to provide the welcome message in this Autumn issue and give you an update on Wellbeing at Cynthia Spencer, the area of Cynthia Spencer’s service that I have the pleasure of leading. As you’ll read on page three, myself and my team are thrilled that most of our programmes are now able to take place with patients face to face. After two years of disruption to our service where only video and online sessions could be held, it’s great to have our patients back in the Wellbeing Centre. We’ve also launched new areas of our service to create much further reaching care and support to them, their families and their carers.
Acknowledging our amazing supporters for their unwavering help over the past couple of years is so important to everyone at Cynthia Spencer. In this issue we dedicate two pages to saying ‘thank you’ to as many individuals, groups and businesses as possible who have gone several extra miles to raise money for the hospice.
As we move into the Autumn and Winter months we look ahead, as always, to our Tree of Love services. This year our Cathedral services take place on 13th and 15th December and give you the opportunity to dedicate a light on our tree to your loved ones, whether they were cared for by the hospice or not. We hope you’ll complete the dedication form on page 15 and join us at one of the services.
Also, on page seven you’ll read Gwen’s story. Gwen is a patient of mine and shares her thoughts on how attending our Wellbeing programmes have helped her stay as active as possible and supported her in managing her condition.
We also feature, as usual, other ways you can get involved with fundraising to support the hospice. From events and challenges to fundraising at work, there are many ways you can make a difference and we hope to inspire you and get thinking what you could do.
I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Your Hospice Matters. The fundraising team would love to hear your feedback so please do drop them an email on fundraising@cynthiaspencer.co.uk if you have any comments or would like to be added to the email mailing list. Thank you again for your continuing support and we wish you all the very best for a forthcoming festive season.
Cynthia Spencer Hospice Charity
The Fundraising Office
Cynthia Spencer Hospice
Pondwood House, Pondwood Close Moulton Park, Northampton NN3 6RT
Telephone: 01604 973340
Email: fundraising@cynthiaspencer.co.uk www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk
Registered Charity Number 1174402 Company Number 10934348
Thedoors of our Wellbeing at Cynthia Spencer Centre are well and truly open again with almost all sessions now taking place face to face. Our service was paused during the height of the pandemic with a recovery plan in place to ensure that patients who needed the help of the Wellbeing team could have access to programmes as soon as possible. This resulted in video and online sessions being available for patients to follow at home covering symptoms like fatigue and breathlessness together with seated Tai Chi and relaxation.
But now the Wellbeing team are able to support more patients face to face so are keen to ensure that people who may benefit from our service are able to access the support and advice offered by our team of therapists. Referral into the Wellbeing
Centre is via the patient’s GP, nurse or other healthcare practitioner and the service operates from its site at Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Northampton, Monday to Friday from 10am until 4pm.
A patient who saw the piece said: Wellbeing in the news!
You may have spotted the news piece that went out on BBC Look East in August. The film featured members of the team and patients currently receiving support from Wellbeing who talked about the increased benefits of sessions now happening face to face.
The therapy led approach to our care helps patients identify their own goals and wishes for their care while being supported by our team.
New programmes are now in place in addition to the ongoing sessions:
*NEW* Progressive Neurology Support Group
*NEW* Wellbeing Activity Group
Fatigue, Anxiety and Breathlessness management (FAB Group)
Gym Buddies
“Congratulations on a very worthwhile news item, we would be lost without the work you people are doing.”
Walking Group Seated Tai Chi Wellbeing Friends and Family Support Group Wellbeing Information Programme
Onefoursix took part in this year’s Franklins £40 Challenge and local businesses came out in force to help them raise over £600 from a breakfast, lunch and BBQ
James Bevan took on the Easter 50 Challenge in memory of his Mum who was cared for at the hospice and raised £218.00
9 members of the IT team at Travis Perkins took part in the Yorkshire Three Peaks in memory of their colleague and raised £5,834
Friends and family of Mark ‘Gozzer’ Gosling ran an event in his memory in April at The Picturedrome. It’s the 5th year of the event and the total raised was £7,242
Sophie and Ellie Evans bravely abseiled down the National Abseil Centre tower and raised a total of £1,045.00
Barclays have been back in force when it comes to volunteering, most recently by helping out with gardening at the hospice
Unfortunately we don’t have enough space to feature everyone on these pages but we are continually grateful for everything you do for us.
DHU Healthcare made an amazing donation of £7,510 as part of their 2022 flu campaign
This year’s Harley Davidson Run in Northampton in April raised £5,710, a record fundraising total for the event
The Minerva golf day which took place at Collingree Park Golf Club in July raised an amazing £8,566 for the hospice
Northamptonshire Indoor Bowls Club raffled off Easter hampers and raised £256
Towcester deputy Mayor, David Tarbun raised £2,000 as part of his London Marathon fundraising with his 120 mile Watling Street Walk
Baxter Healthcare have recently taken on Cynthia Spencer as their charity of the year with plenty of activity already planned including a family fun day which raised £714
St Crispins have raised over £600 to date through bake sales, hosting our hospice choir at events and also a head shave!
