New fundraising appeal launched to help fund vital work of Hospice one year into the pandemic

Thames Hospice has launched Hospice Heroes, a new fundraising appeal with the goal of recruiting 300 new regular donors, to help its nursing teams continue to provide the compassionate frontline care and support that they have become so well known for during the last year.

Sister Dee Dockery works on the Inpatient Unit at Thames Hospice. She said: "The past year has been the toughest ever for all of us here at Thames Hospice. Just as we were settling into our new Hospice by Bray Lake in October last year, the coronavirus really took hold again.

"It's been emotionally and physically demanding in so many ways. The pressure we're under is extraordinary and many of us caught the virus during this most recent wave, including myself. However, what keeps us going is the amazing new Hospice which has been designed and built with our patient's needs at the very heart."

With over 75 staff on the Inpatient Unit alone and more patients and families than ever being supported, the charity's costs are significantly increasing. Medication to help patients manage their pain and control symptoms such as nausea costs upwards of 5,000 each month.

Dee continued: "We really hope that our amazing local community will choose to become a Hospice Hero by making a monthly gift towards our life-changing care. I think I speak on behalf of all our nurses and doctors that we have been proud to step up, in spite of all the risks, to ensure our patients, with and without coronavirus, got the care they needed. As we move forward, it would be so reassuring for us to know that every month our local community is helping make sure our hospice care continues."

Every day, families like Beckys are benefitting from all the services at the new Hospice. Her husband Mike said: "Becky was the fittest 49-year-old most people knew. We were devastated when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer. The Thames Hospice staff gave our family and Becky space to be ourselves, to get the support we needed and to be together as a family. Any family that experiences Thames Hospices care will know that they do not need to be alone and do not need to walk that most difficult of paths alone."

"If you're able to support Nurse Dee and all the Hospice Heroes with a regular gift, you will be helping families like mine as we struggle through the unimaginable. I can think of no better way to give back to your local community."

Thames Hospices Inpatient Unit has so much more space, both indoors and outside. There are 28 private en-suite bedrooms, surrounded by stunning gardens and many with a view of Bray Lake. The facilities are incredible and offer care for more patients than ever before.

Any regular donation made to this appeal will make a huge difference to patients, like Becky, and their loved ones.

For more information, or to give to the Hospice Heroes Appeal, please click here.