Spring newsletter 2013

Life

SPRING 2013

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uchess of D Gloucester visits hospice

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Maureen’s campaign

Hospice Week

Cidney’s charity chop

Your donations make our work possible www.northlondonhospice.org 020 8343 8841

North London Hospice in Finchley 47 Woodside Avenue, London N12 8TT North London Hospice in Enfield 110 Barrowell Green, London N21 3AY Registered charity No: 285300

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Your donations make our work possible

www.northlondonhospice.org 020 8343 8841

Message from the Chief Executive Welcome to the first 2013 edition of our newsletter.

We have started the New Year with some good news - the hospice has become a government recognised regional centre for end-of-life training.

“Thank you so much for your ongoing support”

The hospice will support providers such as GPs and care homes to implement the national Gold Standard Framework (GSF), helping to ensure local people receive high quality care in the last months of their lives. It will also provide much needed additional income for the hospice.

The hospice was one of just three organisations to receive regional centre status, joining four existing centres across England. We

are delighted to be involved with the GSF programme that aims to improve quality of care. This will enable us to share our specialist expertise and knowledge with other providers of end-of-life care thus extending our reach into the wider community even if we are not providing the care directly.

It has been encouraging that our supporters have continued to get behind us even though the economic climate remains a difficult one.

Around 1,000 people attended our annual Light up a Life ceremony in November and around £28,000 was raised from our recent Christmas appeal. While the situation is improving,

thanks to your support and the work of the fundraising team, the hospice continues to have a deficit and we are still using our reserves to avoid reductions in patient care.

Thank you very much for your ongoing support, which is so essential and vital in enabling us to move forward.

We are deeply grateful to you.

I hope you find our newsletter inspiring and informative. Our work would not be possible without you.

My best wishes,

Douglas Bennett

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester visited North London Hospice in Barrowell Green, Winchmore Hill, in October to meet patients, their families, supporters, staff and volunteers.

The visit coincided with Hospice Care Week, a national event, which aims to raise awareness of hospices and the services they provide.

The Duchess was given a tour of the new facility and chatted to patients with a terminal illness and their carers.

Carer Penny Stokes, whose husband Karl attends the hospice day services said: “It was an honour and a privilege to meet Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester.

“She took a genuine interest in meeting everybody and spent time with us talking about the services we receive. She was very pleasant and down-toearth.”

The special visit was an opportunity to show the Duchess the inspiring and personal ways the hospice helps the communities of Enfield, Barnet and Haringey.

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Maureen Lipman’s legacy campaign Maureen Lipman is spearheading a campaign highlighting the importance of leaving a gift in your will to help guarantee the future of North London Hospice so it can continue caring for terminally ill patients both in the hospice and in the community.

Dear friend,

I would like to highlight to you the importance of leaving a gift in your will to North London Hospice, a charity very close to my heart.

North London Hospice knew they could rely on my help long before I knew how much I would need theirs. When the time came they not only made my husband’s life infinitely more comfortable but they held us together, tenderly and protectively, as a family, before and after his passing.

North London Hospice has, in the past, been very fortunate that their supporters have very generously remembered them with a gift in their will. This has enabled them to carry on giving the excellent medical care they provide which includes in-patient care in their 17-bed unit, home care for up to 1,200 people a year, a range of day services, bereavement counselling, social care and spiritual care.

It now needs to make sure its future is secure by encouraging supporters to once again think about a gift in their will.

North London Hospice is a multi-faith organisation and was built for every resident of the three boroughs it serves, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey. It understands that of course, your family and friends will always come first when making a will, but there are many ways of leaving a charitable donation whereby the financial effect on your other beneficiaries is kept to a minimum.

Gifts in wills directly allow North London Hospice to help patients and their families to make important choices about their end-of-life care and to look after future generations.

North London Hospice relies on your kindness and I hope you will see your way clear to making a provision in your will to help them continue caring.

A number of solicitors are working in partnership with North London Hospice to provide free wills during Hospice Week (Monday 4 March to Sunday 10 March).

If you would like further information please contact the hospice’s legacy officer on 020 8446 2288.

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Best regards,

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Hospice Week 2013

Monday 4 March - Sunday 10 March

How to make a real difference in Hospice Week There are a number of ways you can support Hospice Week 2013.

Make a one off donation No matter how large or small, a one off donation towards the work the hospice carries out in your community really will make a difference. Last year our supporters raised more than £20,000 during our first ever Hospice Week, we would love to exceed that amount this year. We have to rely on the support from the community in order to be able to care for all our patients.

This generous support also enables us to care for those living with a terminal illness at home. Every penny donated will go towards giving those we care for dignity and support at a very difficult time.

Regular Giving By setting up a Direct Debit you can help us plan our future with confidence.

Our care is continuous. Not only do we look after patients in the hospice and out in your community, we also offer bereavement services and support to those loved ones who have been affected by the loss of someone special. By ticking the Gift Aid box on the Direct Debit form your kind gift will go even further. A regular gift can be made monthly, quarterly or yearly. Please return the Direct Debit form to us in the envelope provided.

