Naomi Eldridge (29), an insurance broker from Ramsgate, is taking part in Pilgrims Hospices’ A Night to Shine sponsored walk in Broadstairs on Saturday 22 September. She’ll walk 6 miles in memory of her mum, Joyce Waring, who was cared for at the Thanet hospice earlier this year.
Joyce was born in Staffordshire. Later in life, after meeting Naomi’s dad, Cliff, they relocated to the seaside; first to Margate and then to Ramsgate. She worked as a nanny and a cleaner and then became a housewife.
Naomi recalls, “My mum was a loving person; her love was endless, she was loyal and would do anything for anyone. She enjoyed boot fairs, online bingo and charity shopping – she loved a bargain. Mum was also a huge animal lover, she especially loved cats. She loved a good laugh and would try her best to tell jokes, but would get the punch line wrong – which always made us laugh more than what the joke would have done!
“I really miss my mum. She wasn’t just my mum; she was my best friend who I could talk to about anything and everything.”
Joyce had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and was in Pilgrims’ care to help her manage her illness.
Naomi explains, “Mum said this was the first time in a long time that she’d felt understood; she was very grateful for the help Pilgrims gave her.
My mum was a loving person; her love was endless, she was loyal and would do anything for anyone.
Naomi
“She made friends with the Pilgrims nurses and care teams and she felt safe. When visiting Mum we all felt welcome, and the support given was extended to us as a family. Pilgrims helped us to understand Mum’s symptoms and breathing attacks so that we could help her as best we could.”
Joyce passed away on 9 June 2018, aged 71. Naomi said, “Since Mum passing, Pilgrims have continued to provide us with help and support. I’ve had counselling to help me through this heartbreaking time.”
Naomi and her husband, Ben, have chosen to take on Pilgrims’ 6-mile A Night to Shine sponsored walk in Broadstairs this year. They’re walking in memory of Joyce and to raise vital funds and awareness for local hospice care. Thanks to donations from family and friends, they’ve already raised nearly £300.
Naomi said, “Pilgrims means the world to me. It brings me so much comfort knowing Mum received loving care at the end of her life. She was listened to, understood and felt safe.
I want to continue supporting Pilgrims and the amazing work they do, which is why I’m taking part in A Night to Shine. I want others to know about the help available through Pilgrims. It will be an honour.
Naomi
“I want to continue supporting Pilgrims and the amazing work they do, which is why I’m taking part in A Night to Shine. I want others to know about the help available through Pilgrims. It will be an honour.”
If you’re feeling inspired and would like to follow in Naomi’s footsteps, sign up now for A Night to Shine in Ashford, Broadstairs or Canterbury. Choose a 3 or 6-mile sponsored walk; entry is £15 for adults and £12 for under 18s, under 3s go free. Entry includes a t-shirt, torch, medal and memory lantern for you to personalise with your own message or design.
If you or someone you know is coping with a life limiting illness and you think you may benefit from Pilgrims free services, talk to your GP or Healthcare Professional about your options or click here to read about our Wellbeing and Social Programme.
29th August 2018
Pilgrims’ Thanet Colour Run is back for the third year
Pilgrims Hospices’ Thanet 5K Colour Run is back. Hundreds of supporters have already signed up to run, jog or walk along the cliff tops of Palm Bay, Cliftonville, Margate on Sunday 21 October to raise vital funds to support end of life care in the local area.
The event is inspired by the Hindu Holi festival, where participants take part in a 5K run with locations along the route where coloured powders are thrown over the runners.
Supporters all have something in common; raising money for Pilgrims Hospices, who touch the lives of so many individuals and families throughout east Kent, and sharing the experience with other hospice supporters in celebrating the lives of so many loved ones.
This year, local solicitors Boys and Maughan are supporting the fun-packed event by entering their own staff team.
Ian Priston, Marketing Manager for Boys and Maughan, said: “Taking part in the Colour Run means a lot to our staff.
“The hospice is a charity with which many people within our firm have had personal experiences. Pilgrims Hospices offer compassionate care to so many individuals who require end of life care, along with support and services to help those families and friends who are dealing with the loss of their loved ones.
Taking part in the Colour Run means a lot to our staff.
Ian Priston, Marketing Manager at Boys and Maughan
“Our team of 13 can’t wait to get messy and colourful, and it’s all the better because we know that we will be doing something really worthwhile by taking part. It would be great if other local businesses join in to help make the event an even greater success. We will certainly be encouraging them!”
Last year this spectacular family fun event raised in excess of £37,000 for the charity, with more than 1,000 people taking part. Karen Kenward, Community Fundraising Manager for Pilgrims Hospices, said: “The event was so successful we simply had to offer our supporters an opportunity to take part again.
“To have the support of so many individuals helping to raise such a huge amount for our charity in just one day is quite incredible.
