Naomi’s long locks will raise vital funds for Pilgrims Hospices
On 30th October Mayor of Hythe, Naomi Slade will be shaving her hair to raise money for Pilgrims Hospices in memory of her best friend Clare’s mum, Diane Bauckham.
Diane was a volunteer at Pilgrims Hospice Ashford for nearly 10 years and was cared for by them at the end of her life. She had lived glamorously with breast cancer for 15 years.
Naomi described Diane saying: “She always had such an air of grace about herself and was one of the most compassionate and caring people I’ve been lucky enough to know. She was never without her lipstick, wig (Dolly) and a flowing scarf to hide her spreading lumps. Through every stage of her illness, Diane always looked absolutely fabulous.
Diane Bauckham
“I don’t remember much of life without Diane’s daughter, Clare. We’ve grown up like sisters, with me having two unruly brothers and Clare as an only child, we’ve been there for each other through everything and I really don’t know where I would be without her. So I’ve never felt such heartache, as watching Clare losing her mum. There really are no words.
“It made me realise just how important our hospices are and the need to fundraise, to help support the incredible work they do.”
She always had such an air of grace about herself and was one of the most compassionate and caring people I’ve been lucky enough to know.
Naomi
Wendy Kelk, Pilgrims Hospices Services Manager said: “Diane was a valued member of the reception team, we were lucky to have her volunteer for us and I was personally appreciative to her for her hard work and passion. Every week Diane would come along very neat with immaculate hair and fabulous clothes. I would personally describe her as glamourous, her appearance meant a lot to her. Diane was very dignified and a wonderful welcoming face to the visitors at the hospice. When I heard about the head shave I thought it very fitting that someone was prepared to shave their head for Diane, when appearance meant so much to her.”
Naomi will also be donating her hair to The Little Princess Trust, where along with other hair donations they are transformed into beautiful wigs. These are given for free to children and young people, who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other conditions.
If you would like to donate to Naomi’s fundraiser you can do so on her JustGiving page.
Pilgrims Hospices cares for more than 2,500 local people each year, free of charge, during the most challenging time in their lives. They offer care and support in people’s own homes, in the community and in their inpatient units as well as running a 24-hour advice line.
12th August 2020
Head shave raises £2,000 for Pilgrims Hospices
Sally Gibbs has supported Pilgrims Hospices with a spontaneous head shave to help raise vital funds to support end of life care. To make this challenge even more memorable Sally’s head was shaved by her mother- in-law, Sylvia Gibbs who is currently receiving care in Margate.
Sally said; “I would just like to thank everyone that supported me and donated towards this amazing charity.
“Pilgrims Hospices go above and beyond to help and care for loved ones. I just wanted to show my appreciation for everything they do.
“By shaving my head, together we raised £2,000, which was a great effort. Thank you and everyone and stay safe.”
Karen Kenward, Community Fundraising Manager said; “Having incredible people like Sally and Sylvia supporting our charity helps us to continue to provide daily palliative care throughout east Kent to the next person that needs us.
“£25 would pay for one hour of specialist nursing care in one of our inpatient units. Sally, Sylvia, family and friends have helped provide 80 hours to the next person that needs us.
“Thank you to each and everyone of you that made a donation to make this possible, and most of all thank you Sally for taking on this courageous challenge.”
Care is provided from three hospice sites in Thanet, Canterbury and Ashford 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.
If you would like to take on a challenge in support of our charity, please contact:
Each year Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to over 2,500 people in east Kent coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity supports patient’s to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress.
29th July 2020
Head shave raises over £1,200 for Pilgrims Hospices
Beth Johnson from Margate has supported Pilgrims Hospices with a challenging head shave to help raise vital funds to support end of life care.
Beth said; “The hospices do such amazing work and took great care of my dad in his final weeks. Over the years I have done a few things to raise money in my dad’s memory, with many events being cancelled and my hair growing out of control, I chose to use my first post lockdown hair cut to raise some much needed funds for the Pilgrims Hospices.
“I decided I would have my hair shaved off to try to raise £500. When I told family, friends and colleagues what I was doing the donations came flooding in and my £500 target was met with in just 48hrs! I was totally amazed by the support. By the time the big day arrived I had more than doubled my original target.
“It was a bit of a shock when I looked in the mirror afterwards, however I am so thrilled with how much I have raised.”
Each year Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to over 2,500 people in east Kent coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity supports patient’s to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress.
Karen Kenward, Community Fundraising Manager said; “Our local community really are our bread and butter, without them we would not be able to provide the services we do.
“Beth is a real breath of fresh air and has raised an incredible sum of money to help support our care. By supporting our charity it enables us to be able to continue to provide daily palliative care throughout east Kent to the next person that needs us.
“£25 would pay for one hour of specialist nursing care in one of our inpatient units. Beth and her amazing supporters have helped provide just over 49 hours of care for the next person that needs us.
“Thank you to each and everyone of you that made a donation to make this possible, and most of all thank you Beth for taking on this brave challenge.”
The hospices do such amazing work and took great care of my dad in his final weeks.
Beth
Care is provided from three hospice sites in Thanet, Canterbury and Ashford 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.
Bernie’s bald move for Pilgrims Hospices raises more than £1,000
Stay Home Hospice Hero Bernie Brisco, Health Care Assistant at Pilgrims Hospice Ashford, turned 50 on Tuesday 19 May and in doing so raised over £1,000 for the charity.
To celebrate, Bernie had planned a fabulous party and overnight camp out with many of her friends and hospice colleagues. However due to COVID-19 these plans, as for so many others, had to be cancelled.
