It was a sight more dazzling than the day’s bright sunshine – a record multitude of men on the move at Men’s Day Out, the annual guys-only gathering in aid of much-loved local charity St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth.

Saturday 30 March saw over 2,200 big-hearted men – the biggest crowd for the event since its launch in 2014 – striding the streets and the South West Coastal Path to raise vital funds for the specialist end of life care St Luke’s provides for terminally ill people at home, in hospital and at its specialist unit at Turnchapel.

As they pounded the pavements, they were cheered on by many, including passing motorists tooting their horns in solidarity with the charity whose care and support helps families across Plymouth, South West Devon and South East Cornwall at the most vulnerable of times.

Sponsored by IU Energy, which has supported Men’s Day Out since it began, the largest men-only charity event in the South West (and probably the UK!) saw guys gather with their mates for the charity walk, with pitstops along the way and before the rugby match between Plymouth Albion RFC and Birmingham Mosely, and a well-earned pasty and pint.

While the lively event was – as always – full of banter, never far from the men’s thoughts were the many lost loved ones in whose memory they took to the streets. Among the fancy dress outfits, ranging from Cornish serving maids to traditional Mexican attire, was a sea of tee-shirts emblazoned with the names of mums, dads, sisters, brothers and treasured friends all being celebrated by those determined to make a difference for the charity that cared so compassionately for their special ones.

For Daniel Turton from Plympton (pictured below), the day was all about remembering his much-loved mum, Marlene, who was looked after by St Luke’s at Turnchapel in the last weeks of her life, in 2012. He said: “Mum was such a fantastic person and it was very hard losing her, but seeing the amazing care she received in the beautiful surroundings at Turnchapel and getting to spend precious time with her there has been a big comfort to me and my family.

“Sadly, government funding for St Luke’s is just not enough – that’s why me and my friends do the walk. We’re the lucky ones being here to help raise money for people like my mum who really need the specialist care.”

Also enjoying the electric atmosphere was Darren Brown from Ham (pictured below), whose father David was cared for at home by the St Luke’s team. Walking with a band of loyal friends he’s had since his days at Mount Wise Primary School 40 years ago, Darren said: “Not only did Dad’s nurse James give brilliant medical care, he listened and provided support for the whole family.
“Now my mum-in-law is also being looked after by St Luke’s at home, and we have peace of mind knowing that the care being given is the best of the best. To me, every St Luke’s nurse is worth a million pounds so I’m more than glad to do my bit.”

With the reputation of Men’s Day Out spreading across the miles, the event also attracted those from as far afield as Manchester. Among them was Chris Hogg (pictured below), originally from Plymouth but now living in Bristol. St Luke’s cared for Chris’s brother Peter, before sadly he passed away in 2017.

Chris said: “Peter was such an adventurous person and so passionate about the environment. Men’s Day Out falls close to his birthday and this year would have been his 40th so me and my friends were determined do him proud.

“St Luke’s care was second to none, including the bereavement support for Peter’s children, so this is us saying thank you by raising funds the charity so badly needs. Just like Peter always did, we seized the day to make a difference!”

Joined by his brother and friends, Jamie Lake of Plympton stepped out in memory of his much-loved father David Robson, who had Huntington’s disease and was cared for by St Luke’s at Turnchapel in his last days in 2016.

Jamie said: “It’s been such a fantastic turn out and an amazing atmosphere. What a great way to be able to thank St Luke’s for all they did for my family and to remember happy times we had with Dad. Everyone was buzzing –and looking forward to next year already!”

Nina Wearne, Community and Events Fundraising Manager at St Luke’s, said: “Men’s Day Out is always a highlight and this year we’ve been even more blown away with the record-breaking number taking part.

“It’s been heart-warming seeing so many men band together and have a great time, remembering loved ones and doing their bit to ensure St Luke’s can be there for the family, friends, colleagues and neighbours who could need our specialist care in the future.

“Since the event started in 2014 it has grown from 574 participants to over 2,200 and we’re on track this year to raise more than enough to provide a full package of care at home for over 100 local families.

“A huge thank you to everyone who took part and all who helped us put on such a great event – our sponsors IU Energy, plus Plymouth Albion RFC, Salcombe Brewery, Burt’s Crisps and of course our amazing volunteers.”

