Life Magazine Spring / Summer 2020

Spring → Summer 2020

Support when we needed it most

Janet Barclay shares her experience of hospice care

Connecting with our communities How Project ECHO is helping us reach more people

Top Tips for Spring Get the most from your flowers with tips from our volunteers stcolumbashospice.org.uk

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

1

In this is 2 Welcome 4 News from the Hospice

Support When we 8

Celebrating two wins from the Building Better Health Care Awards

Janet, Norval and Kyla’s story

Needed it Most

Royal Blind School volunteers in our Morningside Shop

6 Community Corner

ssue...

Keep in touch: e info@stcolumbashospice.org.uk → 15 Boswall Road Edinburgh, EH5 3RW t 0131 551 1381

The Year of the 14 Nurse and Midwife Complementary 16 Therapies

Laura and Claire celebrate the year of the Nurse and Midwife

Deirdre Jenkins’ life journey with the hospice

10 Finance and Volunteering

11 Top Tips for Spring 12 ECHO Project

The invaluable help of our corporate sponsors

18 Corporate Corner 20 Events Calendar

Volunteer Involvement

13 Coming Full Circle

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

1

Welcome!

To the Spring/ Summer 2020 edition of Life magazine

I

n honor of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the World Health Organisation has designated 2020 as the first ever global “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”. It coincides with what is already an exciting time for us as we prepare to share with you the areas of development we’ll be pursuing over the course of our next strategic plan.

We know all too well the challenges the care sector has faced over the past few years and nurse shortages, an issue highly publicised across the UK, continue to put pressure on our

2

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

vital health services. St Columba’s Hospice Care remains in a strong position, and as a supporter, you have a large part to play in that. Although we’re still in the early planning stages, I can share that our priorities are to increase community-based services across Edinburgh and East Lothian, develop a Hospice at Home team and introduce new role opportunities for staff and volunteers.

We look forward to introducing these service improvements to the community we take such pride in supporting and of

course, celebrating our workforce throughout the year. Nursing is a career with a great deal to offer and to mark the occasion, we’ll be showcasing our team’s diverse expertise and the impact they have on the lives of so many.

You can meet some of our care team on page 16 and keep an eye on our website and social media channels for updates over the coming months.

I’m happy to report we enjoyed a successful festive period with our Light up a Life campaign raising over £110,000. We also celebrated the end of another fruitful year in

See what our corporate supporters have been up to, p.22

partnership with Ocean Terminal as our varied fundraising activity totalled an impressive £137,000! You can read more about developments in the fundraising world throughout this issue.

You’ll also notice our refreshed branding is being rolled out and recently, we unveiled our vibrant new website. We took all of your comments on board and hope you’ll agree that, in

”A truly special place.”, p.14

addition to having lots of great information and resources about our services, it looks fantastic and is much easier to navigate we’d love to hear your thoughts which you can share by emailing info@ stcolumbashospice. org.uk.

As you can see, we have a busy year ahead of us and I’d like to thank you for your continued support and feedback.

Each of you plays a vital

role in making the wonderful care and support we are known for possible, and with your help we can reach more people in the way that suits them best in 2020, and beyond.

Jackie Stone CEO

— P.s. When it comes to delivering world class palliative care, your feedback is invaluable to us. We want to know what’s important to you. So, if you have comments or concerns about any aspect of our service please get in touch by emailing info@stcolumbashospice.org.uk.

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

3

News from the Playground Funding

L

ast year, we opened a bright and colourful counselling space especially for children. Donna, our Family Support Worker, has been providing pre and post bereavement

support there through one to one sessions with children, family sessions, parent and carer sessions and telephone support sessions for schools and nurseries.

We’re now in the process of planning a play space within the Hospice grounds to provide a safe environment for children in our care to relax, socialise with other children and

4

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

most importantly, have some fun. We are very grateful to Spifox and The Morrisons Foundation for funding the space which will help children visiting the Hospice feel more comfortable and promote the continuity of normal family life.

The playground will be in the front garden adjacent to the Hospice entrance and we’re working towards having it in place soon.

