Jenny and Freddy step out to shine for local hospice care
Pilgrims Hospice Ashford Health Care Assistant (HCA), Jenny Jackson, will be joining hundreds of supporters at the charity night time walk, A Night to Shine, on Saturday 22 September. She hopes to encourage as many of her colleagues as possible to join her and raise funds and awareness for end-of-life care in east Kent.
Jenny who is 33 from Aldington, has been a member of the Pilgrims team for nine years. Jenny said: “I joined Pilgrims Hospices after having my family; I really love my role as part of the team here at the Ashford hospice. It’s a privilege to support patients, their families and friends in such difficult times.
“During the past few years, any spare time has been taken up with supporting my family and focusing on completing my health and social care degree. I will graduate in January and now that my son is attending secondary school, I can enjoy getting involved in new things.”
I really love my role as part of the team here at the Ashford hospice. It’s a privilege to support patients, their families and friends in such difficult times.
Jenny
Jenny and her 13-year-old son, Freddy, decided that A Night to Shine was a great opportunity to spend some time together, have some fun and generate important funds for Pilgrims at the same time.
Jenny added: “I do my best to look after my health and stay fit. I took up running earlier this year and regularly run around 10k. As well as walking 6 miles with my son, I will be running for Pilgrims in the Givaudan 10k race in October. I want to encourage as many people to join me as a fabulous way of having fun and getting fitter, too.
Freddy, who is attending North School in Ashford, is hoping to raise some sponsorship from friends at school and his family.
Victoria Friar, Pilgrims Hospice Community Fundraising Manager at the Ashford hospice, said: “We can’t wait for this event; many of our walkers will dress up and there will plenty of opportunities to purchase glow sticks and lights to brighten up the walking. Local DJ, Webbo, will be helping my team to create a special party atmosphere at the Julie Rose Stadium before we all start our adventure. We are hoping to see as many of the Pilgrims staff as possible joining Jenny for a fun-packed evening!
“Please help us celebrate the lives and memories of loved ones while raising funds to help our charity to continue with its good work.”
You can sponsor Jenny and Freddy by visiting their JustGiving page.
The event will take place in Ashford, Broadstairs and Canterbury simultaneously. Choose a 3 or 6-mile sponsored walk; entry is £15 for adults and £12 for under 18s if you register by 16 September, and under 3s go free whenever you sign up.
Entry includes a t-shirt, torch, medal and memory lantern for you to personalise with your own message or design.
If you or someone you know is coping with a life limiting illness and you think you may benefit from Pilgrims free services, talk to your GP or Healthcare Professional about your options or click here to read about our Wellbeing and Social Programme.
12th September 2018
Patricia Morley Awards return for second year
Pilgrims Hospices is now accepting applications for this year’s Patricia Morley Awards for Improvements in End-of-Life care.
Patricia Morley
Patricia Morley was the incomparable and inimitable face of nursing at the Kent & Canterbury Hospital for many years. She worked tirelessly to promote best practice in nursing and was a long-standing Trustee of Pilgrims Hospices.
The awards are open to nurses and allied healthcare professionals who work within health, social care or Pilgrims Hospices in east Kent and this will be the second year that care professionals can submit a project plan or model of care that will improve end-of-life-care.
Last year’s award winner, Jan Hyde, End-of-Life-Care Facilitator for East Kent Hospital University Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) told us about her project: “The Comfort Care Packs are designed to support the essential comfort and dignity of family members staying overnight with loved ones.
The pack content is aimed at reducing anxiety in the relative who has no essential items to use but doesn’t want to leave the patient’s bedside. Some toiletries, a toothbrush and toothpaste are just a few of the items that can really make a difference to families at such a sensitive time.”
Last year also saw the launch of the Compassion Project, a collaborative project between East Kent Hospitals Foundation Trust and Pilgrims Hospices to promote a culture of compassion at end of life within the acute hospital settings at EKHUFT.
Wendy Hills, Director of Nursing and Care at Pilgrims Hospices, explains: “The Patricia Morely Awards are a very special chance for us to say thank you to the hundreds of other professionals in Kent who work hard to give the best end-of-life-care at a time when families need it most.”
Prizes
There are several great prizes on offer including:
Patricia Morley Award for improving end of life in an inpatient setting Prize of £1,000 that can be used towards a project that will make a difference to patients being cared for either in a hospital ward setting or a hospice inpatient unit.
