Highly skilled, kind and present even when situations are heartbreaking or difficult, our nurses are a special breed. We appreciate them every day, and this International Nurses Day (12 May), we want to say an extra-big thank you to them for everything they do in, and for, our community.
We spoke to St Luke’s Community Nurse Specialist Sonja Hambly about her role and what motivates her to work in an environment many would shy away from, perhaps perceiving it as too tough on their emotions.
For many, death is a taboo subject, avoided and dodged until it happens to you. This week is Dying Matters Awareness week (5-11 May), an opportunity to open up conversations about death and dying and break down the taboos surrounding it.
The theme this year is ‘The Culture of Dying Matters’, focusing on how different communities and cultures in the UK feel, talk about, and deal with death and dying – and what brings them together. Our Digital Communications Specialist Gabby Nott has been exploring the idea of death across cultures in our local community.
Runners across Plymouth will be lacing up for St Luke’s on Sunday 11 May as they get ready to take to the streets of Plymouth for Run Plymouth’s half marathon, 10km and 5km at Britain’s Ocean City Running Festival. We will be meeting some of the runners who will be taking on the challenge in aid of St Luke’s as they share their stories.
Getting married and giving birth are milestones in our lives that we always imagine our parents will be around to witness.
For Emma Fleming-Cooney, it was thanks to the comforting care of St Luke’s that enabled her mum Trisha Hilton to be able to watch her as she said I do to her now husband Thomas and meet her baby boy.
This summer Emma is embarking on an epic challenge of walking 300 miles in memory of her mum and as a way of saying thank you to St Luke’s for the care the family received.
Taimur Huq was a man who lived life to the full and inspired countless people to do the same. Not even a terminal diagnosis and being reliant on an oxygen tank 24 hours a day stopped him setting and achieving new goals.
An enthusiastic and loyal champion of St Luke’s Men’s Day Out for the past ten years, the former Maths teacher and outdoor education mentor was determined to take part in last weekend’s charity walk through the city, even though he would need to ride on his mobility scooter.
Sadly, Tay died just six days before the flagship annual event, but the success of his mission to raise funds so that others can experience the compassionate care St Luke’s offered him and his family during the last months of his life has now gone way beyond his wildest dreams.
An incredible 2,500 men took to the streets of Plymouth on Saturday, striding out to honour their much-missed loved ones and show their support for the independent charity that provides specialist end of life care for local families.
Sunny skies made an unexpected appearance as the biggest gathering yet of big-hearted chaps of all ages turned out for St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth’s Men’s Day Out, setting off from Plymouth Albion rugby ground at Devonport to walk 12km along the waterfront and through the city – a reversal of the route to ring the changes for regular participants.
A half marathon is a major challenge for the majority of us, however one of our supporters has decided to take on six in six weeks all in memory of her cousin Toby.
Danielle Parkes (or Danni as she is known to many) will be running six different half marathons over six weeks all in memory of her 23-year-old cousin Toby Brann, who died almost a year ago. In his final weeks Toby was cared for by our St Luke’s at home team, giving him the opportunity to make lasting memories with his loved ones, including granting his wish of watching his home team Plymouth Argyle play at home against Ipswich.
Traditionally, there’s only one ‘Boxing Day’ per year, but that’s set to change when St Luke’s introduces a new concept to its large, city-centre retail outlet in January.
From Saturday 4 January, customers browsing the good-quality, preloved clothing on the rails at our Western Approach charity shop will be invited to ‘fill a box for a fiver’ or a larger one for a tenner. Not only will the scheme save buyers precious pounds as they replenish their wardrobes, it will also help protect the planet by keeping more clothes out of landfill*. And crucially, as with every sale the shop makes, funds raised will support the specialist end-of-life care we provide for local families affected by terminal illness.
They say there’s strength, as well as safety, in numbers, especially when you’re in the company of people who share the same aspirations and goals.
That must explain the overwhelming sense of empowerment, togetherness and possibility at the recent Hospice UK conference, where hundreds of us gathered with the common aim of making sure excellent palliative and end of life care is available for everyone who could benefit from it, wherever they live in the UK and whatever their circumstances.
Bereavement is hard at any time of year, but the festive season – and Christmas itself -can feel particularly challenging for anyone experiencing grief. No-one understands this more than us. As well as providing specialist end-of-life care for people with terminal illness, we offer their family members bereavement support too.
This week (2-8 December) is National Grief Awareness Week, in association with The Good Grief Trust. The aim of the week is to raise awareness of grief, highlight the support on offer and to normalise conversations around it.