A wheely great partnership

Better Health Care Awards

W

W

e’ve been providing vital palliative and end-of-life care across East Lothian for a number of years and are currently looking at ways to widen that provision so we can reach even more families who need us. Haddington-based firm Prentice Coaches is helping us raise our profile across the region by generously gifting us advertising space on their buses.

It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to let people in the community know more about the services we provide and we look forward to strengthening our partnership with the company over the coming months.

Hospice

e’re delighted to announce that we brought home two wins from the Building Better Health Care Awards!

The ceremony, held in central London, recognises excellence in healthcare, architecture, estates and facilities management, interior design and product innovation We were nominated

for our innovative ‘Songwriting for Grief’ project in collaboration with Fischy Music and Victoria Primary School which explored patient and pupil experiences around death and dying. We won Best Collaborative Arts Project (Performance) and the Patient’s Choice Award! A huge congratulations to everyone involved in the project!

George Hotel

Edinburgh Castle

Exciting news! We’ve been chosen as the new charity partner of The George Hotel. Over the next year, we’ll be holding a fashion event and a dinner at the Hotel and working closely with staff as they fundraise for the Hospice. To kick off the partnership, we welcomed General Manager Johann and team members Sam and Louise to the Hospice to find out more about our work.

It was great to have some of Edinburgh’s most prominent sites lighting up in support of our Light up a Life appeal in December. We were delighted to see Edinburgh Castle, as well as a host of other buildings, supporting the campaign – the castle could be seen from all around the city, as well as from the lighting ceremony in Charlotte Square.

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

5

Community Corner Senga Scott

We love to see the different ways our supporters get involved with the Hospice. Senga, alongside her friends and family, held a bingo night to raise funds for us.

A whopping 100 people attended on the night, raising a grand total of £1,400.00!

6

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

YPI Winners

The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) empowers young people to make a difference in their local communities while developing a host of skills. Caitlin, Eve, Libby and Alisha from Royal High School, Edinburgh chose to focus on the Hospice for their presentation. The team competed against their classmates and won £3,000 for the Hospice! A huge well done and thank you!

Lanterne Rouge

which was launched on the 28th November.

All the proceeds go to the Hospice!

The book is available in our online shop, as well as our Haddington and Canonmills Shops now.

Royal Blind School

Students from the Royal Blind School have been volunteering in our Morningside shop to gain work experience.

Recently, we invited them into the Hospice, and had a lovely time introducing them to some of our Therapet team!

Summerside Bowling Club Lanterne Rouge Café in Gifford has been named Cyclist Café of the Year! Owner Cameron McVean is a dedicated supporter of the Hospice. This year, Stella Hervey Birrell, their Poet in Residence has put together an anthology, The Last,

The Summerside Bowling Club has been supporting the Hospice with their St Columba’s Charity Bowls Day for over

35 years, raising an outstanding £57,214.79 in total!

What a fantastic show of support — thank you!

Stods and Joss Coast to Coast

Supernova Kelpies

This past November, one of our youngest supporters, Abigail, took part in The Kelpies and Helix Park Supernova Run with her friend. At 4-years-old, she ran 5km for the Hospice, raising a fantastic £778.86 in memory of her Uncle Willie.

Thank you, Abigail!

Stods and Joss from ArdMoor took on the mighty Rat Race Adventure Sports 105-mile Coast to Coast Challenge. The pair have raised almost £7,000 including Gift Aid in memory of their dear friend Sarah Struthers who spent her final weeks at the Hospice. A big well done guys!

Centurion Race Night

One of our regular tin outlets, The Centurion, went above and beyond this year, holding a race night in memory of their friend and regular customer, Gary Campbell. They raised £2078.15 for us on the night! Well done everyone!

Lisa Savory Edinburgh College

Lisa Savory and her classmates at Edinburgh College held a Christmas Charity Event in support of St Columba’s Hospice.

Throughout the month of December, they offered beauty treatments, raffles, and more, with all proceeds coming to the Hospice!

Get Involved!

We couldn’t provide our care without the support and generosity of people like you. To find out more about how to hold your own fundraiser or get involved with fundraising for the Hospice, get in touch with our Community Fundraiser at fund@stcolumbashospice.org.uk or calling 0131 551 1381. www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

7

Support when we needed it most Janet Barclay’s husband Norval was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017.

