Kind-hearted sponsors play a huge part in enabling St Luke’s key fundraising events to happen year after year, bringing in hundreds of thousands of pounds to support our compassionate end of life care.
Members of Plymouth’s independent business community whose generosity helps make our flagship fundraisers such a rip-roaring success were invited to our Turnchapel headquarters to receive a huge heartfelt thank you on behalf of everyone at St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth and those whose lives we touch.
The valued contributions of local firms Michael Spiers, Marchand Petit, Print Copy Scan, NFU Mutual Plymouth, Jem Scaffolding, Sir Fix-a-lock Ltd and Plymouth Golf Centre were saluted with a slap-up breakfast celebration in the conservatory.
It was an opportunity not only to receive personal thanks from St Luke’s Head of Fundraising Penny Hannah, events lead Georgina Mayhew, events advisor Chloe Symons and new partnerships advisor Kim Dover, but also to meet each other and reflect on how and why they support the hospice and what it means to them.
Jackie Spiers, widow of Michael Spiers, founder of the renowned Plymouth based jewellery retailer, attended the reception with marketing and PR manager Fiona Spear, proudly standing close to the Memory Leaf the family sponsors in memory of her husband.
Michael was cared for at Turnchapel and at home before his death in 1999 and since then the business has supported St Luke’s in many ways. They are currently the main sponsors of St Luke’s popular Midnight Walk, which this year has so far raised more than £125,000 for patient care.
Jackie said: “St Luke’s is our favourite charity from the heart because when Michael was here, he was happy. The first time he came he was apprehensive, but the was soon very content flirting with the nurses who were all lovely. There is a lovely family feel here.
“I won’t say Michael loved coming here, but he wasn’t worried or anxious about it because everyone was so kind. He was in the inpatient unit for about a week the month before he died to sort out his pain relief, and he later died at home.
“The staff are wonderful and do an unbelievably good job and that’s why we support St Luke’s and we will carry on sponsoring Midnight Walk.”
Gordon Maunder, company chairman of Marchand Petit estate agents, came to the breakfast with marketing manager Rebecca Martin. The company became co-sponsors of Midnight Walk in 2023, after Gordon’s mother, Christine, was cared for at home by St Luke’s leading up to her death in 2022.
Gordon said: “My mother always thought that giving was almost a selfish act because it makes you feel good yourself, and I agree with that. You never know when it might be you who needs St Luke’s help so, from a personal point of view, giving a little something is a good thing to do.”
Jo Young and Kerry Hogan are partners in NFU Mutual Plymouth and have been sponsoring St Luke’s Open Gardens scheme for the past three years, helping to raise £55,000 this season alone.
Jo and Kerry said: “Although we don’t have a personal connection to anyone who has been cared for by St Luke’s, a lot of our customers and members do and it’s a charity everyone knows about.
“For our business it’s about wanting to give something back to the community. We share the same values and the same geographical area as St Luke’s and our relationship with Open Gardens is a perfect fit for our business.”
Jonathan Philpotts, director of Plymouth Golf Centre, is a new sponsor who recently came on board to support St Luke’s corporate Golf Days and attended the breakfast with golf operations manager Sam Stephens.
Jonathan said: “I have always been very much in awe of what St Luke’s does. It is just incredible, and the staff always have a smile on their faces. St Luke’s has been very helpful to a lot of friends of mine. Then in 2019 my business partner John Spry had end of life care from St Luke’s at home.
“We had already supported St Luke’s for about ten years with little prizes here and there. When we were asked to come on board with the rebranding of St Luke’s Golf Days we thought it would be brilliant to get involved. As well as a support package we are giving a prize package worth around £1,200 for Golf Days held in aid of the hospice.
“We like to do our bit. I have always taken part in Men’s Day Out… and never made it back to the rugby club once!”
Karl Welburn of Print Copy Scan has sponsored our Tour de Moor cycle challenge for the past six events, as well as taking part himself.
“If you live in Plymouth you will know someone who has a relationship with St Luke’s. The events are good fun alongside something that is so sad. I just really enjoy it and the people you get to work with.”
Darren Toms, managing director of Jem Scaffolding is a familiar face for many people at St Luke’s, especially at Christmas time when he becomes a “secret Santa” donating gifts and festive food for patients and their families.
His company are long time sponsors of Men’s Day Out, St Luke’s most successful annual event which this year raised more than £140,000.
Darren became involved after his father, Jim, was cared for by St Luke’s at home and in our specialist unit in 2018.
Paul Montgomery, aka Sir Fix-a-lock Ltd, supports several of St Luke’s flagship events at once by sponsoring all the signage used for Men’s Day Out, Tour de Moor and Midnight Walk, as well as flying the charity’s flag in a host of other ways through the year.
