As a member of Pilgrims Hospices Always Caring, Daphne Smith supports the charity with a monthly donation, to give back for the care and support her and her husband, Ron, received.
My late husband Ron and I were both in the Civil Service working for the prison department. Ron was an electrician before he joined the Service, so went in as a Trades Officer and worked his way up through the ranks. He always worked and played hard and I was immensely proud of him. He was 89 when he died and we had been married for 68 years.
Whilst Ron was receiving immunotherapy at the Viking centre, he also had help from Pilgrims Hospices, who provided six sessions, once a week with the Energise group at the Thanet hospice. They got him back into exercising, and at the end of six weeks he was considered fit enough to restart at the local gym, which he thoroughly enjoyed. When the pandemic stopped him from attending the gym, he bought an exercise bike from the Pilgrims warehouse in Margate and exercised daily in our conservatory.
The help and understanding we both received at that frightening and upsetting time was so very much appreciated, and is why I continue to support Pilgrims Hospices through Always Caring.
Daphne
During his two year course of treatment, I was helped by attending the Carer Wellbeing Days. When I first arrived there I was apprehensive, but was soon put at ease by the kind and understanding staff. I could exchange views and feelings in a safe environment, spending time with others who were going through the same experiences. I found the Carer Wellbeing Days very helpful, as they gave me the time to relax away from my responsibilities as a carer. I also attended programmes run by the Palliative Specialist Nurses, where they gave me information on finance, common symptoms, and nutrition.
None of us know when we might need hospice care, but with your support we can continue to be here for local people when they need us most.
By giving regularly to Pilgrims Hospices you can help us be here, Always Caring for our patients and their families.
Each year, Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to thousands of people in east Kent who are coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity support patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress.
31st January 2023
Always Caring: Philip’s story
As a member of Pilgrims Hospices Always Caring, Philip Hurst supports the charity with a monthly donation, to give back for the care and support he and his wife, Gill, received.
My first experience with Pilgrims Hospices was in 2015 when my wife, Gill, was referred by Kent and Canterbury Hospital. She remained as an in-patient at the Canterbury hospice for four weeks in January, until I was able to transfer her home. With the help of Pilgrims Hospices, I was able to convert our sitting room with a hospital bed and all the equipment we needed to care for her. A year later, Gill was re-admitted to the Canterbury hospice for what proved to be her last five days.
After losing Gill, I was supported by the bereavement team at Pilgrims with one-to-one counselling, as well as group sessions with two counsellors three months later, which I benefitted from greatly.
So, every time I receive a request for support, I’m happy to give it. I was pleased to make a regular direct debit to Always Caring. It gives me the opportunity to maintain a background level of support and continue to help the place that cared for my wife.
None of us know when we might need hospice care, but with your support we can continue to be here for local people when they need us most.
By giving regularly to Pilgrims Hospices you can help us be here, Always Caring for our patients and their families.
Each year, Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to thousands of people in east Kent who are coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity support patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress.
25th April 2022
Pilgrims Hospices launches new supporter club after success of emergency COVID-19 appeal
It has been an unexpectedly difficult time for Pilgrims Hospices, as it has for many. When the pandemic began, the local hospice charity had to ask most of its volunteers to stay at home, close its shops, cancel or postpone many fundraising activities, and stop its Lottery door collections.
Ellie Cane, Individual Giving Officer, said: “Our vital work did not stop, and it has only been with our community’s help that we have continued providing compassionate care and support at our three hospices and in the community.”
In May 2020, Pilgrims launched an emergency appeal, Still Here, Still Caring, to help bring in funds to ensure it could continue providing care and support to the people of east Kent throughout the pandemic.
Ellie added: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported the Still Here, Still Caring appeal. Our local community demonstrated what an incredible force they are; since the start of the pandemic, they helped us raise over £324,000! This amazing amount is enough to fully fund our community teams for over two and a half months.”
Being able to predict and have assurance in our income is the only way that we can continue to deliver the best possible care. This is why I’m delighted to share that we are launching Pilgrims Hospices Always Caring, a committed supporter club that, through regular direct debit donations, makes an impact every day
Ellie Cane, Individual Giving Officer
Now, almost two years on from when the pandemic began, Pilgrims further recognises the importance of monthly, regular support.
Ellie continued: “Being able to predict and have assurance in our income is the only way that we can continue to deliver the best possible care. This is why I’m delighted to share that we are launching Pilgrims Hospices Always Caring, a committed supporter club that, through regular direct debit donations, makes an impact every day, securing Pilgrims care for future generations.
“By joining this exclusive club, those who are able to support Pilgrims in this way will be helping us continue to provide our expert care and support to families across east Kent, now and in the future. We will know that no matter what we face, we can get through it, together.”
Each year, Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to thousands of people in east Kent who are coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity support patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress.
21st March 2022
Always Caring: Peggy’s story
As a member of Pilgrims Hospices Always Caring, Peggy Davis supports the charity with a monthly donation, after the care and support she and her sister, Val, received.
In December 2020, my sister, Val, was cared for at the Canterbury hospice for her final week. Near the end of her life, she was in quite a lot of pain, and a district nurse suggested that Pilgrims get involved to help.
I wanted to keep caring for her myself at home, but when I could no longer help with her pain, she went into the hospice.
In my pride, I thought that I was the only one who could really care for her. But when she went into the hospice, I was truly humbled to see the love and care that everyone there showed to Val. They really went the extra mile to look after her, and to make sure I was alright as well. You often hear how wonderful hospices can be, but until you get there and experience it you don’t know just how wonderful it is. It had such a happy atmosphere whenever I visited, which surprised me as I thought that it would be very quiet and sombre, but it was always very full of life.
I will never ever forget the love and kindness shown to Val, from the little things like massaging her feet, to the lovely chats, and the wonderful nursing.
Peggy
The first few days I visited each morning, but the last few days of Val’s life I was able to stay, and I never felt a pressure to leave. One evening I said to Val it was my time to go home, but she didn’t want me to, so the staff helped make me comfortable in an armchair, and allowed me to stay. They’d always said to me that if they thought Val would die in the night, they would let me know so I could come and we could spend her last hours together.
I will never ever forget the love and kindness shown to Val, from the little things like massaging her feet, to the lovely chats, and the wonderful nursing. Val didn’t sleep very well in that last week, and while they must have been very busy, the nurses would spend time sitting and talking with her about her life; she was a very private person, but they gave her that time.
I will always fully support Pilgrims as much as I can, and when I got Pilgrims Matters and saw that I could support the hospice with a monthly donation, it just felt like the natural thing for me to do.
I think it’s such a lovely thing to do, and a way for me to support the place that gave my sister such wonderful love and care at the end of her life.
None of us know when we might need hospice care, but with your support we can continue to be here for local people when they need us most.
By giving regularly to Pilgrims Hospices you can help us be here, Always Caring for our patients and their families.
Each year, Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to thousands of people in east Kent who are coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity support patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress.
