Summer Newsletter

Our summer edition newsletter has now been published and out to all our supporters at the end of June. This edition is packed full of stories about the hospice, our staff and of course all our wonderful supporters and what they have been up to in the past 6 months for the hospice.

The welcome from our CEO Kate Lennon is a very powerful statement about how the services of the hospice are constantly evolving in new directions and how she hopes to see this continue in to the area of caring for patients with illnesses such as dementia. The hospice has come a long way in 25 years since its beginnings in North Road in Johnstone and we are hoping to go a long way still in the next 25.

Featured in this edition is a look behind the scenes at the hospice and our wonderful housekeeping team, how important their role at the hospice is and their typical day. We also highlight volunteering and hear from a couple of our volunteers about why they help the hospice, encouraging more people to get involved.

An insight into the Patient & Family Support Team and the care and support they provide is given by team leader Elaine Rae, she also gives an outline of the Butterfly project which is aimed at helping children and teenagers come to terms with dying and loss of a loved one.

And of course it would not be a newsletter without a section on fundraising and community support we have received. From our very own Strictly Come Prancing event and Anniversary Gala Ball to our brand new 'Who Wants To Make A Million For St Vincent's' Dinner & Quiz, you can find out how our events have gone and how to be involved in future events. Our community support includes the Bowfield 5k Road Race, Life Technologies staff volunteer days, our very own nurses' Ladies Night and the Renfrewshire Referees Association sports dinner.

This edition also feature our elite Executive Club 25 members and all our Corporate partners for our 25th anniversary year. These local businesses have all given their support to St Vincent's Hospice in various ways for our special year. So a big thank you to all of them for their generous and continued support.

If you haven't received a copy of our newsletter but would like one, please email info@svh.co.uk or call the fundraising team on 01505 705635.

Workout At Work Day 2013

The staff at St Vincent's Hospice took part in their second Workout At Work Day on Tuesday 11th June.

Our Physiotherapist Sarah Mitchell organised the day as part of a nationwide initiative. Lots of the staff and volunteers came along to have a look at all the materials and have a chat with Sarah, Personal Trainer Andrea Dowds and Herbalife distributor Eleanor Pratt, about fitness and healthy living.

Some lucky staff members also got the chance to enjoy an aromatherapy massage with Laura Lawson, something they all wish they could have built into their working days. There was also the chance to try out some exercise sessions with personal trainer Andrea. She showed everyone some exercises you can do even at home with the use of a pilates ball and a kettlebell.

Sarah said, "Workout at work day is an empowering initiative set up but the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists which recognises that employees who are fitter and healthier are less likely to be off sick. This can lead to huge benefits for both employers and their staff.

"At St Vincent's Hospice we're encouraging our staff and volunteers to be more active and build healthy habits into their day. This event has given them the opportunity to try different activities, get personal advice on exercise and even a short aromatherapy massage."

Thank you to everyone for their support of the day and special thanks to Andrea, Eleanor and Laura for volunteering their time.

Grand Central Glamour & Adventures on Arran

Glitz and glamour prevailed at the Grand Central Hotel on Friday 10^th May, with over 200 guests arriving in all their finery to help celebrate our 25^th Anniversary at our Gala Ball.
 

The evening was hosted by our Ambassador Shereen Nanjiani, who guided our guests through the evening’s activities including the raffle and our game of heads & tails to win a 50” widescreen TV. We were delighted to welcome Natasha Rankin from McTears Auctioneers to host our grand auction, which was a highlight of the night.

 

Our entertainment for the evening came from the wonderful Brass Impact big band, who got everyone onto the dance floor with their eclectic range of music from all eras. Guests were also able enjoyed bidding in our silent auction throughout the night and had a go at our tombola to try their luck at winning some wonderful prizes.

 

Thanks to the generosity of all our guests, and supporters who kindly donated items for our auction, silent auction and raffle; the fantastic amount of £27,000 was raised for local patient care. 

 

As part of our ongoing 25^th Anniversary celebrations our “Challenge 25” Arran cycle and trek was a fundraising event for outdoor enthusiasts.
 

With 6 participants taking part in the weekend-long challenge on Saturday 8^th and Sunday 9^th June, this was not a trip for the faint hearted. Cycling a total of 56 miles from Brodick to Lochranza on the Saturday plus a further 14 miles to the foot of Goatfell on Sunday, before trekking to the summit at 847m.

 

Everyone that took part had a fantastic experience and successfully completed the challenge; the weather was even in their favour as it was a glorious weekend of sunshine for the entire event.

 

A huge congratulation goes to all the participants for their great efforts over the weekend and helping to raised awareness and vital funds for the hospice.

 

 

Fancy Footwork Fundraising

Another 'Strictly Come Prancing' event has come and gone and left, in its wake. dancers with tapping feet eager to do it again and an audience with dance fever.