St Luke’s Penny Hannah said: “You are all so important to us. In the past year you have helped us to raise more than £600,000 and that represents a huge amount of care for our patients and their families. We can’t thank you enough.”
If your business would like to get involved, there’s a host of opportunities available to support St Luke’s and our events through sponsorship and regular giving, and we’re always ready to listen to your ideas. Please contact our fundraising team at partnerships@stluke-hospice.org.uk
Lifelong Plymouth Argyle fan Ray Rogers became a VIP for the day when he was treated to prime seats for the match against Blackburn Rovers last weekend thanks to a heart-warming new regular guest ticket arrangement between St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth and the club.
The 77-year-old grandfather, who is receiving care at home from St Luke’s specialist nursing team, was the first to benefit from the new initiative set up in memory of much-missed club ambassador and commentator Gordon Sparks, and sponsored by PLG Consultants, Devon-based disability and accessible property specialists.
In a move that makes it possible for fans like Ray to witness their team in action at Home Park, two privileged accessible seats have been reserved for a St Luke’s patient or family member and their guest for every Argyle home game in the 2023-24 Sky Bet Championship season.
Not only will they have a great view from PLG’s wheelchair accessible branded viewing platform in the Beacon Electrical Lower Mayflower stand, but they’ll also have the dedicated services of volunteer Elliott Darcy to make sure their visit goes smoothly, plus vouchers for refreshments, and regular check-ins on the day from St Luke’s nurse specialist and Pilgrims’ fan Debbie Hutchinson.
Ray, who lives at Southway, has been an Argyle fan since he was a child and his dad used to take him to Home Park. He’d been a regular season ticket holder until this year when his health deteriorated, and he was thrilled to be able to attend a match again.
“It’s difficult for me to get there now. I can’t handle the steps,” said Ray, who has been treated for colon cancer. He was accompanied on Saturday by his youngest grandson, Dylan, 19.
“Just being there was great. And they had a good result as well – 3-0 against Blackburn Rovers. I really enjoyed the day and the fresh air. I had a nice comfy chair. I shared a pasty with Dylan and had a cup of hot Bovril. Everything about it was wonderful.”
Ray also got to meet and have his photo taken with former Argyle Captain Gary Sawyer and was given a match programme.
Ray’s wife, Wendy, said they were delighted when St Luke’s clinical nurse specialist Alex Chapman visited them at home and told them Ray could have the tickets.
“She said they were VIP tickets and that he would be met, and they would provide a wheelchair,” said Wendy, who drove Ray and Dylan to the game. “Everyone was so helpful when we got there, including the car park attendants who found us a space. Elliott was a very nice chap and Ray was really well looked after.”
The seeds for the new scheme were sown when Sparksy was receiving care last year from St Luke’s both at home and in the hospice’s specialist unit. He chatted to clinical nurse specialist Ali Griffiths about their mutual love of Argyle and how he wanted to make it possible for patients who are Pilgrims fans to get to the club’s home games. Almost a year after the popular BBC Radio Devon broadcaster’s death the idea has now blossomed into reality, with the help of key partners and a willing volunteer.
Daniel Pippen, Argyle Supporter Relations Manager, said: “Our teams are passionate about delivering the very best experiences for our supporters, and this initiative will help us to do exactly that for those cared for by St Luke’s. We know this will make a real difference to those who will visit us through the scheme and hope it will stand as a fitting legacy for our beloved Sparksy.”
Phill Gill, PLG Consultants Managing Director, added: “We have been looking at ways of supporting the club in a way that fits the work we do. Having listened to and been friends with Sparksy for many years and seen the tremendous help St Luke’s gave to my best friend’s sister earlier this year it felt like a great initiative to be a part of.”
Purely by chance, 28-year-old volunteer Elliott, a boxing coach from Plympton, contacted Argyle to volunteer at exactly the right time to help get the programme off the ground. A keen Pilgrims supporter, he had been moved by the story of young Sunderland FC fan Bradley Lowery who had terminal cancer and was helped to get to as many games as possible, and he said he was keen to support something similar in Plymouth.
“I contacted Argyle to suggest this, and Dan told me about the scheme being set up in memory of Gordon Sparks. I never expected it to get to this point – it’s great that it is actually happening. I’ve agreed to be there on a voluntary basis for every home game to meet the St Luke’s guests and look after them from start to finish,” said Elliott. “Kindness costs nothing, but I haven’t done anything like this before, so it’s very new to me and I’m finding my feet. It was really great to meet Ray, and Dylan did a fantastic job looking after his granddad.”
