You can take the lady out of St Luke’s but not St Luke’s out of the lady

19th October 2025

A heartfelt reunion, 40 years in the making

St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth has reunited with one of its earliest caring hearts during a surprise visit for this special lady on her 95th birthday.

Brixton Venn Court resident Joy Ridley, one of St Luke’s first-ever nursing auxiliaries in the 1980s, was visibly moved when Jess Timbrell, a paramedic with the hospice, arrived with flowers and a birthday card for her this week. Although the two women had never met before, they quickly recognised in each other the same unwavering compassion for families affected by terminal illness.

While Jess cares for St Luke’s patients and families of today, Joy was part of the small team working for the hospice in its first home, Syrena House in Plymstock, four decades ago. It was at the former town house, which St Luke’s converted – thanks to funds raised by the community – that the charity first began delivering its specialist end-of-life care. Ever since then, the hospice has continued innovating to keep pace with the changing needs of local patients and their families, looking after them at home and at its specialist unit at Turnchapel.

It was in the early days of getting to know Joy that Helen Fellows of LiveWest, the housing association which manages Venn Court, picked up on her pride of having worked for St Luke’s. Helen said: “When I met Joy a year ago, it wasn’t long before she started telling me some of her history. Something that was clearly important to her was that she’s worked for St Luke’s and been part of its early years at Syrena House.

“Joy has lived at Venn Court for 24 years. She loves telling us her stories about the hospice, and it obviously means so much to her. Arranging a surprise visit from St Luke’s for her 95th birthday was us showing her how loved she is by us all.”

For Joy, the visit from Jess was emotional. She said: “I enjoyed my time at St Luke’s so much and have great admiration for every person working as part of the team. Syrena House was such an uplifting place – we all worked together, laughed together, and did everything we could to make it a home from home for our patients.”

Joy still recalls the early days vividly – from carrying mattresses up the stairs to the comforting presence of the hospice cats. She said: “If a patient couldn’t sleep, a cat would curl up at the back of their knees and purr until they drifted off. It was very moving to see.”

With a hug, Jess passed on heartfelt gratitude to Joy for all the kindness she showed to patients while working for the hospice. She said: “Joy talked about it being a privilege to care for people, and that’s exactly how we still feel. She helped shape the heart of St Luke’s, and it was an honour to be able to say thank you in person and celebrate such an incredible milestone.”

As the celebrations came to a close, Joy – never short of words but visibly moved – summed up the day perfectly: “You’ve made me feel a very special person. Thank you to each and every one of you.”

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