Tributes have been paid to a woman who was instrumental in setting up the charity Hospice at Home West Cumbria.
Mary Todd became a trustee of the charity in 1996 and was named as a vice president in 2012.
The charity said: “Mary was an instrumental figure in the charity’s formation and following the first public meeting in 1987 to discuss the idea of developing a hospice at home service for West Cumbria.
“She was asked to support the setup of the organisation in her capacity as a local solicitor. Mary supported the charity with her professional expertise and by helping to develop and implement the charity’s constitution, which resulted in a successful application for charitable status with the Charity Commission.
“Mary was a committed supporter, volunteer, fundraiser and ambassador.”
Mary told her own story of how Hospice at Home West Cumbria came to mean so much to her.
She said: “In 1975, my husband John and I experienced personally the need for home nursing care in the community for patients with terminal illnesses wishing to be nursed at home.
“At that time, John’s mother was dying from terminal cancer (in her own home) and as we were both working full-time and also had other family commitments, we were finding it difficult.
“No nursing help was available locally but at the very end, we were able to employ the help of a State Enrolled Nurse from a Liverpool agency. We were fortunate to afford such care and were very aware of the many families who could not.
“Over the years that followed, I discovered clients and friends trying to cope with the same problems so in early 1987, when I was invited to become legal adviser to the group forming what was to become hospice at home, I leapt at the chance.
“When I met Brian Herd, Margaret Dowling and the group in 1987, I was intrigued and inspired by their vision. That was just the beginning.”
Brendon Cook, chair of Hospice at Home West Cumbria, said: “We are enormously grateful to Mary for all that she did in the early days, not least for the invaluable support and advice she gave to help set up our organisation.
“She continued to support the organisation for the remainder of her life, and her knowledge and passion will be greatly missed. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.”
In 1987 Hospice at Home West Cumbria supported almost 40 patients, providing 200 nights of care. Last yearm the charity delivered 857 nights of care, supporting 205 patients.
