Arthur Rank Hospice Charity will be celebrating Hospice Care Week this week (Monday 8 - Sunday 14 October) along with hundreds of other hospices across the UK.The national awareness week led by national hospice and palliative care charity Hospice UK, aims to raise awareness and support, as well as raising funds and sparking conversations, around hospice care.
Arthur Rank Hospice is inviting the local community to get involved in whatever way suits them best. Those visiting the Hospice’s Reception and Bistro area at Shelford Bottom (Cambridge), the Alan Hudson Day Treatment Centre (Wisbech) or any of the Hospice’s five charity shops are being asked to share their thoughts about why they love their local hospice, by writing on heart shaped post-it notes. They will then stick these onto a heart-themed display for others to see, allowing the community’s thoughts and feelings about Arthur Rank Hospice to evolve into collaborative displays that “share the love”.
In addition, the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity shops (already well-loved hubs of their local communities) will be doing their best to win the national ‘Best Heart My Hospice Window’ competition being run by Hospice UK. Customers and shoppers can expect to see an explosion of the hearts and yellow next week as they pass the shops windows in Cambridge on Regents Street, Burleigh Street and Mill Road, Great Shelford on Woollards Lane and Cottenham on the High Street. They are amongst 2000 hospice shops across the UK who raise vital funds for hospice care all year round.
The Hospice’s Bistro will be selling ‘Heart My Hospice’ themed baked goods during the week, with the catering team welcoming regular and new customers who might pop in for a piece of cake and a cuppa as they drive past, or commute in or out of Cambridge from the Babraham Road Park and Ride.
Special ‘Heart My Hospice’ themed events are also taking place in the Hospice’s Bistro, including an Afternoon Tea on Tuesday 9 October at 2.30pm (RSVP to Alison on 01223 675888) and a Celebration Evening on Thursday 11 October. The Celebration Evening is an annual highlight on the Hospice’s calendar and provides staff, volunteers and supporters an opportunity to look back at the previous year, thank the community for its steadfast support and highlight upcoming plans for the year ahead. The evening begins at 6pm with a drinks’ reception (complete with ‘Heart my Hospice’ themed cakes), before presentations begin and long service awards are presented to volunteers. It is a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the significant difference you can make by volunteering at the Hospice; if you wish to come along, please RSVP to Fran on 01223 675802.
As a final flourish during Hospice Care Week, Hospice supporters are being encouraged to show Arthur Rank Hospice some love this week, by posting short videos or photos of themselves with home-made posters, explaining why they #HeartMyHospice. These will be shared on Arthur Rank Hospice’s social media platforms alongside those from staff members, service users, volunteers, trustees and family members (please tag ‘Arthur Rank Hospice Charity’ on Facebook, ‘ArthurRankHouse’ on Twitter, ‘arthur_rank_hospice’ on Instagram or ‘arthur-rank-hospice’ on LinkedIn).
The British public is very supportive of hospices and has considerable goodwill towards their work, with 92% saying that they “are an important asset to their community” in an earlier ComRes survey commissioned by Hospice UK.
Tracey Bleakley, Chief Executive at Hospice UK, said:“Like other charities, hospices are operating in a difficult economic environment and many are also facing additional challenges, such as those related to staff recruitment. So, it has never been more important for people to support their local hospice. We hope that during Hospice Care Week the public will take up the opportunity to show their affection for hospices whole-heartedly and demonstrate their support in practical ways whether donating, volunteering or spreading the word about hospice care on social media.”
Arthur Rank Hospice cares for and supports more than 3600 patients each year across the Hospice in Cambridge, the Alan Hudson Day Treatment Centre in Wisbech and in patients’ own homes via the Arthur Rank Community Team. The care and support provided by the Inpatient Unit, Day Therapy and Hospice at Home teams is practical, holistic and tailored to the individual. Programmes may include psychological support, physiotherapy, complementary therapy, occupational therapy, rehabilitative support, counselling, bereavement and spiritual support.