St Luke’s Head of Fundraising, Penny Hannah, added: “This is very special! If someone is a fan and have been for years, they do not want to miss out and often one of their last wishes is to be at Home Park. All of us at St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth, and especially our nurses, are overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity shown by Argyle and PLG, by creating this gift to the patients in our care and their families who wish to get to a match, just as Sparksy wanted.”
Nurses’ hands aren’t only for delivering compassionate care. A band of community-minded military nurses put their green fingers to good use recently on voluntary weeding and seeding duty in the grounds of our specialist unit at Turnchapel.
It’s hard graft every day on the wards of Derriford Hospital for the members of the Joint Hospital Group South West, so it was a breath of fresh air for them to roll up their sleeves and lend St Luke’s garden team a hand last week.
When they’d finished outdoors, they spruced up the Memory Tree in the conservatory at Turnchapel, polishing the leaves so that each one shines brightly for the special loved one they honour.
The enthusiastic Armed Forces group were pictured at the end of their afternoon session along with St Luke’s maintenance worker Dave, maintenance volunteer John, and specialist unit nurse Rachel.
Laura Champion, lead for the JHGSW group said: “We really enjoyed the experience and it’s something we would do again. In fact, we would like to make it a regular thing.
“We’d had end of life training, learning about what to do when someone dies on board ship. We decided we wanted to do something useful for St Luke’s for our team building session, so we emailed to offer our services.”
Laura, who toured the specialist unit with group member Poppy Archer-Dunne as part of their first ever visit, added: “We do get patients who go on to be cared for at St Luke’s specialist unit and it really helps to be able to picture where they are coming to.
“We were aware of St Luke’s excellent work in Derriford, but it was so beneficial to get a better understanding of the unit and find out how St Luke’s operates in the community.”
Poppy said that as well as giving St Luke’s a helping hand, the nurses got a lot back from by their visit.
“It’s lovely and peaceful here – it has a very nice vibe. I found it really therapeutic. We were very lucky with the weather, and we were very well looked after.”
Plymouth is the base port for all the nurses – a mix of Royal Navy and RAF personnel. They keep their skills up by working at Derriford in between deployments.
“A lot of the nurses are a long way from home, with many living at HMS Drake, and they don’t know Plymouth very well. It was great for us to get out of the city a bit and enjoy the amazing views here.”
At St Luke’s we welcome volunteer groups from local organisations and businesses. Our corporate volunteering days are great for team building, while supporting end-of-life care in your community. Find out more by emailing corporate@stlukes-hospice.org.uk
Our avid cyclists choose to take on our Tour de Moor for a variety of reasons, including the thrill and challenge. But for many, there is a much more sentimental reason for taking part.
Callum Storr and Cameron Oakley are flying the flag for fundraising in amongst their training for the charity ride on Sunday 8 October.
The 19-year-olds from Plymouth and Lawhitton, Launceston, have not only been pounding the pedals in preparation for the big day, but they have been working hard to secure donations from friends and family as part of their fundraising journeys.
Both friends have experienced the care St Luke’s provides within their families and so decided to honour their relative’s memories by aiming to each raise at least £100 for our compassionate care on their JustGiving pages.
Callum is fundraising in memory of his great grandma, who was cared for by St Luke’s. “What’s better than doing what you love and raising money for a charity which helped my family when my great nan Pat had cancer and needed it the most?” he said. “So, I thought it was my time to give back and to help the charity that helped our family.”
Cameron will be cycling in memory of both his aunt and uncle, Sue Strohmeyer and Peter Oakley, who both received our care.
Cameron said: “My uncle Peter and I shared a birthday but unfortunately I never had the chance to meet him as he died of a heart attack before my birth. I’ve been told by my dad that St Luke’s helped him through his end-of-life process which is very comforting to hear.
“My auntie Sue, I happily had the pleasure of meeting and seeing fairly often when I was younger. She sadly had cancer and in 2012 we thought we would all go on holiday to Turkey for her last holiday. A year later she was the placed under St Luke’s care for her end-of-life care, I always remember going in and talking to her about my day or other day to day things.”
The pair will be taking on the 52km route, which has been enhanced for 2023 and will see them face plenty of on and off-road challenges to put their cycling skills to the ultimate test. Despite the unrelenting rain, they have been busy getting out on their bikes at any opportunity this summer, practising some longer rides to prepare them for the big day.
Callum said: “I’ve only just started getting into mountain biking as a hobby recently because of Cameron, who took me on my first proper mountain bike trail from Burrator Reservoir to Princetown and back where I fell in love with mountain biking. So Cameron told me about Tour de Moor and what it’s about, so I agreed to do it with him while raising money for St Luke’s and doing what I love.”
