a total of just under £600,000. That’s around £100,000 per year which is amazing so thank you all so much! Lucky winners have received £115,535 in total including 29 £1,000 weekly winners and 4 rollover winners.
Why not join our Lottery today and you’ll be making a difference to our patients while also being in with a chance of winning big cash prizes! You can join either by visiting www.yourhospicelottery.org.uk/hospices/cynthia-spencerhospice.aspx by calling 0800 285 1390 or by emailing the Lottery team on lottery@yourhospicelottery.org.uk. Facebook “f ” Logo
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