Although Janet and her daughter Kyla adapted well to caring for Norval at home, a series of seizures led to Norval’s care being transferred to the Hospice. Here, Janet shares her story...

tired, and began struggling to make what would normally be very easy decisions for him. and I “Norval celebrated 22 years

8

of marriage in August last year. We met when I was still at school and working as a checkout girl in Safeway. Norval was a trainee manager at the time, he was tall, dark and very handsome. Our paths crossed again four years later when I was training to be a nurse in Aberdeen. My good friend Hazel got fed up of me going on about him and called Safeway to give him my number.

We married after 18 months and Kyla came along to make our family complete in 2007.

“We ended up in the Emergency Department at the Royal Infirmary, where he was given the devastating news that he had a glioblastoma, a cancerous tumour which develops in the brain. He was too ill to take in the information, and he was swiftly sent over to the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Western. He had surgery, and we were delighted he got home 2 days later. We decided quite early on that we would not be dictated by the timeframes we had been given, and instead focus on managing as a family day to day.

“I first noticed Norval seemed ‘different’ in July 2017. He was very

“At this point, the Hospice team began to visit us at home and

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

Norval began coming in for physio and a cup of coffee in the café. It was a lovely feeling knowing that this was a place we could come for support.

He knew he could talk to someone if he wanted to.

“One night in June, Norval had a seizure during the night. It was to be expected, but he needed help. We knew it was time to have more help and thankfully Norval was already known to the team at the hospice so he felt happy and ready to be transferred there.

A lot of our family and friends were worried the

minute they heard he was coming to the Hospice, but without a doubt, his recovery was hurried on with the love and care he was receiving here and he was even able to come home for the day. We were never pressured by anyone to go home, but I knew when he wanted to be there he could.

Our Occupational Therapist visited us so she could assess what Norval would need for his visits home. There was no obstacle she couldn’t overcome!

“One of the highlights of Norval’s stay was when Gorgios, the incredible music therapist, played the piano in Pentland Ward one Friday evening while we were enjoying our family evening meal together. Norval was a musician so the two of them got together two

Norval was a professional musician

or three times a week and participated in some jam sessions.

“The nursing team also looked after me, Kyla and Norval’s family too. They knew when it was time to take over his care fully, when Norval was no longer able to come home.

“Due to Norval’s condition he spent nearly five months at St Columba’s Hospice.

It became a home from home for us and so when he died in October he did so where he felt safe, comfortable and totally cared for. It was such a privilege to spend the last few months of Norval’s life with such an incredible team.”

Janet and Norval celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary last year

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

9

Finance and Volunteering M

any of our volunteers are ‘visible’ in our shops, café, on reception, on the wards and out in the community. But some volunteers carry out important work ‘behind the scenes’, ensuring that our support teams can help everyone!

Over the past two years, our Finance team has been quietly expanding the number of volunteers it involves. Volunteers have always counted cash – our collecting cans contained over £63,331 in 2018/2019, so that’s a lots of cash to count, and we receive other cash donations on top of this.

Volunteers have recently become more involved in supporting day-to-day finance work as well, such as processing invoices, coding petty cash, counting cash for daily banking, and processing Christmas orders for cards and gifts.

We’re so grateful to these Most of these volunteers volunteers for their quiet, already have a finance methodical support – and background, and our Finance team are incredibly grateful for the difference they have for their support. Their made within our Finance involvement has enabled team, and also the help that this team offers to everyone the Finance team to process across the Hospice. work more quickly, and freed time up to work on improving Thank you! systems and new projects.

Together, the staff and volunteers have formed a strong If you play the Hospice Weekly Lottery, team, and have you could win a cash prize every week! enjoyed nights It’s a fun way to support our work and out and for only £1 per play, you’ll be in with a Christmas chance of winning up to £1000. celebrations together.

Visit our website for full terms and

Did you know?

conditions and to sign up today.

