Steve finds hope and community at Pilgrims Hospices: A Journey with Cystic Fibrosis
Steve Carter from Ashford attends Pilgrims Hospices Wellbeing sessions at the Ashford hospice. He has cystic fibrosis and attends the therapy centre groups with his wife Thep, who is his full time carer.
Steve’s journey with cystic fibrosis has been tough and long, but he has found relief with the support of Pilgrims, and now enjoys his time meeting others using the therapy services.
Steve explained: “Over recent years as my illness has become worse, I’ve spent lots of time in King’s College Hospital in London: last year, I had to go there four times totalling over six months. They have been very difficult times. As a long stay patient, I have my own room, my wife Thep, is able to stay with me, which is a great comfort and support. Travelling to London in itself is challenging, stressful and exhausting. I am now on oxygen and a ventilator at night, and at periods in the day too, depending on my state of health.
The therapy sessions are a great boost to my week.
Steve Carter
When asked, how he had come to spend time at Pilgrims Hospices, Steve explained, that he had been an inpatient around three years ago, having spent time in hospital, after an episode, he said: “I was in a very dark place, and felt I wasn’t able to carry on; I was referred to Pilgrims Hospices, who gently managed to get my symptoms under control, and I began to feel better. I am much more well now in comparison to last year; I really did feel on the edge of death. I’m now back at home with my wife, and attending the hospice therapy centre during the week, which is really helping.
“The therapy sessions are a great boost to my week, it’s great to come to Pilgrims. Getting out is an important part of my wellbeing, and mental health too, and I meet some lovely people, including other service users, Pilgrims staff and volunteers.
“This year has been a really good year for me, being here at Pilgrims takes my mind away from my illness, and I get absorbed in what I’m doing, which is really refreshing.
“As part of the Time to Create group, there are lots of crafts to undertake, many I’m trying for the first time. I’m not really very artistic but if someone helps me with an idea I can get going and really enjoy it. I’ve been watching some art programmes on TV, which have been useful when I’m trying to improve my skills.
“It’s so good to come and talk to people, it’s very easy to become isolated when you can’t get out much, especially during the winter. The group is always fun and full of laughter and chatter, it’s a very social experience. My wife Thep comes along too, and we both get involved with all sorts of art projects.
We have lived in Ashford for a number of years, so not too far for us to come along, and share some special time with the Pilgrims team, and those using the Wellbeing programme. I didn’t know there were so many options available, the support and help that we both receive is truly amazing.”
Thank you for sharing your story Steve, you are raising awareness of our services, and we are so pleased you are enjoying your time with the Time to Create group.
Each year Pilgrims supports thousands 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 Programme supporting people after they are diagnosed to live well and stay independent.
23rd October 2023
Pilgrims Hospices jolliest jog of the year
The countdown to Christmas has started with registration opening for Herne Bay’s festive family fun run in aid of Pilgrims Hospices.
The charity’s jolliest jog of the year is returning to Herne Bay’s scenic seafront on Sunday the 10 December and new to this year will be a 10K route to accompany the 3K and 5K distances.
Since 2017, Santas on the Run! in Herne Bay has raised over £118,000 for Pilgrims Hospices for the charity who gives care and support to people in east Kent who are coping with an incurable illness.
The route will see the Santas start at the Clocktower and run along the seafront before returning for their well-deserved festive medals.
Whilst dressing up there will also be festive music to get you into the holiday spirit and Christmas cheer stations to jingle joggers along their way.
Senior Fundraising Officer Rachael Edmed said: “Santas on the Run! is such a fun event for everyone and all levels of fitness. In previous years we’ve had one-year olds in prams and people in their 80’s. We’re really excited to introduce the new 10K route this year for participants that would like more of a challenge.
Every pound raised will make a difference to the families being cared for this Christmas. Every participant will be helping patients, and their families enjoy the festive season together, and make memories that they can treasure.
Early bird entry (closes 22nd October) is adults: £12, under 18s: £8, family ticket: £35 (includes 2 adults & 2 under 18s).
Advanced entry (closes 3rd December) is adults: £16 Under 18s: £10 Family ticket: £45 (includes2 adults & 2 under 18s).
Each year Pilgrims supports thousands 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 Programme supporting people after they are diagnosed to live well and stay independent.
