One Year On With Hospice UK
Hospice UK is a collection of hospices providing support and care to individuals of all ages. Whether they need patient care, counselling or family support groups, Hospice UK is there to lend a helping hand.
We partnered with Hospice UK in 2017. As one of our charity partners, chosen by our very own Joules teams, we were especially excited to work with the charity. We’re pleased to report that one year on, our partnership is as strong as ever.
What is Hospice UK?
Hospice UK is the national charity for hospice care. It is a family of more than 200 hospices in the UK. Every year, they collectively care for 200,000 babies, children and adults, whilst also supporting their families too. Whatever your age, background or illness – they are here for you.
A hospice isn’t just a building. 159,000 patients are seen by the charity’s doctors, nurses and therapists in their own homes each year.
Our 2,500 hospice shops rely on public donations. St ann’s hospice in Greater Manchester can claim the most unusual donation – an antique birthing stool!
Hospices provide free, personalised care for people with a terminal illness. Hospice UK believes that every moment in life matters – so it does all it can, from support and care for patients, to bereavement counselling and sibling support groups. Hospices have even been known to organise a wedding or arrange a visit from the family pet. They bring life to days, when days are limited.
How has Joules helped Hospice UK?
In the last year, hospices across the UK have provided over 26 million hours of care to adults and children who are living with terminal illnesses in the areas where you live and work. The money raised by Joules has supported each and every person by enabling Hospice UK to provide training and development workshops to ensure the highest level of care is provided at such an important time.
Our fundraising helps make even more moments count for people across the UK. We have provided vital funds to help end inequality in care and make sure that hospice care can reach everyone.
We have also used skill sharing opportunities to help develop knowledge and good practice among hospice shops, with the aim of maximising their income through the sharing of retail expertise.
We are at a really exciting time at Hospice UK and it is great to be working in such an incredible partnership with Joules.
There is a constant need for hospice care across the UK – for volunteers, fundraising and gifts in kind to support the work that is taking place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hospices across the UK need to raise over £1.9m every day to keep their services running, and with an aging population, this is only set to increase. By working with Joules, we hope to raise the profile of Hospice UK and hospices everywhere, ensuring everyone knows that hospice care is free, and there for them!
Tracey Bleakley, Chief Executive of Hospice UK
How could your donation help Hospice UK?
£5 could fund twenty minutes for a family in need to talk with a hospice nurse or bereavement counsellor.
£10 could pay for a home-cooked meal for a patient, with all the trimmings, served just the way they like it.
£20 could pay for memory boxes to help children and their families capture precious memories.
£50 could provide one hour of Hospice UK’s Practice Lead’s time supporting nurses in hospices to be resilient and build their skills.
£70 could pay for the cost of a day’s mileage for a hospice nurse visiting families in their own homes.
£200 could provide a day of support from our expert Information Specialist, answering vital queries about hospice care from staff and the general public.
Sadie’s Story:
Julia’s daughter Sadie, 24, died of ovarian cancer aged 24 after being cared for by St Christopher’s – hospices are there for patients of all ages.
At one point we were told that Sadie had three weeks to live. Her boyfriend, Jason, who she had met at university, proposed.
Sadie walked down the aisle thanking everyone for coming and by the time she got to the registrar Sadie said she couldn’t start yet as her face was hurting from smiling so much! Sadie said she never knew that level of happiness was possible.
Phillipa, from St Christopher’s, was amazing and devoted the whole day to Sadie. She arrived early in the morning to remove all evidence of cancer treatment that she could from Sadie’s body. Just before Sadie entered the ceremony, Phillipa injected her to give her a boost and she enabled Sadie to walk down the aisle without her syringe driver and nasal tube. She also kept her topped up with pain relief, steroids and anti-sickness medicine all day and even offered to visit Sadie and Jason in the middle of their wedding night – just in case.
Would you like to offer your support to our fantastic charities? Visit our Virgin Money Giving page or head into store to see what’s going on. Keep up-to-date with our efforts by using #JoulesCharityWeek
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