Light Up A Life at hospice

Mrs Fish - whose mum Syliva Farrington died in the hospice earlier this year - is asking people to back the appeal by sponsoring a light in the hospice gardens in memory of a loved one.

Mrs Fish said the hospice took exceptionally good care of her mum, who lost her battle with ovarian cancer in May.

She said: “When mum was diagnosed it was like her world had ended.

“She lost all confidence in herself and the hospice helped her get that back. They treated mum as a person, not as a patient.”

The family were dealt another blow when Mrs Fish was also diagnosed with cancer.

She said: “Mum had to face the possibility that she may lose me and that her grandkids would be left without their mum too.

“But coming to the hospice helped her be able to come home and be strong for me when I needed it. Thankfully, I’m now in remission.

“Nothing was ever too much trouble for any of the staff at the hospice and that support was always at the end of the phone for me when mum was well enough to be cared for at home.

“Any question I had about her treatment was always answered.”

The Light Up A Life appeal - run in partnership with the Express - gives people the chance to have their loved ones’ names, and who they are remembered by, displayed in books of remembrance at the hospice.

From next Thursday, November 12, the names will also be printed in the Express until Christmas.

Mrs Fish said: “Knowing that the hospice will be here if I need it and that my children and family will be supported is reassuring.

“That’s why I want to dedicate a light for mum - to remember her and to support the great community asset that is the hospice.”

The Halfpenny Lane hospice provided specialist care and support for those with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

It costs around £2.4m per year to run and relies on charitable donations for most of this.

Amanda Jubb, hospice fundraiser, said: “Christmas is a very special time but it is difficult when you think of those who cannot be with you.

“This campaign is all about coming together for support and remembering our loved ones.”

The hospice opened in 1989 and has a team of palliative medicine consultants, hospice practitioners, a fully-registered nursing team, health care assistants, social workers, physiotherapists, bereavement support workers and a chaplan.

For more information or to sponsor a light visit www.pwh.org.uk/light-up-a-life or call 01977 708868.

People can also sponsor a light by visiting the Halfpenny Lane hopsice.