Over £40,000 has been donated to Cumbria’s three hospices from the county’s leading building society.
The Cumberland has given £44,013 to Eden Valley Hospice, Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland and Hospice at Home West Cumbria.
The donation was made possible thanks to The Cumberland’s Affinity Account savers who have chosen to save and support the local causes closest to their hearts.
It was handed over to mark National Hospice Care Week, which runs until October 15. This year the spotlight is on the incredible hospice workforce.
At Eden Valley Hospice, in Carlisle, staff nurse Alison Foster had a lump in her throat when the donation was announced and she was presented with a surprise bouquet of flowers.
She said: “It’s incredibly moving to think that The Cumberland have donated so much. It’s an absolute privilege to work with patients and families in end of life care. It is a very sad time but also a very precious time.”
It was 30 years ago that Alison first visited the hospice when she helped organise a charity football match. “From that day on I knew I would find a way to work here,” she said. “On my first shift I walked 9 miles up and down the corridors – I was exhausted. But I wouldn’t work anywhere else.”
Health care assistant Carol Douglas has had various roles at the hospice over the years including activities co-ordinator and chef – but it is on the ward, where she can connect with patients and families, that she feels most at home.
“There’s a very special atmosphere here,” said Carol. “It’s very homely, calm and reassuring. We have the time to build trust, to listen, to care. They let us in – and that feels very special.”
Hospice at Home nurse Lynne Reside works nights – a time when people often become frightened and want to talk.
She said: “Nights can seem very long for patients in bed with their thoughts – and for their families who may be barely sleeping as they are so worried about what is going to happen.
“Just having someone there, outside that close knit circle, who can reassure them and help them feel a little safer can make such a difference. Often people want to talk, to share memories, to look at photographs. These are very special times and I am always moved by people’s trust in me.”
The Cumberland’s chief customer officer Claire Deekes said: “I want to say thank you, on behalf of our members, to all our hospices for doing such a wonderful job. The care they provide, day in, day out, is incredible.”
When you think of hospice care, people’s immediate thought is of the wonderful nursing teams. But alongside the nurses is a huge army of staff and volunteers including social workers, counsellors, befrienders and housekeepers who are all incredibly grateful for The Cumberland’s generous donation.”
Debbie McKenna, chief executive of Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland, said: “We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to The Cumberland Building Society and Affinity Account savers. Your support along with your incredible donation will help to ensure patients going through the most difficult of times receive the vital care and support they need.
“Hospice at Home Carlisle & North Lakeland are extremely grateful for the continued support we receive from The Cumberland Building Society and their customers, particularly during these challenging times we are all facing.
“These partnerships play a vital role within the charity and without them we simply would not be able to provide the care we do. Your kindness and generosity will help to provide local patients and their families with care and comfort all within the home they love.”