Northampton Academy made the hospice one of the school’s Charities of the Year and together staff and pupils have raised over £1,000
right, your little ones could be receiving a call or letter from the North Pole! Take part in our festive fundraising treat to bring plenty of Christmas cheer to your home and to our patients too!
Give them a very special Christmas memory they’ll never forget – a natter with ol’ Saint Nick himself, just to check up on how the Christmas list is coming on, or a personalised letter to your little one complete with a bag of food to put out for Rudolph and the other reindeers on Christmas Eve.
Hall School have donated a wonderful £15,000 from the proceeds of their 70th anniversary ball held in May this year.
The hospice was one of three charities chosen by the pupils to receive donations because they held particular significance to members of the school community. Jenny, our community fundraiser said as she received the cheque: “To have received a share of this amazing sum from Spratton Hall School’s fundraising is truly remarkable. It’s really inspiring to see an organisation and its stakeholders work together in support of their community and everyone should be incredibly proud of their achievements”.
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coming to sessions run bythe team.
“The service has definitely given me motivation. Through coming to the sessions, I have met other people like myself with similar conditions who are struggling with health and mobility issues. As the staff have time to listen and answer questions it makes you feel supported and able to discuss your situation with other people.”
patient, Gwen shared how the hospice’s Wellbeing service helps her to cope with her progressive neurological condition called Multi Systems Atrophy (MSA)
“I first found out about how the Wellbeing service could help me following meetings with Dr Acharya who told me that I could benefit emotionally as well as educationally from coming to sessions run by the team.”
“I first found out about how the Wellbeing service could help me following meetings with Dr Acharya who told me that I could benefit
Gwen has attended nine weeks of programmes covering education on how to manage her symptoms at home and how to maintain physical activity through exercise.
So far she has taken part in the Progressive Neurological Conditions support Group and the Wellbeing Information Programme which includes the topics of Advance Care Planning, falls prevention and fatigue management.
She has also attended special sessions provided by hospice staff such as chaplain, Gerard which she said brought her “feelings of comfort and mindfulness”.
Gwen is also planning to take part in the Seated Tai Chi group.
Gwen’s family are equally as supportive of the service and the way it helps patients. “My daughter thinks highly of this service along with my grandson and they will be taking part in the Cycle4Cynthia fundraising event in support of the hospice.
“My other family members and carer feel very grateful that I am able to join in and benefit from the Wellbeing service and taking part in the recent TV new story helped me re-unite with some friends I hadn’t see for five years or so.
So would Gwen recommend the Wellbeing service to other patients? “Definitely. I think everyone in my kind of position, struggling with health issues, would greatly benefit from the kind, caring and wonderful environment that the Wellbeing centre provides.”
“I feel at the centre you find valuable time and the chance to be in the presence of people who really empathise and understand your feelings and concerns.”
Wellbeing service could also help you or a friend,
visit www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk/wellbeing or call the team on 03000 271256
Jayne Hill was a friend, volunteer and then staff member of the hospice charity. A popular member of the team, her friend Sue described her as “a kind, caring and sensitive person and a very loyal friend” and that loyalty to Cynthia Spencer Hospice was made clear when Jayne passed away in 2016, leaving a gift in her Will for the hospice.
Sue said: “Jayne absolutely loved working at the hospice. It became her family; I don’t think she would have ever retired. She loved the people she worked with too. While she had no family connection at the hospice, her Dad had cancer and she’d cared for him at home before and he died at the General. I think it was that link with caring for people who were coping with a life limiting illness that made her volunteer in the first instance.”
“Jayne had told me she was leaving a third of her estate to Cynthia Spencer Hospice but she never talked about what she hoped the donation would be used for”.
The gift that Jayne left for the hospice will be used to help support the running costs of creating a very special centre within the hospice grounds. The new building will be used for Wellbeing sessions, carer support, bereavement sessions, End of Life education programmes and to support the inpatient unit.
An engraved Forget Me Not flower will also be placed in the Legacy Meadow within the hospice woodland as a lasting memorial to Jayne and the wonderful gift she has left to the hospice. For every gift we have received, we will contact the family members of the person who has left the gift to offer them the chance to also have an engraved flower placed in a spot within the woodland that was special to their loved one. They can then come back and visit their flower in the future. As the flowers are wrought iron and completely weatherproof they will also last as long as the kind legacy gift we have been given.
To find out more about how to leave a gift to the hospice in your Will, please visit www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk/ leavingagiftinyourwill where you will be able to download our full brochure. You can also email legacy@cynthiaspencer.co.uk or call 01604 973340 to find out more
Our way of saying thank you for gifts left in Wills
We’re excited to bring you another fantastic raffle this year as we approach the festive season. Last year we ran our first ever raffle, the 45th Anniversary Cash Prize Draw, which was received with such generosity by our supporters. It also raised a significant amount for the hospice which helped make an impact on the income we lost during the Covid lockdowns.
and the challenges on fundraising, we’re asking if you will support our patients and their families
as our charity is still recovering from the lingering effects of the
again this year by taking part in our Winter Raffle either online or by buying
you buy a ticket in our raffle you will be in with a chance of winning one of our amazing prizes. Why not get
tickets.
family and colleagues involved in this year’s raffle – every ticket purchased will help local people who need end of life care and also provide support to their families.
to buy tickets If you would like to take part in our raffle, there are two different ways you can do this.