“We’re delighted to have the support of the Boys and Maughan team. We have colour stations where the powder paint clouds will fill the air and cover our supporters, and we can definitely guarantee them an explosion of colour and a fun-filled day, with much laughter.”
Everyone will receive a running number, white t-shirt, funky glasses and colour sachet on the day. Be prepared to get messy. You can purchase extra paint sachets at the event for even more spectacular paint clouds. And… what’s more you will receive a thank you medal from Pilgrims when you cross the finish line.
The Pilgrims staff and volunteers will be ready and waiting for everyone from 9:00am on Sunday 21 October, with the fun starting at 11.30am.
Registration is open and will cost £20 for adults and £10 for under 11s. Sign up now at pilgrimshospices.org/colourrun or contact Karen Kenward for further information:
If you or someone you know is coping with a life limiting illness and you think you may benefit from Pilgrims support, talk to your GP or Healthcare Professional about the options or visit click here for information on the Wellbeing and Social Programme.
28th August 2018
Famous photo to raise funds for Pilgrims
Professional photographer and author, Matt Kent, has plans to auction his stunning photograph of musician Pete Townshend from The Who for Pilgrims Hospices.
Matt has been a professional photographer since 2006, capturing many of the world’s leading artists; mainly musicians but also comedians, dancers and actors.
He said: “I took this photograph of Pete Townshend of The Who in Osaka, Japan in 2004 during the band’s first ever visit to the country. I was working for Pete at the time and was lucky enough to travel to many countries with the band, spending time photographing, videoing and writing about their legendary live shows.
“This was one of my favourite shots from the tour and I know that Pete likes it too as he uses a black and white version as one of his promo shots, which is sent out to fans. Pete signed four copies of the photo for me and I have sold them over the years for various charities.
This was one of my favourite shots from the tour and I know that Pete likes it too.
Matt Kent, photographer
“This is the last one to be sold and I’m really glad that it is being sold to raise money for such a great charity as Pilgrims Hospices.
“It forms part of an exhibition I have coming up in Herne Bay. The framed photo will be on display and available to buy at the exhibition, which takes place atBeach Creative, Beach Street, Herne Bay from 27 August until 2 September. The image is framed and the framed size is 50 x 40 cm.”
Matt’s main photographic interest is live music: “I love the challenge of capturing the artist in the midst of performance, often with difficult and changeable lighting. I do also really enjoy shooting other areas of entertainment, particularly ballet, theatre and TV / radio specials. I’m always looking for new ideas that spark my imagination and I love working with new talent”, he added.
Visit Matt’s exhibition at Beach Creative or view some of his amazing work at www.mattkent.photography.
Thank you to Matt for thinking of Pilgrims Hospices; we are sure the photograph will generate lots of interest.
Each year Pilgrims supports hundreds of local people coping with a life limiting illness and their families. The charity offers a range of services: from end of life care given on its wards, to its Wellbeing and Social Programme supporting people after they are diagnosed to live well and stay independent.
24th August 2018
Lucy takes on Thanet 5k Colour Run for local hospice care
First-time runner Lucy Cook (29) from Cliftonville will take on the Thanet 5k Colour Run on 21 October 2018. She is looking forward to training for her first 5k run. Lucy is choosing to support Pilgrims Hospices so that patients and families across east Kent can continue to benefit from the charity’s compassionate care at the end of life.
Lucy works for a law firm. In her spare time, she runs the Facebook page Missing Cats and Strays in Thanet, which has helped to reunite 1,000 cats with their owners in the Thanet area and advocates microchipping and neutering.
Lucy is taking on the Thanet 5k Colour Run because it’s something she’s never done before and she wants to challenge herself for a good cause. She’s running solo and hopes that her family and friends will sponsor her in aid of Pilgrims.
She said, “I have a small family; my grandparents died very young from cancer and other terminal illnesses. I have friends who’ve had family members pass away in Pilgrims’ hospices; I think it’s so important to have these places so that people can visit their loved ones at such difficult times. Pilgrims allows people to pass peacefully, surrounded by family in a calm environment whilst receiving compassionate care.
“It’s really important to keep these services available because they provide untold support to patients and families. Pilgrims relies on community support and fundraising, so I’d love to help.”
The Thanet 5k Colour Run will be a challenge. It will allow me to create amazing memories and raise funds for such an important charity, all whilst giving me something to focus on and be proud of.
Lucy
Lucy is also taking part for personal reasons, to improve her fitness and overall wellbeing; 5k will be a challenge for her, but one she is looking forward to. She said, “Between now and October I’m going to train by pushing myself to run a few times a week.
The Thanet 5k Colour Run will be a challenge. It will allow me to create amazing memories and raise funds for such an important charity, all whilst giving me something to focus on and be proud of.”