10

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

1

Put copper coins in water, tulips especially benefit from this – it helps to avoid drooping

5

2

When placing flowers in a vase, strip all foliage below the water as this can cause bacteria to form

3

Always cut off about 5cm diagonally from each stem. Roses benefit from a small cut up the stem too.

4

For flower arrangements the rule of thirds works well. 1/3 vase, 2/3 flowers.

Get the most from your flowers this spring with these tips from our green-fingered volunteers

7

8

Water should be lukewarm or warm where possible as this aids hydration.

Scene.

6

When starting with floral arrangements, if unsure, stick to white flowers – it’s hard to go wrong with them!

Top tips for spring!

A drop of bleach, an aspirin, vinegar, a small glass of fizzy water or lemonade or a cube of sugar all help revive tired flowers.

Sometimes when flowers drop it is due to air bubbles in the stem, a pin prick around the neck area of the stem may re-energise your the bloom. Gerberas, tulips and sunflowers are prone to this

9

Don’t place flowers near fruit as ethylene gases from the fruit can cause flowers to wilt.

11

Be creative, don’t just use vases.

Teapots, jars, milk bottles, etc. can all make for amazing displays.

12

10

When making a flower arrangement start with greenery then add flowers.

To position flowers, chicken wire, Oasis, green tape (crosshatched across the top of the vase or jar) and gauge wire are a great help.

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

11

ECHO Project volunteer involvement

S

ince 2018, we’ve been offering education and support to teams and individuals delivering palliative and end-of-life care, outwith a hospice setting. Using a model called Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), we use teleconferencing technology to bring networks of people together and engage with more communities who often miss out on accessing palliative care when they need it most.

Sessions offer a variety of health care providers the opportunity to come together

12

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

remotely, share knowledge and expertise and learn from hospice staff and each other. Participants can discuss their experiences and reflect on the challenging but rewarding job they do looking after the people in their care. At the moment, we’re working predominately with care homes and homeless services but we’re planning to extend this support to other settings very soon.

Our ECHO hub is run by our Community Nurse Specialist, Hilary Gardner, and supported by three volunteers who make the project possible and ensure that each session runs smoothly.

Hilary facilitates each session and guides the virtual meeting while a skilled volunteer operates the

teleconferencing technology. Each session is recorded and a volunteer ensures it is uploaded onto a learning platform for participants to access and reference, straight after the meeting.

A huge benefit of teleconferencing is that it removes the need for staff to travel, meaning they can dedicate more time to supporting those who need them.

The feedback on the sessions has been incredible and the support we provide has been very well received and appreciated. We’d like to say a special thank you to our ECHO volunteers, Paul, Frank and Mike for enabling us to connect with other services across Edinburgh, and enhance the care they can offer.

Coming full circle. windows. We would watch the sturdy little pilot boats plough their way through these same waters to guide the ships safely to their destinations.

D

eirdre Jenkins was one of the original nursing team in place when the Hospice opened in 1977.

Recently, Deidre was admitted for end-of-life care and has been reflecting on similarities between the Hospice then and now...

“I sit in the tranquillity of the Columba Room, grateful to be in this very special place as my life draws to a close.

“I am doubly blessed.

I’m remembering how, in this same place forty two years ago, we were in only our second month of existence as St Columba’s Hospice.

With beds in the two big rooms in Challenger Lodge, our first patients and their families could look out at this same view which I see now through the Columba Room

“These early days were so filled with the passion and inspiration of this new concept of hospice care, which transformed care of the dying into a vibrant expression of life and love. This new field of medical expertise took on the challenge of symptom control and opened up the space for patients and families to treasure the time which remained.

Time to communicate, to share important thoughts, heal ancient wounds, laugh at shared memories, to prepare for ‘afterwards’.

building may have changed over the years but every death has left a pulsing legacy of love and the heart of the Hospice has grown deeper and stronger as every patient and family have joined the wider family of St Columba’s.

“I feel so privileged and blessed to be spending my last days here and so grateful that my wonderful husband, BJ and son Liam, will have loving support as I leave, when the time comes. Not only that, they will always be sure of a welcome whenever they return to the Hospice family home.

“A truly special place.”

