It sounds like the title of one of those feelgood British films about friends and neighbours pulling together to support one another. Think Calendar Girls, The Full Monty or Fisherman’s Friends the Movie.
This scenario features a group of bereaved strangers who meet at the Compassionate Café at their local community hub and agree to one lonely chap’s “silly idea” to go on a seaside coach holiday together.
Saying the final goodbye to your loved one after their death is never easy but doing it in a way that is personal to them – and meaningful to you – can make it all the more special and perhaps even a little easier to bear.
Recently, we had the privilege of going behind the scenes at The Park, Plymouth City Council’s new crematorium, before its official opening. Joined by colleagues from our Education team, several St Luke’s nurses took a tour of the state-of-the-art facility, which will provide a calm and comforting space for the people of Plymouth and surrounding areas to remember and pay tribute to their loved ones.
A daughters love of the sea and memories of her father paved the way for an inspiring challenge.
Back in July 2022, Beth Tindall-Jones’ father spent his final week at our specialist unit, receiving care after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Now, two years on, Beth and her two friends Ellie and Ellen completed the challenging Breakwater swim last weekend in aid of St Luke’s and in memory of Beth’s father.
Halfway up a wild and wet Mount Snowdon, George Fletcher felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to find a little girl aged around seven or eight waiting to hand him a £10 note.
She wasn’t the first or last to approach the 85-year-old from Ivybridge as he embraced the enormous challenge of climbing the highest mountain in Wales, accompanied by his son Marc, and family friend Mark Buckham, to raise funds for St Luke’s.
As modest as he is kind, Andy Campbell would never describe himself as a ‘hospice hero’, but having reached the milestone of 35 years’ dedicated service with St Luke’s – making him the team’s longest serving current employee – it’s a title that could not be more deserved.
Halfway up a wild and wet Mount Snowdon, George Fletcher felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to find a little girl aged around seven or eight waiting to hand him a £10 note.
She wasn’t the first or last to approach the 85-year-old from Ivybridge as he embraced the enormous challenge of climbing the highest mountain in Wales, accompanied by his son Marc, and family friend Mark Buckham, to raise funds for St Luke’s.
When Marc Fletcher and his best mate started making plans to climb Mount Snowdon in memory of his late mother, Eve – shining a spotlight on the care she received from St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth – they asked his father, George, if he’d like to take the train up to meet them at the top and perhaps walk back down.
But the 85-year-old was having none of it. If they were climbing Snowdon – the highest peak in Wales – then George wasn’t going to take the easy option. For him it’s not only a way to honour his wife of 55 years, but also to raise funds for St Luke’s so that other local families can benefit from the compassionate doorstep urgent care service he had no idea existed until they experienced it themselves earlier this year.
The focus for this year’s Hospice UK Dying Matters Awareness Week (6-12 May) is how we talk about death and dying. Senior palliative care nurse Cathryn Goodchild, lead clinical educator at St Luke’s, asks why people shy away from the “D” words and explains why correct language matters.
A pair of friends will be making every paddle count as they take on an epic challenge in aid of St Luke’s.
Ben Patrick and Gareth Thomas are embarking on a six day kayak challenge along the Jurassic coast today in memory of Ben’s sister Netha and Gareth’s mum.
A young family will be walking in the footsteps of their inspirational grandad to raise much-needed funds for St Luke’s.
Grace Morley’s grandad Owen Masters spent 24 hours at our specialist unit at Turnchapel last October, before he sadly died.
“His stay was only a short one,” she says, “but during those 24 hours our entire family were blown away by the quality of the care he received.”