11th October 2023
Nathan George goes the distance for Pilgrims Hospices
Nathan George (20) from High Halden took on a remarkable challenge, and successfully completed the South Coast 100K Ultra Challenge on Saturday 2nd September. Nathan was inspired to do something incredible for charity after some of his friends and family had been cared for by his local Pilgrims Hospice. He wanted to say thank you by giving back to the much-loved local charity. Through the support of his workplace, family and friends, Nathan raised a fantastic £2,747!
Nathan explained that Pilgrims is very close to his heart, he said: “I chose to support Pilgrims because of the outstanding work they do in my local community. I know people who have been in their care, and I recognise they are getting the best care possible. I know a few workers from the hospice, and they are some of the kindest, most thoughtful and greatly skilled people, and so personally everything aligned.”
Not only has Nathan successfully completed his Ultra Challenge, he has also achieved a huge personal milestone. Nathan explained: “For the past two years I have been on a fitness journey, I’m now more healthy, and have achieved a massive weight loss, going from 18.03 to 12.10 stones. I wanted to end this chapter of my life with an extreme challenge, and an ultra-marathon sounded like a great idea. I would be able to see what I’m truly capable of physically and mentally, whilst also raising money towards an important charity”.
Nathan wants to inspire others to set themselves their own challenge, he explained: “I never believed I was capable of achieving anything like that. Now after giving it a go for a year, I can say from experience, that with a little bit of a plan and a good mindset, you can achieve anything.”
He went on to share his fundraising tips and tricks, and said that he created a JustGiving page online, and posted some sponsorship forms on the walls of his workplace, the Garden Restaurant. He said: “People were intrigued, asked me how the training was going, and how they could get involved in sponsoring me. By sharing and talking about my challenge, the community grew and grew, and continued throughout the year.
I chose to support Pilgrims because of the outstanding work they do in my local community
Nathan
“Then, at 8:00am on Saturday 2nd September, I took my first step of the marathon, with the good luck wishes of everyone ringing in my ears. The challenge was without a doubt the hardest task I’d ever attempted, but knowing how many people I had backing me and the great cause, this carried me through the challenge.
“At 4:30pm on Sunday 3rd September, I limped over the finishing line. I had completed everything I’d set out to do nine months earlier. In the end, I raised £2,747 through the generosity of my family, friends and the lovely customers from my workplace.
“This journey has been my life over the past year, and I am overwhelmed by the community. We’ve raised a staggering amount of money and I am so proud of what WE have done. I would like to end on a special thanks to my Mum, Dad, Brother, Nan, Auntie, the customers and staff of the Garden Restaurant, and my best mates Olly and Josh. They all went above and beyond to aid me in this journey, and none of this would have been possible without them.”
Nathan hopes to inspire others to step up and do something amazing for Pilgrims Hospices, and believes that everyone can do anything they put their mind to.
Feeling inspired by Nathan’s story, and ready to go the distance for Pilgrims Hospices? You can sign up to your own Ultra Challenge, and choose from the Isle of Wight, Jurassic Coast or Thames Path challenge, as well as many more! Ultra-Challenge is famous for laying on the best support and hospitality, enabling you to confidently tackle your challenge with the best chance of success.
Each year, Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to thousands of people in east Kent coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity supports patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress. Care is provided from three hospice sites in Ashford, Canterbury and Thanet, as well as in patients’ own homes. To offer these services to patients and their families, the charity must raise £11 million each year from the generous local community.
Pilgrims Hospices share workforce stories throughout Hospice Care Week
Hello – I’m Shirley, Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Pilgrims Hospices.
I’m passionate about Pilgrims care, and have worked with the marketing team for more than eight years.
Communications and marketing play a crucial role in not only raising awareness about the services and support Pilgrims provide, but also in fostering connections with our community, donors, and volunteers. Our small team is undoubtedly important to the organisation’s overall mission and success.
I love the sense of being part of the bigger picture
Shirley – Pilgrims
Here’s why my role helps people to live well in every moment:
Raising Awareness: being involved with creative marketing campaigns that inform the community about the services and care offered by Pilgrims Hospices. This awareness can lead to more people accessing our services when they or their loved ones are in need.
Fundraising: effective communications and marketing are instrumental in attracting donors and sponsors. My work contributes to securing the necessary funds to support the charity’s operations and expansion.
Volunteer Engagement: volunteers are often the backbone of hospice care organisations. My role often involves engaging with volunteers, which is essential for providing personalised care and support. Without our volunteers we would not be able to provide the dedicated services to so many people.
Community Engagement: hospices are deeply rooted in the community. When I write articles and stories to support our services, I’m fostering relationships with community members and organisations. These relationships can lead to partnerships, donations, and additional support.
