Shoppers in Haywards Heath asked what they want to do before they die

The charity invited visitors to add their dreams and ambitions to its “Before I Die” chalkboard at The Orchards Shopping Centre on Wednesday.

The event was held to mark Dying Matters Awareness Week, a national occasion designed to get people talking about death and bereavement.

The chalkboard was in The Orchards to get people thinking and talking about end of life issues.

More than 20 people added their dreams to the board, with wishes including “hold on to my happiness”, “be an exceptional teacher” and “travel more”.

Gina Starnes, director of Nursing at St Catherine’s, said: “We were really pleased with the response to this display, which we hope got people thinking about what they want to do in life, as well as their end of life wishes.

“As a local hospice provider we wanted to actively involve our community in Dying Matters Awareness Week and we’re grateful to The Orchards for running this display with us.”

For the last 30 years St Catherine’s Hospice has provided free end of life care for terminally ill people, as well as support for their loved ones.

The charity does this in people’s homes, its Crawley in-patient unit and in two day hospices in Crawley and Caterham.

St Catherine’s must raise £15,000 every day to continue to provide this support across Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and East Surrey.

Image shows: Gina Starnes, Director of Nursing at St Catherine’s Hospice and volunteers Barbara Pavitt and Stella Owens with our chalkboard.