Register your interest for Men’s Day Out 2020

When gifted local artist Colin Pethick learned of the opportunity to lend his talent to St Luke’s by painting one of the elephant sculptures for this summer’s Elmer’s Big Parade, it was an opportunity he simply didn’t want to miss – a chance to support our charity and at the same time pay tribute to his wonderful wife Zheng, for whom we cared for before she passed away.

Just recently, Colin has been busy completing his masterpiece at Herd HQ at Western Approach, giving the public the opportunity to see part of his painting process on the rather unusual ‘canvas’ of a three-dimensional elephant sculpture.

Watching him at work and hearing him speak, it is clear Colin’s creation – which he has called ‘The Beauty of Transcience’ – is a real labour of love for Zheng, whom he met while in China. Her influence and that of her homeland shine through, as does his great affection for her, as he speaks movingly of their time together before sadly, Zheng, who had cancer, died.

Having met later in life while Colin – who is also an art tutor – was on an internship in China, the two enjoyed a long distance friendship, corresponding as penpals before Colin returned to Zheng and proposed two years later. They were married the very next day in Chengdu, near Tibet.

Colin says: “When we met, Zheng was working as an interpreter and she was also an artist, and we hit it off. After we married and she came to live with me in the UK, she did an art degree at the University of Plymouth, which she so enjoyed – she was a really good painter and I learned so much from her.

“We had ten wonderful years together before she was diagnosed. They told us she had this very rare form of lung cancer; there was no history of it in her family.

“It was towards the end that St Luke’s became involved, and it was the Crisis team who got her well enough to stay with me at home because it was her wish to die there. The care was just so good all round and I never would have coped without St Luke’s help.”

Alongside Colin through this heart-breaking time was Bereavement Support Worker Andy Searle, providing a listening ear when he needed it most. And it was Andy, knowing Colin’s artistic talent as well as his high opinion of our charity, who brought to his attention the opportunity to submit a design for one of the mammoth mob of elephant sculptures for Elmer’s Big Parade.

Colin said: “I just thought, yes, what a fantastic project! And it’s the least I can do to give something back.

“My Elmer is like a little legacy for Zheng, of all the things she liked – the things that got her going as an artist and the things we celebrated. I managed to work them into the design, which I’ve called ‘The Beauty of Transience’.

“I’ve woven in a lot of Chinese and Japanese visual cultural references and symbols of transcience, of mortality, that they use there. So the theme is life and death, and how you deal with death. It was Andy’s bereavement support that was such a help to me – it made a tremendous difference. He said to me quite early on, “You’ll find that the good memories will come through.

The good things you did together, they will outweigh the bad times.” He then really got me to talk about the bad times, and he was right. I found that tremendously cathartic.”

Having perfected his painting, Colin is now looking forward to seeing his Elmer among the others that will make up our sculpture trail with a difference, encouraging more open conversations about the somewhat ‘taboo’ subjects of death, dying and bereavement so that everyone living with loss can feel better understood and supported.

He said: “It’s exciting! Elmer’s Big Parade is educational and will work on so many levels. It’s lovely to have the opportunity to be involved. I thank St Luke’s, I really do.”

Find out more about Elmer’s Big Parade Plymouth.

While the hands-on medical care St Luke’s provides is outstanding, our holistic approach means we’re also there to give patients and their loved ones unwavering practical, emotional and spiritual support, too.

Providing this is our Social Care team, reaching out to people across the community in the midst of very challenging circumstances. Among the team for the past ten years has been Social Care and Bereavement Support Worker Janet Hearl, so as she left to start her retirement earlier this month, it was with immense gratitude for her contribution that we said farewell.

Before Janet left, she took the time to give us an insight into her role over her decade with our charity.

She said: “Before coming here I had many jobs, including Bed Manager at Derriford Hospital, but I always wanted to join St Luke’s.

“I began by working alongside a social worker and my role evolved as I gained experience in lots of different situations, because no two patients or families are the same. There’s so much variety to what we do.

“Naturally, it’s devastating for someone whose time is running short, and very challenging for their family, too. It’s about coming alongside them, being that empathic yet ‘neutral’ person they can be open with and express raw emotion. I’ve been there to listen and provide a reassuring presence that can make things that little bit easier, especially as there are sometimes complex family issues involved.