Bernie on her birthday pre-shave
Bernie still wanted to mark the occasion in a way that she would remember so that she would have something to look back on; so, she decided instead to shave her head. Bernie explained: “As well as being a nurse I am also my brother Matty’s carer and have continued to be so during this lockdown. I have for many years shaved his head and thought, ‘Why not do mine?’ and immediately decided to see if I could raise funds for Pilgrims Hospices at the same time.
“I love working for Pilgrims, it is such a fantastic charity caring for those who need our specialist support. With people unable to do so many of our normal events to support Pilgrims, this was something I could do.”
Bernie decided that when she shaved her hair, she wasn’t going to just have a Grade 1 all over, she was going to go totally bald and be proud of it. On Tuesday 19 May, Bernie braved the clippers.
Katie Brisco, her daughter, said: “My mum has always been a person who puts other people first. She is definitely my role model for life; I am very proud of her. She never expected to raise such a huge sum. She is a superstar.”
Deirdre Mewse, Community Fundraising Officer, added:
“A huge thank you to Bernie for going above and beyond to fundraise for Pilgrims, especially during these challenging times. The kindness and generosity she has shown is so appreciated. Alongside our whole Pilgrims team, Bernie is still here, still caring for patients and families across east Kent who are living with incurable illness. We can’t thank our care teams enough for the frontline support they are providing throughout COVID-19.”
There are so many ways you can continue to support Pilgrims, even from your homes. Visit the Pilgrims website for some virtual challenges and become a #StayHomeHospiceHero and help to make a difference from your home.
We need you more than ever; our local community means everything to us.
Thank you.
Each year Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to over 2,400 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. To offer these services the charity must raise £11 million each year from the generous local community.
20th April 2020
Rob’s head shave raises over £790 for Pilgrims Hospices
Local estate agent branch manager, Robert Lear from Oakwood Homes continues to fundraise for his local Pilgrims Hospices charity in spite of the current lockdown conditions. Rob’s spontaneous head shave has raised over £790 for vital end of life care within the community.
The ‘brave shave’ took place earlier this month at Rob’s and his partner Rebecca’s home in Ramsgate. At the prospect of keeping his locks well-groomed during these difficult times, Rob decided a head shave would be a good option and an opportunity to raise some funds for Pilgrims Still Here, Still Caring campaign by asking friends, family and colleagues to sponsor his daring deed.
Pilgrims is a charity very close to my heart.
Rob Lear
Rob who turns 35 later this month said: “Pilgrims is a charity very close to my heart, I have known friends who have been cared for by the hospice and I wanted to show my appreciation for everything they do; they really do a great job.
Rob before his brave shave
“I would just like to thank everyone who supported me and donated towards this amazing charity. Pilgrims Hospices go above and beyond to help and care for our loved ones. I’m delighted with the amount raised from the head shave.
“Thank you everyone and, stay safe.”
Rob is a regular Pilgrims supporter and has taken on challenges that have included charity go karting and chest waxing in the past. During lockdown he’s busy doing lots of cooking with Rebecca and enjoying Bluebell; their 7-month-old golden retriever dog.
Karen Kenward, Pilgrims Thanet Community Fundraising Manager said: “We are most grateful for the incredible people like Rob who continue to fundraise for our charity while in lockdown. It means we can continue to provide support for those who need our care the most within the community.
“It costs £20 to provide each hour of nursing care; Rob and his supporters have helped provide just over 39 hours to the next person who needs us. Thank you to each and every one of you that made a donation to make this possible and, most of all thank you Rob for taking on this challenge.”
There are so many ways you can continue to support Pilgrims, even from your homes. Visit the Pilgrims website for some virtual challenges and become a #StayHomeHospiceHero and help to make a difference from your home.
We need you more than ever; our local community means everything to us.
Thank you.
Each year Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to over 2,400 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. To offer these services charity must raise £11 million each year from the generous local community.
21st June 2019
Verity shaves hair for charity
In June, Verity Metcalfe aged 12 from Ashford had her hair shaved off to donate to the Little Princess Trust and at the same time has raised over £1,100 for Pilgrims Hospices.
Sporting her new Miley Cyrus style haircut, Verity explained why: “When I was eight I came across a video about what happens when you shave your hair. I showed Mum and Dad and told them that I wanted to shave my hair too. They told me to wait a few years but when I was 10 I still wanted to do it. So they told me if I was serious, I needed to grow my hair long enough to have enough to donate.
“So I did! I grew my hair for two years and couldn’t wait for the shave; I was so excited and had no fear at all. I feel proud of myself for raising so much money and for giving my hair to help someone feel better about themselves.”
Verity’s mother Laura said: “Verity has always been a thoughtful girl, she always puts others before herself so it was no surprise when she said that she wanted to cut her hair off and donate it to a specialist wig maker who styles wigs for children with various illnesses. Her thought behind this being that her hair will grow back whereas theirs may not. She wanted to make someone less fortunate feel happier.
I feel proud of myself for raising so much money.
Verity
“After growing her hair for over two years and deciding to cut it she wanted to raise some money in the process! She chose Pilgrims Hospices because we have known a couple of people who have been cared for by Pilgrims and also was inspired as she watched me take part in the Firewalk the previous year. Her dad and I are extremely proud of her and what she has achieved and we cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity and support.”
Isabel Smith, Community Fundraising Officer, said: “As a team, we are inspired by Verity, who has chosen to do something so generous thinking only of others. The money she has raised will enable Pilgrims Hospices to offer the care and support needed to the next family that needs us.”
If you would like to help raise funds for Pilgrims Hospices, click here for more information and see how together we can make a difference.
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 new wellbeing and social programme supporting people after they are diagnosed to live well and stay independent.