This will be the second year in a row that Cameron will be taking part in our Tour de Moor, but this year he is determined to raise as much as he can through his fundraising.
He said: “I did Tour De Moor last year for the first time but unfortunately didn’t make a fundraiser page due to me signing up so late. This year I thought I’d do Tour de Moor again but try to raise as much money as I possibly could to help others.”
While jumping on your bike is the first step, many may not realise that your registration fee only covers the costs of running the event, it is the money you raise in sponsorship for our Tour de Moor that makes the real difference. By setting up a JustGiving page like Callum and Cameron, you can help us to continue to provide compassionate end of life care, free of charge, for everyone in our community who needs it.
The inspiring duo have set themselves a goal of each raising £100, with the added challenge of doing the ride in fancy dress as a banana and flamingo if they achieve their goal.
If like Callum and Cameron, every Tour de Moor cyclist commits to raising at least £100, we’ll collectively have enough to care for 100 families at home at the most crucial of times, just like we did for their families.
What’s more if you raise over £100 in sponsorship and have paid it in by 26 November 2023 you will be entered into a draw to win an exciting prize! So don’t forget to set up your JustGiving page here and join the big-hearted bunch of cyclists taking on Dartmoor in October.
Sponsored by Print Copy Scan, a local supplier of printers and copiers, our Tour de Moor challenge is best known as an adrenaline-packed two-wheel quest that can test the skills, fitness, and endurance of even the toughest of cyclists. But it’s so much more than that. With three distances and difficulty levels to choose from, it’s the ultimate inclusive family friendly cycling adventure.
Sign up today here and join us as we ride as one for hospice care.
George Lillie will be stepping into the role of Chief Executive of St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth with immediate effect.
Chair of the Board of Trustees, Charles Hackett, and his fellow trustees have invited George, our Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Clinical Services, to be seconded to this key position until at least April 2025 and he has accepted.
Charles said: “The tragic loss of our newly appointed CEO Christina Quinn seven weeks ago left St Luke’s in an upsetting, unsettling, and unprecedented situation, and we have taken time to consider very carefully what the next step should be.
“With his huge experience, enthusiasm, and integrity, we are confident that George is the right person to steer St Luke’s sensitively and effectively, supported by our skilled Senior Management Team, as we work together towards the longer-term future.
“George has been with the organisation since 2001, director of Clinical Services since 2005 and our Deputy CEO since 2017. He has an exceptional passion for palliative care and is a proud champion for St Luke’s services in the wider integrated health care system.”
George said: “It’s an honour for me to take on the role of Chief Executive. I have a real passion for making sure St Luke’s continues to provide the exceptional care we are so rightly renowned for and to keep building on that reputation. I’m also keen to make immediate progress with some of the important projects that are already under way.”
Jackie Butler continues her report from the Institute of Palliative Medicine in Kerala, southern India, 5,000 miles from St Luke’s. Today she joins a home care team visiting patients and families in the community.
Every year 2,000 new patients register with the Institute of Palliative Medicine in Kozhikode which serves the city and a surrounding area of 10km and a population of around 600,000. Nurses, doctors, and ancillary staff make around 20,000 patient contacts annually via the outpatient clinic, the inpatient unit and home visits.
Echoing the work of medics and volunteers in more than 100 local Pain and Palliative Care Society branches across a patchwork of rural villages, or panchayats, in the wider district, as well as hundreds more across the state of Kerala, the pioneering IPM is also a globally recognised centre of excellence, empathy, and education.
I was invited to follow some of the charitable organisation’s clinicians on their day-to-day visits and consultations. Beyond shared values and aims, it’s people who make an institution, and the professionalism and kindness I witnessed in Kerala reminded me straight away of St Luke’s own wonderful teams.
Staff here wear no uniforms or name badges, so it was initially impossible to tell the nurses from volunteers, the doctors from visitors, but all became clear once I’d been introduced. Language was tricky at times too, although compassion and respect go beyond words. Most staff here understand and speak at least some English, but day to day communication happens in Malayalam, the official language of Kerala. While I can understand simple words like hello (Namaskaram) and thank you (Nanni), the fluent flow of one of India’s most complex and hard to master tongues is way beyond me, so I was grateful for the doctors’ and nurses’ willingness to interpret and explain.
In the welcome cool of a shaded stone-built single-storey dwelling Dr Nayana stood by the bedside of an 80-year-old man. Suffering from renal problems, heart failure and diabetes, he sat silent and skeletal in a sleeveless vest and loincloth, the cracked, painful, and itchy skin on his feet and hands, arms and legs, all too obvious.