Patient and Family Support: effective communications can help patients and their families better understand the hospice care process, services available, and what to expect. This can reduce stress during a challenging time.
In my eight years with the charity, I’ve seen my role evolve and grow. With experience and expertise, I make a valuable contribution to the marketing team and the charity as a whole.
I love the sense of being part of the bigger picture, it’s crucial that all team members understand the charity’s mission, and their role in fulfilling it. When everyone feels connected to the overarching goal of delivering the best care possible, it fosters a sense of purpose and unity. This alignment of purpose can lead to increased job satisfaction, higher morale, and ultimately better patient care.
My role is integral to Pilgrims Hospices, and truly believe that my dedication and commitment over the past years, demonstrates a valuable contribution to providing the best care to those who need it.
If you think you have the qualities to support a local charity, who provide a vital service within the community, you should consider Pilgrims Hospices. Whether your skills lie in care, support and maintenance, fundraising or any number of roles for Pilgrims, please look at our current vacancies, click here.
Each year, Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to thousands of people in east Kent coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity supports patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress. Care is provided from three hospice sites in Ashford, Canterbury and Thanet, as well as in patients’ own homes. To offer these services to patients and their families, the charity must raise £11 million each year from the generous local community.
Celebrating Compassionate Care during Hospice Care Week 2023
Pilgrims Hospices is excited to announce its participation in Hospice Care Week, taking place from 9th to 15th October 2023. This annual event serves as a platform to recognise and celebrate the vital role hospice care plays in our communities, offering comfort, support, and dignity to individuals and their families during life-limiting illnesses.
Hospice Care Week is an opportunity to shed light on the incredible work done by hospice organisations across the country, and Pilgrims is proud to be at the forefront of providing exceptional end-of-life care to patients and their loved ones. This year’s theme, “Compassion in Action,” perfectly encapsulates Pilgrims dedication to delivering compassionate care, ensuring every individual receives the support they need to live their final moments with comfort and dignity.
Hospices throughout the UK support more than 300,000 people every year. But the need for hospice care is growing. There aren’t enough people to fill the roles we need to look after dying patients and their families. Without people to fill these empty roles, hospices will struggle to keep providing the gold-standard end-of-life care everyone deserves.
QUOTE
“From clinical staff to bereavement counsellors, kitchen staff to volunteer gardeners, the staff and volunteers who support over 300,000 people every year are what makes hospice care so special. This Hospice Care Week, we want to celebrate them.
Hospices are exciting, rewarding places to work, and with the need for hospice care growing, we need more people to take up the opportunity to work in this incredible profession. If you’re interested, reach out to your local hospice.”
Toby Porter, CEO, Hospice UK
Throughout Hospice Care Week, Pilgrims Hospices aims to create awareness, foster understanding, and celebrate the dedicated professionals and volunteers who make a difference in the lives of patients and their families.
Chief Executive Officer of Pilgrims Hospices, Helen Bennett, shared their enthusiasm, saying, “Hospice Care Week is a time for us to reflect on the compassion and dedication of our team, who work tirelessly to provide comfort and support to individuals during their most vulnerable moments. We invite our community to join us in celebrating the profound impact of hospice care and to learn more about how we can all be part of this compassionate mission.”
Pilgrims Hospices invites everyone to participate in Hospice Care Week 2023, and discover how compassion in action, can transform the lives of individuals and families facing end-of-life challenges.
We know that hospice staff find it to be the most rewarding and satisfying job of their career.
That’s why, this Hospice Care Week, we’ll be celebrating everyone that makes hospice care what it is.
This year’s theme, “Celebrating Compassion”, emphasises the unwavering dedication and compassion of Pilgrims Hospices’ staff, volunteers, and supporters. Hospice care is about ensuring that individuals with life-limiting illnesses receive the highest quality of care that focuses on their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Hospice Care Week is a time for us to reflect on the compassion and dedication of our team
Helen – Pilgrims
Working for Pilgrims Hospices:
Whether you support patients and families within our care teams, help to raise vital funds or work in our support services, Pilgrims can offer a very rewarding career.
Working alongside passionate, like-minded and knowledgeable people, a career with Pilgrims provides you with the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of families within east Kent.
Through providing care, working in our shops or attending events, there are always opportunities to network with other professionals and establish strong relationships within our community.
Alternatively, you might like to volunteer for Pilgrims?
Please explore our opportunities when you click here.