Lucy is also a regular visitor to Pilgrims’ retail shop in Cliftonville: “The volunteers who run the shop are so lovely. There’s a new manager who looks after a few of Pilgrims’ shops in Thanet and they’re doing really well.
She added, “I’ve set myself a £250 sponsorship target but have a good feeling that I’ll be able to raise even more.”
Want to get colourful for Pilgrims? Visit pilgrimshospices.org/colourrun to sign up now to dash through bright paint clouds and get covered in colour in aid of local hospice care. Register by 31 August 2018 to save with our Early Bird offer of just £16 for adults and £10 for under 11s.
If you or someone you know is coping with a life limiting illness and you think you may benefit from Pilgrims free services, talk to your GP or Healthcare Professional about your options or click here to read about our Wellbeing and Social Programme.
23rd August 2018
Memory Trees: Melany’s story
After Melany Bydawell’s husband, Grahame, was cared for at Pilgrims Hospice Thanet in 2017, the family decided to dedicate a silver leaf in his memory as part of our Memory Trees campaign. Here, Melany shares how this helps them give back to Pilgrims in a meaningful way.
Born in Durban, South Africa, Grahame worked in construction for most of his life and absolutely loved rugby and cricket. Prior to leaving South Africa for the UK in 2016, he would go to most rugby games at the stadium in Durban.
Grahame never had a bad word to say about anyone; he was kind, strong, non-judgmental and incredibly patient. He kept his wicked and playfully dry sense of humour until the end and never complained once whilst he was ill – he really was the bravest man in all of our eyes.
Grahame was a real family man and there’s no doubt that he knew how loved and appreciated he was by the dozens of messages received from family and friends saying what an impact he’d on their lives and what a truly special person he was.
During Grahame’s five and a half weeks at Pilgrims’ Thanet hospice, it’s fair to say that every single person we interacted with, be it doctors, nurses, ward sisters, carers, kitchen or cleaning staff, were all so special and caring in their own way.
It’s important to us as a family to make an ongoing contribution to the hospice and the Memory Tree is such a special way of doing this.
Melany
Words cannot express the gratitude that comes from our entire family for the dedicated and loving care that they all gave to Grahame to ensure he was comfortable, and we appreciate their endeavour in every way.
We will forever remain grateful to all of the special people at Pilgrims Hospices, which is why we chose to dedicate a silver leaf to Grahame on the Memory Tree at the Thanet hospice. It’s important to us as a family to make an ongoing contribution to the hospice and the Memory Tree is such a special way of doing this.
We understand how important it is to pay tribute to your loved ones and continue to celebrate their lives.
If you or someone you know is coping with a life limiting illness and you think you may benefit from Pilgrims free services, talk to your GP or Healthcare Professional about your options or click here to read about our Wellbeing and Social Programme.
20th August 2018
Canterbury students raise vital funds and awareness for local hospice care
A group of 16-18 year-old students from sixth forms and colleges in the Canterbury area have come together to support Pilgrims Hospices as part of the National Citizen Service (NCS) scheme.
The students visited Pilgrims’ Therapy Centre at the Canterbury hospice on 20 August to meet patients, get involved with activities and learn about what patients do in the Therapy Centre. They also had a short tour around the hospice grounds. It’s all part of the national NCS initiative to help young people build confidence and self-belief, develop skills and meet new people.
It’s really nice to be able to give back to the community; Pilgrims do such good work. My neighbours have personal connections to Pilgrims and my mum is a Pilgrims volunteer. It’s such a worthy cause.
Sinclair Perry, NCS participant
16-year-old Sinclair Perry from Lyminge near Folkestone, a student at Barton Court Grammar School Sixth Formin Canterbury, championed Pilgrims when the group were deciding which local charity they would support. He said: “It’s really nice to be able to give back to the community; Pilgrims do such good work. My neighbours have personal connections to Pilgrims and my mum is a Pilgrims volunteer. It’s such a worthy cause.”
Sinclair will have his head shaved on 22 August to raise vital funds for Pilgrims’ vital, compassionate care, with more than £300 raised already. He will also soon become a Volunteer Receptionist at the Canterbury hospice, a role he’s looking forward to.
Sinclair inspired everyone to raise money and awareness for Pilgrims. It’s a great way to boost their confidence; I can already see a change in them.
Harriet Ogle, NCS Team Leader
NCS Team Leader, Harriet Ogle, said: “NCS empowers young people to make a positive change in their local community. Sinclair inspired everyone to raise money and awareness for Pilgrims. It’s a great way to boost their confidence; I can already see a change in them.”
The students are also planning several fundraising events in aid of Pilgrims to continue supporting local hospice care.
If you or someone you know is coping with a life limiting illness and you think you may benefit from Pilgrims free services, talk to your GP or Healthcare Professional about your options or click here to read about our Wellbeing and Social Programme.