Nurse Sanjana handed the man’s wife a bottle of medicated oil and demonstrated how to gently massage it in for him – a small but significant way to make her husband a little more comfortable and ease her own concern.
Half an hour earlier we’d set off from IPM’s outpatient clinic in one of their two compact ambulance vehicles, generously sponsored by local community groups and steered by a dedicated driver with taxi-like knowledge of the area. There are usually two runs a day, backed up by an emergency service provided in association with three or four other palliative care providers in the wider district.
Masked up and ready for action, I was accompanying Sanjana and Nayana, who divides her professional time between palliative care here and her specialism in ENT at the hospital, on their morning home visits.
With a fat wadge of patient files wedged by the dashboard, we’d been bumping down narrow, windy roads fanning out from Kozhikode’s main roads, the equivalent of twisty single-track lanes in the depths of the South Hams, where grass grows in the middle of the road and rabbits play dare. Here, instead of high hedges and fields, they are lined on either side with trees, homes and paths that snake away into the undergrowth. At one point we were stalled for ten minutes by a baby calf that didn’t want to move; cows of all sizes are considered sacred by India’s Hindus.
It felt a little alarming to know that the vehicle was loaded with a plastic boxes full of controlled opioids and other commonly used drugs from Leena’s IPM pharmacy. Even though the containers were locked, I knew this scenario would never happen at home, but the priority is to give patients what they need quickly, reminiscent of the “just in case packs” often arranged for St Luke’s patients to avoid waiting for a prescription.
A nurse travelling solo would usually spend an hour or more with each patient, often once or twice daily depending on need, delivering medical and personal care, dealing with catheters, bed sores, bathing and sometimes armed with food parcels for families who are struggling. Volunteers visit separately to give psychosocial support to both patients and their families, often seeing people regularly over a period of months, like the befriending volunteers and professionals of St Luke’s Patient and Family Support Service.
But today’s were doctor-led medication and review visits – akin to duties usually undertaken by our Clinical Nurse Specialists – and time was limited. We started at 10am and by 1pm we had been to 10 patients’ homes and Nayana and Sanjana were scheduled to make another 10 visits in the afternoon.
The people we saw were approaching death for many reasons – stroke, dementia, cancer – and needed help with complex combinations of physical and mental health problems. Some had blood test results to consider, side effects of medications, both physical and psychological, to address.
Most homes here are detached and surrounded by their own land, even if small, many with just two rooms, kitchen and bathroom. Some places can only be reached on foot, and with few fences dividing territories, we traipsed through other families’ yards and gardens, negotiating menageries of dogs, cats and chickens.
Medications could generally be found lined up on the patient’s bedroom windowsill – brown paper packets of blister packs collected together in Tupperware boxes – and Sanjana’s first action was to check the patient’s blood pressure.
Nayana rested a comforting hand on the arm of a 77-year-old grandmother as she prescribed antibiotics for this family matriarch, sinking rapidly through broncho pneumonia, with added pain from swollen legs and skin lesions.
In a rundown house nearby, another elderly woman lay in bed confused, distressed and bruised after yet another fall, surrounded by photos of her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Painkillers, kind smiles and reassurance were all Nayana and Sanjana could offer, acknowledging back in the ambulance that death was close.
After three hours every visit on the list was ticked off, except for one address where the only one home seemed to be a teeth-baring guard dog. We made a quick exit, and as we drove back to IPM I reflected on how comfortingly familiar my experiences with the clinical teams had been.
Barring differences in environment, heat and language – and the drugs in the back of the ambulance – the overriding feeling here, on the other side of the world, was of the same expert and human holistic support our teams deliver day in and day out at St Luke’s.
Click here to read the next instalment of Jackie’s time in India.
St Luke’s Jackie Butler discovers intriguing differences and reassuring similarities visiting a hub for palliative care and compassionate communities, 5,000 miles from Plymouth.
Shuddering to a halt outside Kerala’s Institute of Palliative Medicine on a searingly hot and dusty afternoon, I couldn’t help wondering whether my rickshaw driver had taken a wrong turn and delivered me to the art college by mistake.
Around a porticoed entrance, reminiscent of grand residences from the days of the Raj, dozens of Mod-style scooters were double parked, jostling for a shady space. Amid a babble of excited chatter, laughter and blaring Indian pop tunes, a crowd of animated young people spilled out through the surrounding jungle-like gardens.
As first impressions go, it was both surprising and heart-warming to find a party atmosphere outside a palliative care centre. The scene underlined how life goes on side by side with death, in the same way that Indian culture traditionally keeps the sick and elderly in the heart of the family.
I’d left behind Kozhikode’s noisy city centre, its parades of colourful shops and stalls, beeping horns, and hair-raising near misses as an endless flock of people strolled the streets and darted across roads in 34C heat.