“This precious ‘time’ was so important to the staff also, sitting with patients or with relatives, sharing the tears and anxieties and staying close until spirits calmed again.

The people and the

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

13

Laura and Claire, Cedar Ward

The year of the nurse and midwife 2020 is the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. To celebrate, we sat down with some of our amazing clinical team, to find out a little bit more about them, and their life at the Hospice…

Laura & Claire Laura has worked at Boswall Road for four years. While it can at times be demanding (not least because of the 12 miles a day she can cover on the ward) she confidently says that it’s the best job she’s ever had! “The building, the people, the views, you couldn’t ask for a better environment for the patients, and that makes our job so much easier.”

Fun Fact: Away from the Hospice, Laura is a keen baker, although she has a little bit less time for that now that she is studying

14

again in her new role as a Clinical Support Worker!

Claire has been with us on the wards for 3 years, and, like Laura, thinks that this is the hardest, and yet most rewarding job she’s ever had.

She recently took on one of the brand new Clinical Support Worker roles too and takes great pride in her work at the Hospice.

Fun Fact: Claire is a twin and it runs in the family – both of her grandparents, and both of her parents are twins too!!

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

Lynsey, Kerry & Sharon Lynsey has been with us for 3 years, coming from a background of support work.

She loves life at the Hospice, and says her team makes Pentland ward a special place to work!

Fun Fact: Clocking up around 20,000 steps per shift clearly isn’t enough for fitness enthusiast Lynsey, who loves the gym and walking her pair of Shitzus (who also have their own Instagram account!)

Lynsey, Kerry and Sharon, Pentland Ward.

Kerry has been with us for 4 years, also coming from a supportive care background.

She loves the environment in the Hospice, and interacting with all the patients and their families, which is a big change from the one-to-one care she was used to in her past job.

Fun Fact: Away from the Hospice, Kerry can also be found in the gym, regularly getting up at 6.30 on her days off to meet Lynsey!

The training is clearly paying off as Kerry, Lynsey and Sharon are now all invaluable members of The Ship of Wallys, and are already looking forward to their 3rd Dragon Boat Race.

Sharon joined the St Columba’s team after 12 years in the NHS, and 4 years later she is still enjoying it just as much.

“I love working here, even though we are kept busy, it doesn’t feel like you’re

under pressure, and I get to spend lots of time with the patients, which is great”.

Fun Fact: Sharon is another fitness fanatic, who unwinds in the gym or the swimming pool. Although she’s quick to point out that all the exercise is needed to combat the number of cakes consumed in the staff room, with Kerry’s chocolate orange cake being a particular favourite!

Congratulations!

We’re delighted to share the news that six members of our care team have recently completed advanced training courses in Falls Prevention, The Principles of End-of-Life Care and Dementia Care, as part of their personal development. A huge well done to Sharon McGaw, Christine Purnell, Anne Bryne, Laura Taylor, Michelle Thompson and Tommy Dalgleish.

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

15

Complementary Therapies

Aroma Sticks W e’re delighted to have rolled out the latest Complementary Therapies scent-sation throughout the wards! Bespoke scent inhalers give patients the

opportunity to create a stick specifically tailored to their needs. Working with the olfactory and limbic systems, aroma sticks can affect a range of symptoms, including mood, heart rate, breathing issues and memory. Each member of the ward nursing team has also been given an aroma stick, allowing them to experience the benefits of aromatherapy and understand the potential benefits to patients.

Welcome back Carlo!

I n February, we were delighted to welcome back Carlo to our Complementary Therapies team as a volunteer therapist! Carlo recently passed a 28-hour placement from Edinburgh College where he offered massage therapy to carers, as well as observing patient sessions

to further his knowledge.

One former physio even commented that their massage from Carlo was the best they’d ever had!

We look forward to helping Carlo continue his development as a therapist, and continuing to offer his marvellous massages to carers.

Qualifications!

There’s yet more good news from the Complementary Therapy team! Our volunteer therapist Alison Hughes successfully completed her clinical practice placement as part of Marie Duggan’s e-learning Cancer Care course in Reflexology. Alison studied the course independently, and completed 20 hours of Reflexology sessions to our patients and carers to become certified. A huge congratulations to Alison, we’re delighted to have you on the team!