How will your money help? £15 could help to pay for inpatient nursing care for one hour

£65 could help to pay

for a week’s worth of equipment for one of our nurses to provide practical and safe care to people in their own homes

£200 could help pay

Grand Raffle As with our previous draws, we are asking you to buy the tickets or sell them to your family, friends, neighbours and colleagues. Our prizes of £1,000, £250 and £100 have kindly been donated by The Curtain Factory Outlet and Capitol Commercial Collections Ltd, which means more of the income from the raffle tickets can go directly towards patient care. Once sold, please return the completed ticket stubs with the appropriate payment in the enclosed envelope. If you would like us to send you more books of tickets please call the fundraising department or drop into the hospice.

for one of our community nurses for a whole day

£400 is how much

it costs to look after one patient for one day at the hospice

Hold your own event Last year we had a tremendous response to our Hospice Week, with people coming together from all over the community to hold a variety of inspiring events in order to raise much needed funds and awareness for the work we carry out. Our team of fundraisers are happy to help you with leaflets, posters, and sponsorship forms. We would also be happy to come along to your event and talk about the work we do.

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To find out more about Hospice Week call the fundraising team on 020 8446 2288 or email fundraising@ northlondonhospice.co.uk

Your donations make our work possible www.northlondonhospice.org 020 8343 8841

Reporting back Wear a Santa Suit for the day

Cidney cuts hair for hospice Nine-year-old Cidney Miller, chopped off 29cm of her hair in November to say a special thank you to North London Hospice for caring for her grandmother, Melinda Lewis.

Cidney recognised the difference the hospice had made to her grandmother’s last days and she wanted to give something back.

In total 142 Santas, including businesses, schools and individuals took part in ‘Wear a Santa Suit for a day’ on Friday 14 December for North London Hospice.

Among those taking part were: Half Full Bar & Kitchen, Gabrielle FMX Foods, Radio Taxis, Avanta, Pearsons, Michael Cuscheri, Craig Blythe, David Bernveniste,Tzaki, Hummingbird Motors, Firs Farm Primary School, Barclays Bank Barnet , Carolyn Hopker, Khalid Karimullah, Waitrose Temple Fortune, Waitrose Ballards Lane, Venus Wine & Spirit , Ilana Yacobi and Coca Cola.

Fundraising manager for the hospice Judi Guy said: “We were thrilled to see so many people donning their festive red suits and helping to raise vital funds for their local hospice. A big thank you to everyone who took part.”

The event raised more than £5,000.

Cidney raised a staggering £6,256 for the hospice and donated her hair to Little Princesses, a charity which makes wigs for children who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment.

She said: “Grandma used to wear a lot of wigs so I thought this would be a nice thing to do. I think she’d be really proud of me.”

Mrs Lewis was cared for by the hospice staff in Woodside Avenue, North Finchley, until she died of bowel cancer five months ago aged 63.

Mrs Lewis’ daughter and Cidney’s mum, Nicola Miller, said: “I’m a very proud mummy but a very sad daughter.

“I just wish my mum could have been here to see Cidney.

She would be very proud.”

Cidney’s hair cut was featured on ITV London News.

Hundreds of lights shone out at North London Hospice on Sunday 25 November as crowds gathered for the annual Light up a Life ceremony.

Around 1,000 people gathered on the street and pavements outside the hospice, for the tree-lighting event.

Each light on the giant horse chestnut tree in the hospice grounds is sponsored in memory or celebration of someone special. Around £100,000 has been raised.

Chairman of the trustees John Bryce said: “This is one of the most important and significant events of the year for us. It involves people with shared experiences coming together. This is an occasion for remembrance – for the good times we have enjoyed, for love and companionship.”

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Our Shops Crouch End 21 Topsfield Parade N8 8TP 020 8340 3269 East Finchley 123 High Road N2 8AG 020 8883 6493 Enfield Town 60 Church Street EN2 6AX 020 8366 1297 Finchley Central 15 Ballards Lane N3 1UX 020 8349 0290 Golders Green 41 Golders Green Road NW11 8EE 020 8731 7807 Hendon 65 Brent Street NW4 2EA High Barnet 94 High Street EN5 5SN 020 8441 3325 Muswell Hill 44 Fortis Green Road N10 3HN 020 8444 8131 New Barnet 63 East Barnet Road EN4 8RW 020 8440 8424 North Finchley 839 High Road N12 8PR 020 8445 5148 North Finchley (furniture shop) 987 High Road N12 8QR Palmers Green 377 Green Lanes N13 4JG 020 8447 8884 Southgate 71 Chase Side N14 5BU 020 8886 4342 Turnpike Lane 19 High Road N22 6BH Whetstone 1297 High Road N20 9HX 020 8343 9888 Winchmore Hill 743 Green Lanes N21 3RX 020 8360 5220 Wood Green 212 High Road N22 8HH 020 8365 8622 6 LIFE @ NORTH LONDON HOSPICE

Support Groups Businesses and individuals from Winchmore Hill have come together to form a new support group for North London Hospice.