Easing into the sprawling, greener, suburban territory of the esteemed Medical College, my bright yellow tuk-tuk taxi trundled by a long row of modern multi-storey hospital units where a sea of patients, relatives and staff talked on mobiles, munched spicy snacks out of newspaper cones, rushed to appointments, ran for overflowing buses, or propped up bandaged friends. Some pushed wheelchairs or lifted poorly patients out of ambulances on stretchers – a series of dramatic snapshots, come and gone in a flash.
As we passed the huge maternity centre, a young man in smart checked shirt and crisp white loincloth strode proudly out of double exit doors, grinning from ear to ear. With one arm he gently steered his wife through the crowd to a waiting car; in the other he held a bundle of snow-white blankets with a tiny face poking out – a new life just begun.That image of a baby meeting the world for the first time stayed with me as the chauffeur of my three-wheeled chariot finally turned into a winding side road, bumped a few hundred yards down a leafy driveway, stopped outside what he declared was my destination, unloaded my suitcase and demanded 300 rupees (£3).
In a place where people come to find peace at the end of life, I hadn’t expected such a vibrant welcome. Dozens of youthful smiling faces surrounded me, one girl explaining that they were creating the structures and decorations for Curios, the centre’s major annual fundraising festival – actually only a fragment of what these incredible young volunteers contribute, but more of that later. Eager to create a good impression and point me in the direction of my kind host Ilyas Hameed, co-ordinator of the learning academy, they gave me an instant flavour of what a unique and special place IPM is.
I’ve been coming to Kerala for more than a decade, enchanted by the natural beauty of its sea and forest landscapes, its historic towns, and the humanity of its people. In terms of location, scenery, and atmosphere, this is India’s Devon and Cornwall. Literacy here is around 94 per cent – the best rate in the whole of India – basic health care is free, and social reform, regardless of religion or caste, has been a priority on the local government agenda for decades.
So, I wasn’t too surprised to discover that the state is also streets ahead in terms of end-of-life community care and that a forward-thinking centre of excellence, cited by the World Health Organisation as an aspirational model for the rest of India and beyond, was rooted in the city I’ve flown into on many occasions. Of all the palliative care in India, some 90 per cent happens in Kerala, which is home to just three per cent of the country’s population. The opportunity to visit the hub of it all while I was on a trip nearby felt too good to miss.
Like St Luke’s, it all started with enlightened doctors on a mission to ease the suffering of those with life-limiting illnesses, acknowledging that nobody should die alone or in pain and distress. Here it was the community model that came first. Dr Suresh Kumar, who had practised in the UK, and Dr Rajagopal established the charitable Pain and Palliative Care Society in Kerala in 1993, inspired by Dr Cicely Saunders and the British and US hospice movements.
They adapted their vision to the sprawling rural geography of the state and the available resources, recognising that caring for the dying was fundamentally a social issue with medical aspects. They agreed it was important – and more practical – for patients to stay close to their families, whenever possible. From a small outpatient clinic in at Kozhikode’s main hospital, the society developed the pioneering Kerala Model for compassionate communities, distinguished by its efficient network of hundreds of neighbourhood palliative care groups across the state.
Led by willing and well-trained volunteers, supported by local doctors and nurses, and financed by donations – mostly regular micro amounts given by individuals – they provide free care, medication, and psychosocial support for all, while empowering close relatives to help keep their dying family members comfortable at home.
The Institute of Palliative Medicine, opened in 2003, was the ambitious but obvious next stage – a 30-bed specialist inpatient unit, with outpatient clinic and home care teams serving the city and surrounds, combined with a pioneering, high level palliative care training centre for the whole of India and beyond, both overseen and managed by the charitable society.
I got another heartening surprise as I entered the building’s cool and tranquil stone-floored central corridor and was greeted by a plaque acknowledging that Cornwall’s WB Davis Charitable Trust funded the construction of the institute on land provided by the medical college. It felt like a special bond linking this part of the world to our doorstep, united by the same aims and an ongoing spirit of public generosity.
Philanthropist Bruce Davis was managing director of the Davis Derby family business that had shipped thousands of Humphry Davy flame safety lamps out to India over more than a century. At home in Cornwall his interest in pain relief and end of life care following the deaths of his mother and a close friend from cancer was instrumental in the foundation of St Julia’s Hospice in Hayle in 1982.
Inspired by a nurse who witnessed community palliative care on a visit to Kerala, Bruce and the trust decided to spread their wings and pursue key projects in India. IPM was the first of many similar endeavours in India that he supported in his lifetime. Bruce died in 2018 and every year the institute awards a prestigious Gold Medal prize in his name to a promising junior doctor in the field.