Patricia Morley Award for improving end of life in a community setting award Prize of £1,000 that can be used towards a project that will make a difference to patients being cared for in the community.
Patricia Morley Award for innovation in improving end of life care Prize of £1,500 that can be used towards a new model, tool or way of working that improves end of life care.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their entry by 14 December, with winners announced during the week beginning 17 December.
If you or someone you know is coping with a life limiting illness and you think you may benefit from Pilgrims free services, talk to your GP or Healthcare Professional about your options or click here to read about our Wellbeing and Social Programme.
5th September 2018
A “knight” to shine
What do a bear, a penguin, a cockerel and a medieval man at arms have in common? These are just some of the participants Pilgrims Hospices’ A Night to Shine sponsored walk in Ashford on Saturday 22 September.
William Butterfield will marshal at the event
A team has been entered from Nando’s Ashford branch along with the company’s mascot Barci, a red and black cockerel. Kayleigh Ben Saada, Second Assistant Manager at the restaurant, said: “We were inspired to take part in support of a loyal customer who’s faced the biggest challenge life has thrown at him. Due to the love and support he’s received from Pilgrims Hospices, Nando’s Ashford want to raise as much money as possible to give back to an amazing charity in our community.”
William Butterfield will be polishing his armour, supporting the walk by standing guard as a marshal to ensure walkers can safely navigate the route. He said: “This is very much a family affair for my girlfriend, Ellie, whose father was cared for by the hospice 17 years ago. Everybody offers their help in some way to ensure the night is a great success.”
Finally, Raffles the Pilgrims Hospices bear will be joined by his friend, Awesome the penguin, as they walk the route to encourage people as they take part.
Whether you’re in fancy dress, bright colours or decorating your outfit in memory of a loved one, everyone is welcome at A Night to Shine.
A Night to Shine takes place in Ashford, Broadstairs or Canterbury. Sign up on the night and choose a 3 or 6-mile sponsored walk; under 3s go free. Entry includes a t-shirt, torch, medal and memory lantern for you to personalise with your own message or design.
Each year Pilgrims supports hundreds of local people coping with a life limiting illness and their families. The charity offers a range of services: from end of life care given on its wards, to its Wellbeing and Social Programme supporting people after they are diagnosed to live well and stay independent.
Snowdogs unleashed in Ashford
This autumn a magical arts trail arrives in Ashford; celebrate the town’s best bits to support Pilgrims Hospices in providing local hospice care.
From 12 September the streets and open spaces of Ashford will become an enchanting trail of beautifully crafted, giant Snowdog sculptures. The local community will get involved, enjoy art in cultural spaces, be inspired and entertained and create unforgettable moments and memories.
35 individually designed and beautifully decorated Snowdog sculptures will be placed around the borough to create a world-class sculpture trail that will encourage everyone to discover Ashford.
Sparky is one of a collection of 1.5m tall, individually designed Snowdog sculptures. He’ll soon be joined by the pawfect pack of pups as part of this magical art trail celebrating Ashford life.
Cate Russell, Pilgrims Hospices Chief Executive, with Sparky and Snowy the snowpup
The trail will be on display for 10 weeks from 12September 2018 to 18 November 2018, creating a festive feel in the lead up to Christmas. Visitors and locals will be able to see and celebrate some of Ashford’s best bits to support local hospice care.
Afterwards, each Snowdog sculpture will be auctioned in aid of Pilgrims Hospices to help raise funds for local hospice care.
Cllr Mike Bennett, Portfolio Holder for Culture, said: “This is an exciting arts project that we hope will engage and excite our residents and visitors. The Snowdog sculptures will also raise the borough’s profile, create civic pride and attract thousands of visitors to Ashford.”
Local, regional and well-known artists have brought the sculptures to life, giving them their own personality by creating a unique design for each beautifully decorated dog.
The trail will also be a chance to raise awareness about the services Pilgrims offers for local people coping with incurable illness, and their families and friends.
Cate Russell, Pilgrims Hospices Chief Executive, said: “Our work is as much about supporting people with incurable illness to live as it is about caring for them at end of life. The Snowdogs trail will be a wonderful celebration of Ashford life, so we are really pleased to be involved.”
To kick-start this exciting cultural adventure, a special sponsorship launch event took place on 19 October 2017 at Revelation Ashford. On 22 February 2018, an artist invitation event took place at County Square; a networking evening for local and regional artists to find out more about decorating the Snowdogs.