This year's event took place at the Normandy Hotel over two nights on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th April, with 18 couple taking to the floor to entertain the crowds and the judges.

Friday night's fantastic offering set the bar higher than last year's event, with the audience being wowed from the very first dance. Strutting their stuff for the judges and all their fans were; Tom and Evelyn with their floating foxtrot, Anne and David with a tantalizing tango, Catriona and Andrew with a quirky quickstep, Lorraine and Colin with a sexy samba, Nicola and Ben with their jumping jive, Stephanie and Martin with a very smooth American smooth, John and Angela with their cheeky cha cha and Ashleigh and Thomas with their passionate paso doble.

It was a very close competition to call with each of the dancer giving all they had to get to the top spot, but alas there can only be one winner! The judges had the final say between our two finalists who were John and Angela and Nicola and Ben. In the end it was John and Angela that cha cha cha'd their way to Strictly glory.

The excitement did not end there, our sensational Saturday night show was still all to come.

The dancers were ready, the audience seated and the judges scores were at the ready. All that was left was for the entertainment to begin.

Dancing for the trophy tonight were: Carrie and Ricky with their wonderful waltz, Caire and Aidan with a stylish American smooth, Gillian and Thomas with a joyful jive, Morag and John with a fabulous foxtrot, Jean and Stephen with a cheeky cha cha, Lesley and Dave with a tempting tango, Lynn and Jason with their quirky quickstep, John and Margaret with their smoldering samba and Jackie and James with their challenging charleston.

Another night of fantastic performances and the standard was raised yet again. It was hard to pick who would be in the final, but Jackie and James and John and Morag were the lucky couples. Once again it was down to the judges and this time it was a clean sweep across the board with the flawless foxtrot from John and Morag taking the crown!

Both Strictly 2013 winners were well deserved but all our participants were winners in the end. They all raised funds for a fantastic cause and learned a new skill.

For anyone who missed this Strictly spectacular why not grab yourself a DVD to see the show from the comfort of your own home. Just contact Lorraine on 01505 705635 or email Lorraine.jeffrey@svh.co.uk to get your copy.

Fancy taking part next year? Let us know and you could be part of it!

Keep dancing :)

Strictly Fever

The hospice has been hit with 'Strictly' fever as our fantastic 'Strictly Come Prancing' event fast approaches. This was a sell out event last year when we held our first ever 'Strictly Come Prancing' at the Normandy Hotel in September 2012 and raised a staggering £26,000! The dancing bug soon filtered out through our supporters and we are delighted to have 18 couples taking part over two nights this time around!

The support for this event has been tremendous and we are very lucky to have such a talented dance coach on board. Michelle from GX Studio based in Pro Life in Paisley has been rehearsing with all of our participants and putting them through their paces, getting them ready to tread the boards in aid of the hospice.

One of our couples said, "When we heard about this opportunity to not only learn to dance but to combine it with raising money for a great cause and also providing entertainment for our friends ... well we just had to go for it!"

Another one of our participants said, "Never one to shrink from a challenge, when it was booked for this year and there were spaces available I couldn't resist. Being the year of the 25th anniversary also makes it a special time to do it."

It really is a star studded affair - well almost, we have our very own Brucie and Tess and of course it wouldn't be a strictly event without the judges!

Taking place on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th April, these are two of the best nights the month of April will ever have. Tickets for the Saturday night have sold out, but there are still limited tickets available for Friday, and at just £25 with a drinks reception, 2 course meal and entertainment included how can you resist.

With just over one week to go our budding Fred Astaires and Ginger Rogers' are all ready and raring to go with their music from the movies theme, to dazzle and delight with their dancing on the night, and we can't wait to see them all in the spotlight.

Last years winners Justin and Stephanie

Stepping into Spring at St Vincent's Hospice

It's hard to believe that we are at the beginning of April. The year has got off to a flying start - quite literally!

We recently invited our Ambassadors to a small lunch reception to celebrate the hospice's 25th  anniversary. We are very lucky to have committed and generous support from all our St Vincent's Hospice Ambassadors, who include the Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, STV's Sean Batty and Radio Scotland's Shereen Nanjiani - we continue to be very inspired by their dedication.

Following the lunch, Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander told the press " I met with St Vincent's Hospice's Chief Executive, Kate Lennon, and my fellow Ambassadors as part of the hospice's 25th anniversary celebrations. It was an opportunity to hear directly about the incredible work the hospice does week-in, week-out, supporting patients and families' right across Renfrewshire and beyond. Providing such excellent specialist palliative care at the most sensitive time for families is a precious gift to our community."

Sandy Stoddart, Sculptor in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen and St Vincent's Hospice Ambassador has announced 3 exclusive tours that he is hosting to celebrate the 25th anniversary. See our website for more information here.

The influence and support of our Ambassadors will ensure that it really is a special year for St Vincent's Hospice.