After checking in at reception, it was time for a bite to eat. In the very basic canteen, they serve the plainest of foods for easy digestion by patients – thin dahl, a few boiled vegetables, a poppadom, a mound of plain fat-grained rice, with a milky chai to wash it down…not quite what I had in mind with the Arabian Sea stuffed with tasty fish and seafood down the road!
The shared table filled up around me and I found myself chatting with students taking IPM’s course for carers that’s open to all. A trainee nurse had her sights set on a career in Europe and wanted to broaden her scope, a teenage mother was keen to learn to take the best care of her Down Syndrome baby whose additional health problems mean his lifespan is limited, and a middle-aged businessman was seeking a more “worthwhile path in life”.
Two young friends from the university’s BA History course who regularly volunteer at IPM settled down opposite me to practise their excellent English conversation, putting my five words of local Malayalam to shame.
Leena, the thoughtful resident pharmacist, watched me wrestling with my bland meal and asked what curry I like and if I can take it spicy. The next morning, she arrived with a little tiffin tin packed with the most delicious homemade prawn masala to liven up my breakfast.
Five thousand miles from home in this enclave of kindness, and feeling more than a little jetlagged, I strolled through humid fairy lit gardens to my guest accommodation and a welcome rest before a couple of days shadowing the IPM clinical teams.
A vibrant parade of a thousand warm-hearted walkers strode through the city on Friday night (7 July), sharing cherished memories of much-missed friends and family members, and raising vital funds for St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth.
Midnight Walk entrants of all ages and abilities gathered at Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park stadium as twilight fell, ready to pound the pavements along the charity’s choice of three-mile, six-mile, and 13.1-mile routes.
On the backs of their official bright pink T-shirts, walkers had written the names of lost loved ones they would be thinking about during the evening, many of whom had received care from St Luke’s teams at the end of their lives.
Many jazzed up their outfits with glow in the dark make-up, colourful net skirts, flashing bunny ears, boas, garlands and headdresses, and a lively musical warm-up led by Plymouth based fitness class Cheezifit adding a fun festival atmosphere to the tender, uplifting annual event, sponsored this year by Michael Spiers and Marchand Petit.
All walkers marched up Outland Road on the first leg to Manadon roundabout, passing walkers’ poignant memories on this year’s new Reflection Mile. Some turned around here, retracing their steps to complete the shortest, most family-friendly route, while others continued up to Derriford before doubling back to complete the six-mile challenge.
With a circular route, equivalent to half marathon distance, added to the mix for the first time, this most demanding route saw the hardiest of Midnight Walkers continue via Eggbuckland to Marsh Mills, along the Embankment and through the city centre, before returning triumphant to Home Park.
For some it was a family affair with two or three generations journeying together. Alex Baggott from Plymouth was walking with daughters Hannah Baggott and Charlotte Bennett, in memory of her husband Ian. A former police officer with Devon and Cornwall Constabulary and super fit marathon runner, Ian developed a rare and incurable lung disease and sadly died in April this year.
His wife and daughters wanted to show their appreciation for the care he received from St Luke’s at home team by taking part in Midnight Walk. Before setting off on the 13.1-mile route, Alex and her girls were delighted to meet up with Debbie Hutchinson, the St Luke’s specialist nurse who was there for Ian and the family when they needed it most.
“It isn’t until you actually need St Luke’s and use their services, that you understand how vital and special they are. With Debbie’s help we were able to look after Ian at home after his last stay in hospital,” said Alex, a nurse herself.
“She really couldn’t do enough for us. It was the most awful time of our lives, but we didn’t have to concern ourselves with anything other than caring for Ian.”
Lynne Shell, whose husband Pip was cared for at St Luke’s specialist unit at Turnchapel, before his death last year, was walking three miles with daughters Nicola and Helen, and granddaughters, Rosie, five, and Molly, eight, and on Friday had already raised £400 in sponsorship.
It was little Molly who spurred the family to take part. “Children at school were talking about fundraising for other charities. She came home and asked how she could raise money for St Luke’s. It’s fantastic for the girls to be part of this. They have been so excited seeing the amount on our Just giving page go up.”
Accepting their medals at the end of the three-mile walk were St Luke’s clinical nurse specialist Alex Chapman, her six-year-old daughter, Olivia, and her mum Jen Gibson, who used to be a community staff nurse at Torpoint, with a special interest in palliative care.
Jen said: “There is hardly a local family that hasn’t been touched by St Luke’s. It is such a fabulous resource for the area. Many times I have referred patients for advice. My special reason for taking part is that six weeks ago I discovered I had a leaky heart valve and couldn’t even walk 25 yards, but I’ve done all right tonight!”