16

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

16

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

Day Therapies New groups!

T

here have been some exciting developments in our Day Therapies service with the addition of some new groups.

Some are especially for former Day Therapy patients and others for anyone who wants to join in.

Our first group is a Gentle Movement group, on Wednesdays at 10.30. Taking place in the Day Therapies lounge, with the most beautiful views over the Forth and coffee and a chat afterwards.

The group is tailored to individual need, so come along and give it a try.

We also have a walking group on Fridays at 13.30 which is suitable for anyone that would like to take part, with or without a walking aid. We will walk for approximately one mile and friends or relatives are welcome.

If you’re not known to the Hospice, simply ring Val or Michelle on 0131 551 7724, to arrange an assessment.

Our Friends at the Hub group takes place every second and fourth Thursday of the month. Run by two of our wonderful volunteers, it starts at 9.30 until 11.30.

It’s a drop-in session and you can pop along at any point. Have a chat, play dominoes, read the papers or even

have a hand massage.

It’s what you make it!

From October, we will have a group for people experiencing breathlessness. Look out for more details soon.

And again, in October, we will have a Mindfulness group, with Dr. Susie Chater.

Contact Day Therapies for details.

So, why not try something new?

Make friends, get stronger, have fun!

We’re waiting for you.

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

17

Once again we are so thankful for the amazing support we receive from our corporate partners and in so many different ways...

Corporate Corner O

ur partnership with Ocean Terminal grows from strength to strength and we were delighted to reach ÂŁ137,000 earlier this year in our partnership to date and we look forward to further growth in 2020. Ocean Terminal once again hosted our competitive Dragon Boat Race last August with The Wave Project All Stars romping to victory. Apart from being a fantastic fundraiser for the Hospice raising ÂŁ25,000 for this year it is also a great opportunity for corporates to team build and have a fun day out on the water!

Thank you to all the teams who participated in our 2019 race- the date for this year’s event is Saturday 29 August- so save the date and start thinking about names and costumes for your teams!

18

We also had great fun on the run up to Christmas dressing up as elves to support Santa in his Grotto at Ocean Terminal, and manning the Christmas Gift wrapping table to keep frantic customers happy!

A big thank you goes to Marks and Spencer at the Gyle Shopping Centre and also at Ocean Terminal for their donations of excess food and flowers we receive regularly via Neighbourly.com which we distribute throughout the Hospice.

Many of our corporate supporters achieve incredible fundraising success by completing challenges, holding bake sales, golf events and other exciting initiativeswe are extremely thankful for each and every one of them.

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

The success of our fundraising events is also due to the sponsorship we receive from corporate organizations and we are very grateful to Ocean Terminal, CALA, Forth Ports and Walter Scott & Partners for their generous sponsorship of different events.

Over the festivities the team at Montpeliers and their fantastic customers managed to raise ÂŁ1,400 by adding a discretionary ÂŁ1 to each table - thank you

all! If there are any restauranteurs who would like to support the Hospice in this way, please do get in touch with us- it is a great way to support a local charity and hugely appreciated by the team at the Hospice.

We look forward to developing new partnerships with the Intercontinental Edinburgh the George, Montpeliers and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and we say a huge thank you to TSB Leith, Activpayroll and Hallhill for supporting us so well in 2019.

We also had excellent groups helping maintain our beautiful gardens, teams competing in shops challenges, teams putting up our Christmas decorations and flyering our local community, teams helping to write our Light up a Life cards and teams helping with the set-up of our Art Exhibition. We simply could not do without you - thank you!

Get Involved!

If you are part of a corporate organisation and would like to know more about a partnership with the Hospice please get in touch with Amanda Southey (asouthey@stcolumbashospice.org.uk).

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

19

Event calendar 2020

Forth Bridge Abseil Sunday 10 May Registration £30 with minimum fundraising pledge of £160

This exhilarating and unique challenge allows you to abseil from the iconic Forth Rail Bridge – Scotland’s Best Loved Landmark, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a 165ft drop with a soft landing on the golden sandy beach below, set in the picturesque village of South Queensferry it’s the ultimate abseil experience!