We have also received tremendous support from our local business community across Renfrewshire; as a result we are now developing important corporate partnerships and our sincere thanks go to everyone involved - you can see all our corporate partners here.

Our website has dedicated pages for our Executive Club 25 members and our Corporate Partners, which include logos and links to our partners' websites. As a local charity we are extremely grateful for the support we receive from our communities; being partnered with so many supportive businesses demonstrates the kindness and compassionate within our communities.

There are still plenty opportunities to become a 25th Anniversary corporate partner for St Vincent's Hospice, for as little as £100. Just contact the fundraising team on info@svh.co.uk and they will get all the information you need.

It's that time of year again when the running shoes are getting pulled out and dusted off! As Spring fast approaches everyone is getting into gear and starting to train for various runs. Some of the big events this year are; the Women's 10k on 12th May, the Edinburgh Half Marathon on 26th May and the Great Scottish Run on 6th October.

We are very lucky to have a brand new 5K road race right on the hospice's doorstep taking place on Sunday 14th April! The Bowfield Hotel & Country Club are running their inaugural 5K road race in aid of St Vincent's Hospice and we are delighted to be involved - Bowfield 5k.

Within the hospice there has been a real buzz about this new run and our staff are forming a cheer station to encourage all the participants to keep going. Howwood Primay School has also gathered pupils together to help lime the road and cheer all the runners along.

We are also looking for some volunteers to help marshal the route on the morning of the run, you will be helping to line the route and keeping our runners on the right track! If you are available to help for just 2 hours contact ashley.moran@svh.co.uk or 01505 705635.

Equally if you want to take part in the 5k please contact the Leisure team at the Bowfield at enquiries@bowfieldhotel.co.uk or 01505 705225.

If running is not your thing, our weekend cycle and trek on the Isle of Arran could be for you, our Challenge 25. Already we've had some very enthusiastic supporters register to take part, and there are still spaces available. The Challenge 25 group is very driven and are organising some training dates, making it a real team effot.

Our Director of Fundraising Karen is taking part and said "It's going to be a fantastic weekend - a good luck breakfast at St Vincent's, bus then ferry to Arran before we begin a beautiful cycle to Lochranza followed by a celebration dinner. Then on Sunday we cycle to the foot of Goatfell before trekking up and getting the most incredible West coast views, before returning to the hospice before sunset. What a terrific weekend!"

With just over 2 months to go until Challenge 25 there is still time to get your bike our of hibernation and grab your walking boots. Now spring is fast approaching it's the perfect time to get active and get involved. If you fancy finding out more or signing up for this fantastic duathlon contact us at info@svh.co.uk.

Fantastic start to February

Well what can we say? It feels like no time at all since we returned from Christmas and New Year, getting back in to the swing of things, and now it's February! Activities at St Vincent's have been moving at a similarly swift pace as well.

Since our official media launch on the 9th January we have been working very hard across the hospice teams to create our 25th Anniversary special edition Newsletter. This has been a wonderful team effort with everyone giving their stories and input. The fundraising team put on their design hats and worked away like busy little bees, and now the newsletter has been sent to print and will be hitting doorsteps on Wednesday.

St Vincent's Hospice has also been a flurry of activity this past week with lots of new faces; we've had the privilege of welcoming new volunteers in to help support our administration. Without the help of volunteers we simply could not provide the services which we do - volunteers manage our shops and the Barn Tearoom, count donations, assist in day hospice and help the fundraising team with collections and events. This is just a snapshot of how volunteers assist us, if you want to find out more about how volunteering helps the hospice and how you can get involved visit www.svh.co.uk.

Kirstin, one of our former volunteers who helped the fundraising team in the lead up to the busy Christmas period, was successful in securing full-time, permanent employment whilst volunteering at St Vincent's Hospice. She said; "it was a great experience for me and I would definitely not be in my current job without the insight I gained at St Vincent's."

From new faces at the hospice to a very familiar face, we had the pleasure of welcoming Hugh Henry MSP at St Vincent's Hospice for a visit. As he was being shown around the building meeting staff and volunteers, he expressed how surprised he was to find out that over 50% of our services are actually community based. Previously he believed that most of our care was carried out here in the hospice building; a view no doubt shared by many people in our community.

During his walk round he bumped into a former pupil of his, from his days teaching accountancy; our very own counsellor Theresa! After a good reminisce of the past and a brief catch up, Hugh popped over to the Barn Tearoom for a coffee and a look around our new Vintage Stall. Of course we couldn't resist the urge to take a few shots of him and our Director of Care, Brona McGee, posing with some collectables.

All in all it's been a very encouraging start to the month. During our 25th Anniversary year we want to invite everyone to come up to the hospice to see the care provided here; you may be surprised by what you find - it really isn't doom and gloom, in fact it is one of the most uplifting places you will ever visit.