Welcome

to the Spring/Summer 2021 edition of Life magazine

P.21–22 Our global reach

Over the past few weeks significantly more areas of life have opened once more to us and this has allowed our whole Hospice community to move towards a greater sense of normality. Our charity shops on the high street are now open, our Summer flowers are being enjoyed by our patients and their visitors in our gardens and our Iona Café is once again a hub of social activity. It has been lovely to see familiar faces returning to their volunteer roles and to welcome new faces as we expand our services in our Hospice and in the community throughout Edinburgh and Lothian.

We’ve been touched by the many examples of compassion in our neighbourhoods throughout the pandemic and these have provided insights and inspiration for our Compassionate Communities team who launched a Compassionate Neighbours initiative this year. You can read more on page 7–8 about the support these wonderful Neighbours are providing to people living with life limiting illnesses in their area.

You’ll also find information about our Summer Appeal on page 9–10. This too focuses on our amazing community and the ways in which we can work together, living our values of respect,

P.9–10 Smiles for our caring community

P.13–14 Helping people access services P.15–16 Steven shares precious memories

trust, partnership, care and compassion. With the uptake of vaccinations and careful adherence to guidelines, I hope that covid-19 continues to decrease in our community, allowing us all to move beyond this extremely difficult period into a time of reflection, healing and hope. Our Hospice team remains here for you as we navigate this new phase, with counselling available by phone and our community team making home visits to those most in need of our help. Our inpatient unit is open for admissions and our nursing staff remain dedicated as ever to caring for you and your loved ones.

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.