—

Edinburgh Marathon Festival 23-24 May

Pound the streets of the capital on the flattest and fastest marathon in the UK! Taking in the sights of Holyrood Park, Arthurs Seat, Portobello Beach and Gosford House amongst others, you can run 5k, 10k, half marathon or marathon distances. Or why not round up 3 friends and sign up for the Hairy Haggis Relay!

20

Celtic Challenge

Dragon Boat Race

27-31 May Edinburgh to Iona Registration from £190

Take on the Celtic Challenge, our epic 200 mile cycling event! Get on your bike and cycle from the Hospice in Edinburgh to the beautiful Isle of Iona in just four days, taking in some of Scotland’s most stunning cycling routes.

This event is suitable for experienced and novice cyclists alike with a training plan provided to ensure you are in top condition to enjoy yourself during the challenge! Limited places available, so get in touch today!

—

A Walk to Remember Saturday 20 June Registration £15 Adults £10 Children

A family friendly sponsored walking event along the stunning East Lothian coastline. Choose your route from the Big Yin, or the Small Yin, 13.5 and 5.5 miles starting from Portobello and Cockenzie respectively. Both distances finish in Aberlady. Dogs on leads welcome.

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

Saturday 29 August Registration £340 per team of 17

Round up a crew and get fired up on the forth in our exhilarating Dragon Boat Race at Ocean Terminal.

It’s a great team building event which is open to all ages and abilities. It’s an exciting, fun and challenging way to raise money for the Hospice – do you have what it takes to battle it out for the title of Dragon Masters and the coveted winner’s trophy?

Register today and find out!

—

Celtic Challenge Normandy 23-27 September Registration £190 per person with a fundraising target of £1750

A new event for 2020, join us abroad as we take our Celtic Challenge to Normandy! Cover 200 miles in just 4 days from the historic port town of Cherbourg, to the small fishing port of Ouistreham in the heart of the landing beaches. All abilities are welcome and even if you’re new to cycling, we’ll make

sure you have the support and encouragement you need to reach the finish line.

—

Edinburgh Kiltwalk Sunday 13 September

Put your best foot forward and sign up for the Kiltwalk on behalf of the Hospice!

Everyone taking part will receive an additional 40% fundraising boost from The Hunter Foundation – even more reason to grab your kilt, lace up your walking boots and get involved in this fantastic event!

—

St Columba’s Firewalk Thursday 29 October £20 registration fee, and a minimum fundraising

Walk this way for a truly unforgettable experience.

New for 2020, we’re hosting our very own firewalk! The Fire Walk is a mind over matter challenge that puts your courage to the test walking across temperatures of up to 1200F! Register your interest today to take part in the hottest, shortest sponsored walk in the world, right here in the Hospice grounds!

Giant Pub Quiz Wednesday 4th November The Edinburgh Corn Exchange £15 per person £75 for a team of 6

Light up a Life Monday 7 December Charlotte Square Gardens Free Admission

Join us for this special evening as we light up our Tree of Remembrance in Charlotte Square Gardens, Edinburgh. Each light on our tree is lit in memory of friends and family who have passed away. Carol singers and a wonderful atmosphere make this a special evening not to be missed.

Round up your most intelligent friends (or those with knowledge of the obscure) and join us at our winter pub quiz. Get in touch to reserve you table today!

target of £100

Please note...

As we go to press events are on hold and subject to change. Updates can be found via our website www. stcolumbashospice.org.uk, along with news of other ways to support us and the option to donate.

www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

21

Keep in touch with us online for our latest news: www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk

facebook.com/stcolumbas

@StColumbas @st.columbas.hospice

→ St Columba’s Hospice 15 Boswall Road Edinburgh EH5 3RW T: 0131 551 1381 E: fund@stcolumbashospice.org.uk — Copyright © 2020 St Columba’s Hospice.

All rights reserved. Registered in Scotland N° 48700. Charity N° SC003634 On the cover: Janet and Kyla Barclay Design: monumentum.co.uk — If you would like to receive your edition of Life via email rather than post, please let us know by contacting fund@stcolumbashospice.org.uk