Alex, who joined the hospice 18 months ago, and walked with colleagues last year, added: “It’s Mum’s most proud appointment for me, working for St Luke’s.”
Meanwhile, Olivia was enjoying her late night out, fuelled by popcorn and chocolate treats, and looking forward to telling her classmates at Cornwood School all about her Midnight Walk adventure with Mum and Nanna.
Chrome Alexander and his wife, Dee, Navy personnel from HMS Drake and HMS Raleigh, were remembering his father, Montgomery, who died from cancer 18 months ago at home on the Caribbean island of St Vincent, where palliative care is limited.
“We have a friend who works as a nurse for St Luke’s so we know it is a fantastic organisation and that’s why we decided to sign up for Midnight Walk. It is not just the people who are ill who are looked after, but their families too,” said Dee.
Chrome added: “I would have liked my dad to have had that support because it takes a lot of pressure off the family, but there was nothing like that available there.”
Emma Harrison walked 13.1 miles as one of a team from R T Fitness, a closeknit group of women inspired to support the important services St Luke’s provides. She was paying tribute to her late mum who was cared for at home by St Luke’s before her death from cancer aged just 58.
“When you are going through that with a family member you don’t know where to turn. You really need someone there who can understand and not judge. St Luke’s gave me comfort and I knew that in her last hours she was not suffering.
“She had worked for the NHS for the majority of her life and she didn’t want to die in hospital. She wanted to be at home in the house she was born in, with her family and friends.”
Head of Fundraising at St Luke’s, Penny Hannah, said: “It was incredibly humbling and heart-warming to see so many walkers out there on the streets of Plymouth, remembering their loved ones and feeling proud to be part of such a magical and bonding evening.
“I would like to thank every single walker for their compassion and kindness. We are also hugely grateful to our wonderful sponsors Michael Spiers and Marchand Petit, and to Plymouth Argyle as hosts of our event village. We couldn’t run Midnight Walk without their support.
“The money and awareness raised is so important for the future of St Luke’s as we continue to offer our specialist care and support, free of charge, to those who need us most, at home, in Derriford and in our specialist unit at Turnchapel. Thank you again to everyone involved.”
When Gordon Maunder’s mother, Christine, was approaching the end of her life, St Luke’s was there by the family’s side, enabling her to spend her last days, comfortably and without pain, in her own home.
This memorable first-hand experience of St Luke’s services inspired Gordon, company chairman of Marchand Petit estate agents, to make the business proud co-sponsors of this year’s Midnight Walk.
Gordon describes his mother as “small, dark and dangerous”, and a lover of playing bridge and gardening. She had been receiving treatment for ovarian cancer before learning that her illness was terminal. A dear grandmother and great grandmother, she died in February 2022 aged 88.
“She was only 5ft but no pushover! The one thing she didn’t want was to go into hospital to die,” said Gordon. “It was massively important to Mum to be in her own home at Wembury that she absolutely loved.
“She knew she had reached that point of no return… it was one of those terrible moments. My sisters and I were absolutely at our wit’s end, not knowing what to do and how to help Mum. When the ladies from St Luke’s came through the door it was like the Ghostbusters had arrived.
“They took control and everything they did was efficient and carried out with compassion. Mum was immediately made to feel comfortable. She was a mad keen gardener, and the dining room was made into a bedroom for her so she could see her garden out of the window.
“For all our sakes we were immensely grateful. We knew which stage of the journey we were at, and we felt less stressed by the fact that she was out of pain and less stressed herself. We took it in turns to constantly be with her, and my father, Graham, who now lives with us.
“St Luke’s provides a fabulous service. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, they are there for you.”
Gordon will be at the Midnight Walk start line at Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park this Friday night to cheer on his wife, Penny, 14-year-old daughter, Hettie, and a team of Marchand Petit colleagues, including Sarah Baines, Sarah Douglas and Helen Harris, as they set off on the six-mile route.
Helen will be striding the streets in memory of her Dad, who received care from St Luke’s at home before his death eight years ago.
“Dad had a brain tumour and St Luke’s was wonderful for our family at the time and helped him remain at home,” said Helen, Associate Director of Marchand Petit’s Modbury office. “I’m walking to support the hospice and to raise awareness to help others. I don’t think you really understand what St Luke’s does, and that it’s not just an inpatient unit, until it touches you personally.
“It’s a charity that is close to my heart and it’s nice to get involved in something like this and raise money for such a great cause. St Luke’s is a huge resource for people in their time of need, when they don’t really know what’s available. They were invaluable for us, and very supportive for friends who have also lost their parents.”