To buy online tickets to be entered in our raffle please visit our website www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk/winterraffle2022 and following the instructions on our page. Physical raffle tickets: If you would like physical raffle ticket books please call 0330 123 1124 or email fundraising@cynthiaspencer.co.uk and we will send you raffle ticket books. You can ask for as many tickets as you like to increase your chances of winning.
dates: The closing date to purchase your tickets is 30th November 2022 and the draw date is 7th December 2022. Winners will be notified initially by phone on 7th December 2022 and then in writing. Any entries received after 30th November will be treated as a donation. Full Terms and Conditions can be read on our website at www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk/winterraffle2022
In June this year father and daughter, Mike and Kristina, were finally able to achieve their fundraising dream of climbing the highest peak in the UK, Ben Nevis in Scotland, after two years of cancellations.
This amazing challenge will see you travel between two iconic cities as you complete one of the best fundraising events in Europe. From English countryside to the Eiffel Tower, what an achievement it will be to see your hard work translating into fundraising for the hospice! To find out more and register, visit www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk/ challenge-event/london-to-paris-2023
Mike’s father and Kristina’s grandad, Derek, spent his last few days in the hospice’s inpatient unit after suffering from kidney failure in 2019. Derek had previously been a part time driver for the hospice as well as a keen choir singer, bowls player and member of the Scout movement.
Mike said: “The care he received from all of the staff was second to none and he was given all the respect we would all wish for our loved ones. He was only in the hospice for a short time and on the night he sadly passed away the staff were marvellous. We couldn’t thank them enough and we decided we had to do something to raise some money for this very worthwhile cause.
So the choice of climbing Ben Nevis was made! The pair viewed it as a sufficient enough challenge but a manageable one and as keen walkers, it was a good fit. Mike told us that following the cancellations they both had extra motivation and to make sure they could do their climb in light of the loss of fundraising caused by the pandemic. So how did the challenge go? Mike told us: “Once we reached the summit, we were both very tired but so happy that we had made it. We were with a group of 9 and we all shared just for a moment the feeling of “have we really done it,” it did seem a little surreal! The mist lifted thankfully for a few minutes and the view was breath-taking across the highlands. We are so glad that we did it.”
In total Mike and Kristina raised over £1,700 which considering the delays and restrictions they experienced is a great amount. Though they don’t have any plans to return to Ben Nevis, they’d definitely recommend it to others: “It is a good feeling to be able to raise funds for such a worthwhile cause while challenging yourself so it’s a win-win!”
If you’re one of those lucky marathon runners who has bagged a place in next year’s London Marathon why not run for us? Make this amazing running challenge even more special by dedicating your marathon to the hospice to help us support more patients and their families in the future. Contact Sarah on 01604 973346 or email events@cynthiaspencer.co.uk for more information on how to start fundraising for the hospice now
If Mike and Kristina’s story has inspired you to try a fundraising trek yourself, we have plenty to choose from so 2023 could be your year and we’d love to support you while you fundraise for the hospice.
Visit www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk/ get-involved/challenges/ or email events@cynthiaspencer.co.uk to find out more
It’s gift giving season! We have a variety of amazing new and pre-loved items that could be the ideal gift for someone you love with all profits going towards the hospice. Wouldn’t this be the perfect way to add extra special meaning to your presents
shop at Pondwood Close, Moulton Park is now open every Saturday! We have extended our opening hours to include 9am-3pm on Saturdays as well as being open 9am-4.30pm Mondays to Fridays. We’d love to see you for a browse around our fantastic range of homewares, clothing, toys and much more where you can buy sustainably while supporting our hospice. Come and visit Northampton’s best kept secret and see what bargains you can pick up!
Could you be like our super volunteer,
like to say thank you to Jan and all our fabulous volunteers who give up their time to help us in our Donation Station! If you think you would like to come and support us we are always grateful for any time you may have on weekdays and on Saturdays.
Recently Minerva, PBC Business Recovery and Insolvency, Direct Plant Sales with Carmac Building & Civil Engineering have held successful golf days for us. Request your golf day planning guide by emailing nina@cynthiaspencer.co.uk or call 01604 973348 and start planning your event!
Could you run your own golf day to support the hospice? With our help and support, it’s really easy as we can provide you with a planning guide so you can ensure everything is covered for your day! Plus we have handy videos on our website to give you all the hints and tips you need. Just visit the link below to find out more. Golf days are a great way to raise money and of course network with local businesses. From initial meetings with the golf course to sponsorship and fundraising ideas the guide has it all covered!
rely heavily on corporate volunteers for support in various areas and to help with a variety of tasks. We regularly see corporate volunteers from a number
come along to our retail unit or the hospice
to use
hours provided by employers as a
back to the community.
be helping us
make a