Working with schools
As part of this very special project Pilgrims Hospices have delivered a schools educational programme alongside the main arts trail. Kindly sponsored by Kingsford Solicitors, 19 schools are taking part in the puppy programme. The Education Programme puts creativity at its heart and is linked with the national curriculum for Key Stages 1-2; this creative project have seen school children decorating their pups during the summer term, alongside classroom activities.
Integral to the Snowpup decoration and main arts trail of giant Snowdogs, Pilgrims has delivered two specialist bereavement training sessions for teachers and support staff to enable educators to address issues surrounding bereavement in a sensitive and age appropriate way. This will give those educators supporting bereaved children a better understanding of the emotional impact that loss has on children – whether it’s a family member, friend or pet – and is in keeping with the story of James in the classic film The Snowman (1982) and Billy in the adaptation of The Snowman and the Snowdog (2012).
On Thursday 10 May 2018 Pilgrims Hospices and Kingsfords Solicitors delivered the 19 Snowpups to Ashford Borough schools.
This Educational Project wouldn’t be possible without the very generous support of our Education Partner, Kingsford Solicitors.
To find out more about this fascinating arts trail taking place in central Ashford in September for 10 weeks please visit the Snowdogs website or click here. Look for news on social media by searching the hashtag #AshfordSnowdogs and following @AshfordSnowdogs on Twitter.
Farewell weekend and auction partner
The final piece in the Snowdogs puzzle is the farewell weekend and auction. These two high profile events are kindly sponsored by Motorline. The farewell weekend is the only place to see all the Snowdogs and Snowpups sculptures together in one place before they race off to find their new ‘furever’ homes at the final event, the Snowdogs auction, where they will be auctioned by Pilgrims Hospices to raise vital funds for local hospice care.
It wouldn’t be possible to deliver the farewell weekend and the final Snowdogs auction without the valuable support of Motorline, a business that prides itself on supporting its local communities.
Motorline has been incredibly generous to Pilgrims Hospices for many years. In 2013, the company kindly donated a van for use by the retail team; since then, more than £3 million each year is raised through retail donations. For 2018 Motorline places the final piece in the Snowdogs jigsaw by becoming Pilgrims’ farewell weekend and auction partner.
Motorline provides vital services in the community by offering family friendly purchases and support through the Motability scheme for people with disabilities. Motorline’s core values reflect Pilgrims’ principles of supporting people to live well in their communities.
The support of the local community and Motorline makes all the difference and Pilgrims are incredibly grateful to them for partnering with us on this magical farewell weekend and auction.
Our work is as much about supporting people with incurable illness to live as it is about caring for them at end of life. The Snowdogs trail will be a wonderful celebration of Ashford life, so we are really pleased to be involved.
Cate Russell, Pilgrims Hospices Chief Executive
The Snowdogs Discover Ashford 2018 project is delivered in partnership with Wild in Art, creative producers of spectacular, mass-appeal public art events, and Snowdog Enterprises Ltd, part of Penguin Ventures.
Other places have held similar events and benefited greatly from providing education and learning opportunities and promoting community engagement and health and wellbeing. These include the hugely popular Go Superlambananas! (Liverpool City of Culture, 2008), Books about Town (London, 2014) and Snowdogs by the Sea (Brighton & Hove, 2016).
Charlie Langhorne, Director of Wild in Art, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Ashford Borough Council and Pilgrims Hospices on this event. Our events are designed to bring the enjoyment of public art to everyone while offering new ways for people to explore their local area. We hope that businesses in Ashford will recognise the cultural benefits of sponsoring a Snowdog, as well as the positives for their own community. It will be a fantastic spectacle and is an excellent way to raise vital funds for local hospice care.”
As well as raising funds for Pilgrims, the Snowdogs project offers a simple way to open up conversations with children about bereavement and loss, making memories that can be cherished for years to come. Cate Russell added: “We know that so many local families face these sensitive issues, and things can feel especially poignant at Christmas, so the project will be a chance to work with local schools and community groups to explore these topics and highlight the support that’s available for families.”
If you or someone you know is coping with a life limiting illness and you think you may benefit from Pilgrims free services, talk to your GP or Healthcare Professional about your options or click here to read about our Wellbeing and Social Programme.
4th September 2018
Angling charity cheque really is ‘the catch of the day’ for Pilgrims
The Charity Shield fishing match in support of chosen charity Pilgrims Hospices took place in July at Stonar Lake, Sandwich raising an amazing £4,219.42 for vital hospice care.