About Pilgrims Hospices:
Pilgrims Hospices is a leading provider of hospice care in east Kent. Committed to delivering compassionate, person-centred care, Pilgrims Hospices serves individuals facing life-limiting illnesses and their families. With a team of dedicated professionals and volunteers, the charity strives to ensure patients receive comfort, dignity, and support during their end-of-life journey. Learn more at www.pilgrimshospices.org.
Pilgrims Hospices share workforce stories throughout Hospice Care Week
Amy tells us why she has made a career in compassionate care and why Pilgrims is so important to her
When I first came to work at Pilgrims Hospices, it was for a week as a temp while I was in between jobs. A week turned into two, which turned into a month. That was in July 2000 and the rest is history! After a few months covering in different departments, I got a job as a medical secretary at the Canterbury hospice. I really enjoyed that role, and 15 years later was successful recruited to become the hospices Administration Manager. My mum and dad also worked at the hospices. Mum first, working in the Personnel department and then Dad after me, when he became the maintenance engineer at the Ashford hospice until he retired in 2011.
I had just turned 21 when I started working at Pilgrims, and was fairly naïve about what a hospice was. Throughout the years, I have grown up with the organisation, through lots of changes in my personal and professional life. I have spent my most formative adult years expanding my knowledge on how we deliver end-of-life care. I honestly feel that because of this, the hospice has a special place in my heart. I love what we do; I love how Pilgrims’ look after patients and their families, and I think we make a massive difference to those people. Nothing is too much trouble, and we have always done as much as we could to help people with their wishes, large or small, at the end of their life.
One of my proudest moments was when I was a medical secretary; a patient at Pilgrims Day Centre was a keen motorcyclist but was unable to ride anymore. His wish was to be able to just have one more ride on a motorcycle, but being unable to do this himself it needed to be in a sidecar. The team in the day centre came to ask me if I could try and find a way we could do this. I got in touch with some motorcycle clubs around the area, and a kind gentleman made contact saying he had a sidecar, and that it would be a pleasure to take the patient out for a ride. We arranged a meeting one Saturday, it was just amazing to see how excited and happy the patient and his family were that this could be achieved. The man with the sidecar turned out to be Eric Richard, the actor who played PC Bob Cryer in the TV series, The Bill, which added to the amazement! The best part of the day was, the patient had a brilliant time, and was so happy to be able to enjoy a motorcycle ride again.
Having worked for Pilgrims for so long, I always thought I knew everything there was to know about the hospice and the care provided, but I was so wrong. Sadly my mum got cancer and was admitted to the Canterbury hospice for end-of-life care in 2017. To be in that situation – on the other side – now as a relative, was so different to what I’d thought. I was stunned at the level of care and attention the care teams give patients and relatives, and it honestly blew my mind. I had no idea just how deep their treatment went, and the commitment they give to each tiny detail. This made my love of the hospice movement even deeper than it had been. Mum was able to say how she wanted her last days to be, and this was achieved. Although devastating, she had the best death she could have had. This year, unfortunately my dad had a very short illness and was admitted to the Canterbury hospice. Like my mum, he was able to state his wishes; again this was achieved fully, and his death was also just as he wanted. Both were peaceful, with the family, full of the love they deserved.
I could never repay Pilgrims for the wonderful care my parents received, and I fully understand when people say ‘a good death’. I don’t know what we would have done if we didn’t have the hospice to achieve this.
The fact that I experienced this, makes me even more grateful that I work for a charity that helps thousands of patients and their families, all year round. I am extremely proud and humbled to be a part of something that provides a service like this.
Working for Pilgrims Hospices:
Whether you support patients and families within our care teams, help to raise vital funds or work in our support services, Pilgrims can offer a very rewarding career.
Working alongside passionate, like-minded and knowledgeable people, a career with Pilgrims provides you with the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of families within east Kent.
Through providing care, working in our shops or attending events, there are always opportunities to network with other professionals and establish strong relationships within our community.
Alternatively, you might like to volunteer for Pilgrims?
Please explore our opportunities when you click here.
Not only has Nathan successfully completed his Ultra Challenge, he has also achieved a huge personal milestone. Nathan explained: “For the past two years I have been on a fitness journey, I’m now more healthy, and have achieved a massive weight loss, going from 18.03 to 12.10 stones. I wanted to end this chapter of my life with an extreme challenge, and an ultra-marathon sounded like a great idea. I would be able to see what I’m truly capable of physically and mentally, whilst also raising money towards an important charity”.