The N21 support group, which will help raise money for the hospice, held its first meeting back in September.

The group held its first event ‘N21 Has Talent’ on Saturday 24 November which raised £1,735.

Ken Waterhouse, managing director of Winchmore Hill’s care provider Home Care Preferred, said: “The whole group gelled instantly and within a few hours we had made some key decisions on how we could raise funds for this great organisation.

“We will hold a number of fundraising events throughout the year and more than anything, we really want to get the community involved.”

Tracy Annunziato, an administrator at furniture store Heal’s, who is also part of the group, said: “I’m really keen that people know we are looking to involve the whole borough of Enfield and not just Winchmore Hill.”

The group would like to hear from any businesses or individuals interested in getting involved.

For more information contact North London Hospice community fundraiser Natalie Gordon on 020 8446 2288 or email ngordon@ northlondonhospice.co.uk

Hospice opens 17th shop North London Hospice has opened it’s 17th charity shop in Winchmore Hill.

Staff, volunteers and supporters joined MP for Enfield-Southgate David Burrowes in officially opening the shop in Green Lanes with a ribbon cutting.

The shop is minutes away from our day centre in Barrowell Green, which provides a range of services to patients and those who support them.

Mr Burrowes, who is a keen supporter of the hospice, said: “I have known of North London Hospice for many years and the excellent palliative care it provides to local people in Enfield. The hospice provides choices for individuals and their families and treats everyone with dignity and respect.

“I am absolutely delighted to be here today and to be part of something that is so special and essential. This shop is all about community effort. I hope the public will really support such a great cause, whether it’s through donations, visiting the shop or even through volunteering their time.”

Your donations make our work possible www.northlondonhospice.org 020 8343 8841

Taking care of loved ones Sean Hennessy died in the in-patient unit of North London Hospice in September 2012. Here his wife Anne-Marie talks about how the hospice gave her family hope.

“Sean was diagnosed with bowel cancer in January 2011.

Doctors had found a 10cm tumour. After enduring several surgical procedures Sean was taken to Leeds in July 2012 where he underwent major surgery in a final attempt to remove the cancer. It was then we heard of the devastating news the disease had spread to his bones and was untreatable. He was given a year to live.

“Upon returning home in August, Sean was battling with pain and anxiety and it was impossible to settle him. He hardly slept, ate or rested. It was then we heard of the hospice and the help they could give us. He was admitted to the hospice in-patient unit.

Sean, pictured here, with wife Anne-Marie and children Georgia and Callum

“When you hear the traumatic news about a terminal illness you unintentionally write that person’s life off. The hospice gives you hope, it is a gateway to a different life. It enabled us to put life back into death. Thanks to the help of the hospice we managed to live. Sean was able to go outside. We celebrated birthdays, got re-married and the hospice even arranged for a nurse to camp with Sean in the garden for the night - so he could have his final holiday.

“The North London Hospice was and still is amazing. They made us feel positive about the time we had left as a family. Sean and I have three children. I don’t think they would have got through this if it had not been for the support of the hospice. They could see everything was being done for their dad. The hospice is about everyone.

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“Sean’s passing was something we all dreaded but it was amazingly peaceful and managed so well. He passed away in his sleep at 11.42pm on September 20 2012.”

Walk with us Registration is now open for the Big Fun Walk 2013. Sign up now and make a difference to terminally ill people.

North London Hospice’s biggest fundraiser, the Big Fun Walk will be back again on Sunday 7 April. Thank you to everyone who took part in 2012 and collectively raised a fantastic total of over £120,000.

The seven-and-a-half mile walk will go from East Finchley Underground Station, through many of London’s Royal Parks and finish at Storey’s Gate, Westminster.

There is no fee but all adult walkers are asked to raise at least £40 in sponsorship.

To register visit: www.bigfunwalk.co.uk or call the fundraising team on 020 8446 2288.

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Dates for your diary Hospice Week Monday 4 March – Sunday 10 March Big Fun Walk Sunday 7 April Virgin London Marathon Sunday 21 April Skydive Sunday 28 April Bupa London 10k Monday 27 May On yer Bike Sunday 9 June Open Garden Highwood Ash Sunday 12 May Teddy Bear’s Picnic Saturday 15 June

Proms at St Jude’s Saturday 22 June – Sunday 30 June Sow a Sunflower Sunday 23 June Hospice Sunflower Cycle (London to Paris) Wednesday 3 July – Sunday 7 July British 10k Sunday 14 July RideLondon 100 Sunday 4 August September Skydive TBC John Tomlinson Concert Saturday 23 November Light up a life Sunday 24 November Wear a Santa suit for a day Friday 13 December Abseil TBC Midnight Walk TBC For further information on any of these events please Treks contact the fundraising team on 020 8446 2288 or visit Various treks take place throughout the year www.northlondonhospice.org

Your donations make our work possible www.northlondonhospice.org 020 8343 8841

North London Hospice in Finchley 47 Woodside Avenue, London N12 8TT North London Hospice in Enfield 110 Barrowell Green, London N21 3AY Registered charity No: 285300

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