The pairs match, which was made possible by the hard work of organisers Brian Allen, Jon Weir and John Sturge, proved a great success again this year. Through generous sponsorship, the event and the fishermen have raised an amazing £7,366 over two years for Pilgrims’ care.
We are very pleased to have presented the cheque to Pilgrims Hospices; the charity is a much-loved and important part of our community.
John Sturge, Competition Organiser
John Sturge presented the cheque to Karen Kenward, Pilgrims Hospices Community Fundraising Manager, at the Thanet hospice last week.
John said: “We had an excellent turnout of 24 angling pairs for the match that took place in July. The winners with the largest fish were Skip Knight and his partner Noddy, with a fine 26lb Mirror Carp. Henry Weir was the top junior with three Carp, the heaviest weighing in at 10lb 8oz.”
The superb weather lasted throughout the weekend with all those involved having a great time at the barbeque on Saturday and prize draw on Sunday. All prizes for the draw were donated by local business and supporters.
“We are very pleased to have presented the cheque to Pilgrims Hospices; the charity is a much-loved and important part of our community”, John added.
Karen said: “This really is a wonderful event that brings much enthusiasm from many anglers. We really cannot thank everyone enough for their time and effort in making this possible. This donation will help provide care for patients, their families and friends who need us the most. Every penny will help support our work here at Pilgrims. Thank you.”
If you or someone you know is coping with a life limiting illness and you think you may benefit from Pilgrims support, talk to your GP or Healthcare Professional about the options or click Wellbeing and Social Programme to read more.
3rd September 2018
Miles 4 Maurice half marathons challenge for Rodger
Rodger Baker took on the August Bank Holiday Canterbury Half Marathon in the first of six 13.1-mile challenges he plans to undertake to raise £1,000 for Pilgrims Hospices’ care. Over 600 runners took part in this much-loved annual event.
Rodger’s father-in-law, Maurice Collingwood, who was 73 and lived in Sturry, sadly passed away in January of this year after a battle with pancreatic cancer. During his final weeks Pilgrims Hospices supported his care, which enabled him to remain at home in surroundings that made him more comfortable and in the company of those who loved him.
Rodger said: “The Pilgrims team were amazing. They took care of Maurice’s needs and were present when he passed away. My wife, Rachel, and myself have drawn great comfort in the knowledge that everything possible was in place for him to live well until the end.”
Rodger at the Canterbury Half Marathon
Project Manager Rodger, who is 45 and lives in Paddock Wood, started to run a few years ago with a 5km challenge at his local gym. Since then he’s completed several half marathons and four full marathons.
Rodger added: “I wanted to do more than just thank Pilgrims Hospices for the care and support the charity offered Maurice and my family.
“I’m a keen runner and decided to challenge myself. I will be running six half marathons to raise funds to enable them to continue their work. The Canterbury run went really well and I’ve already raised more than £500 toward my target.”
The Pilgrims team were amazing. They took care of Maurice’s needs and were present when he passed away. My wife, Rachel, and myself have drawn great comfort in the knowledge that everything possible was in place for him to live well until the end.
Rodger
Rodger follows a training programme to keep him on track with his half marathon schedule. He will take part in the Reading and London Landmarks half marathons in March and the Windsor, Cardiff and Maidstone half marathons on consecutive Sundays in September and October.
“My family are really pleased and fully supportive. It’s a great way to help out the people who helped us at a very difficult time.
“The Canterbury Half was a tough run, the hilliest I’ve ever done but I made it round in one piece”, Rodger added.
Robert Grew, Pilgrims Hospices Events Fundraiser, said: “We had almost 20 runners taking part in the Canterbury Half Marathon and raising vital funds for those suffering terminal illness. It’s a tough and challenging event but worth the commitment with such wonderful scenery and views across Kent. The weather was really quite congenial for running and many personal bests and targets were smashed on the day. It was great to meet Rodger in person and wish him well. He is so generous of his time, efforts and spirit; we thank him and wish him well as he undertakes a further five events.
We anticipate our runners will raise as much as £6,500 for Pilgrims Hospices’ care.”
Each year Pilgrims supports hundreds of local people coping with a life limiting illness and their families. The charity offers a range of services: from end of life care given on its wards, to its Wellbeing and Social Programme supporting people after they are diagnosed to live well and stay independent.