“It’s practical help, too, because at such times things can easily feel overwhelming. I’ve given advice and support to help patients get their affairs in order, which brings them increased peace of mind. Sometimes families need assistance with sorting out financial issues, and often with funeral arrangements as well.

“It isn’t about ‘solving’ problems,but being there for them at a very difficult time and, when appropriate, signposting them to other organisations who can help.

“It’s very rewarding and I’ve loved being part of a multidisciplinary team. There’s a wealth of experience between us, and I’ve enjoyed working closely with our nurses, OTs and physio – we all support each other. It’s those relationships, as well as memories of patients and families, that will stay in my heart.”

As Janet retires to spend more time with family, travel and continue volunteering with Jeremiah’s Journey, the legacy she leaves is the many families she’s helped and also the knowledge and experience she has imparted to colleagues.

We wish Janet a long and happy retirement.

Today, when so many transactions are done online, there are those who miss the kind of everyday, doorstep greeting of the milkman. So, when your lottery fee is collected at your front door, it’s about more than money changing hands. It’s a familiar smile, a shared joke and the type of friendly banter that lifts the spirits.

So it was with great sadness that his friends at St Luke’s, and those who play our weekly lottery and pay their fee in person rather than online, learned that Lottery Collector Robert Gore – known as Bob – passed away recently.

For the subscribers who met Bob every four weeks as he did his door-to-door collection rounds across Plymouth, Ivybridge and Modbury, he was a familiar, friendly face who always took the time to ask after them, swap a story and check if they needed any practical help, such as a letter posting. And, over the 19 years he worked his patch, he became fondly known as ‘Bob in the shorts’ due to his habit of sporting them, every day from April until the end of October.

A proud ex-Royal Marine driver whose career also included railway work and improving opportunities for adults with learning disabilities, Bob was recruited to St Luke’s in 2000, after his daughter Sarah, who works for our charity, highlighted the vacancy for a Lottery Collector.

Sarah said: “At first, dad took on the role mainly because he knew I thought so highly of St Luke’s, but he soon realised just how much the charity means to so many others, too.

“On his rounds he’d hear from families about the comfort they’d received from St Luke’s at a really tough time, and it wasn’t long before he himself was providing reassurance for those who needed end of life care. He could tell them with confidence that St Luke’s would help them live well until the end.”

And when Bob became terminally ill himself, it was St Luke’s who cared for him, as well as supporting his family, including wife Margaret, Sarah and her brother Alistair, and grandchildren Daniel, Chloe and Phoebe.

Sarah said: “Seeing the team looking after dad I witnessed firsthand their compassion and ability to quickly build up a great rapport. Thanks to them, he was able to pass away peacefully with us at home – even chatting away until shortly before he died and enjoying precious time with little Phoebe.

“Dad was an amazing man, full of fascinating facts and great humour. I will always have such happy memories of our family picnics and the kindness he showed everyone, including his many lottery customers.”

Bob’s unwavering support for St Luke’s even extended to his funeral, which was family flowers only with donations invited for our charity.

Learn more about St Luke’s Lottery.

Cuz said: “Cathryn was amazing, caring for mum with such compassion and sensitivity at home so we could spend precious time with her there. In fact, mum was able to remain at home with us almost until the end, when she required care at Turnchapel in her final few days.

“It was lovely to get the opportunity to meet Cathryn again all these years later. I’ll always be so grateful to her and the rest of the team for being there in our time of need, helping us at such a difficult time. It was great to be able to express that to her in person.”

It’s the memory of much-loved Dot – and his gratitude to Cathryn and her colleagues – that has inspired Cuz on his mission to raise an incredible £100,000 for our charity through Rockfest, the annual live music extravaganza he founded, which has built up a large, loyal following since it began 11 years ago.

This year’s event, happening over Easter weekend at Crash Manor, Union Street, is once again a must for lovers of live music, including genres ranging from rock to reggae. And, with £90,000 already raised from previous years, thanks to Cuz’s hard work, the bands who kindly perform for free and the local businesses who donate raffle prizes, that Titan of a target is within touching distance.

So, if you want to enjoy the electric atmosphere and help Cuz reach £100,000 for St Luke’s, helping more families who need us, roll up on 20 and/or 21 April and get your tickets on the door.

You can find out more, including the line-up of bands here!