St Peter & St James Hospice calls for donations to Christmas Appeal 2021

The appeal is running until January 31, 2022, and people can donate through its JustGiving page.

Jon Anderson, a specialist nurse at the hospice, said 2021 had been ‘another very difficult year’ with many fundraising events cancelled.

He said staff were grateful for everyone’s support but that the hospice was ‘not out of the woods yet’.

“In fact, we know that there are many more very tough weeks ahead for the local people we care for,” Jon said.

He said this Christmas will be difficult for terminally ill people who may need to isolate from their loved ones and urged people to donate whatever they feel they can.

“If you can also include a message alongside your donation, something honest and warm from you to our patients, that would be wonderful,” he said.

Jon said these messages would be copied onto paper baubles for their Christmas tree.

St Peter & St James Hospice has shared the story of Graham and Pam Burch from Lindfield with the permission of their family.

Pam was in her early 70s when she died in spring 2020 and Graham was in his mid 70s when he died in summer this year.

The hospice had cared for both of them.

Their daughters, Lucy and Caroline, said that Graham had wanted to help St Peter & St James Hospice this Christmas.

“The care they had given to mum the year before was so wonderful and meant so much to him,” they said.

Lucy and Caroline said the hospice had been caring for Graham for more than a year when Pam got a sudden diagnosis of bowel cancer late in 2019.

After she died, Graham continued to talk to the hospice regularly and share his experiences with them, they said.

“We are immensely grateful to everyone at St Peter & St James Hospice for the expert, dignified way they cared for both our parents,” they added.

The daughters said all the proceeds from the sale of Graham’s house contents went to the hospice when he moved into a nursing home.

They are also planning fundraising events next year.

Lucy and Caroline said Graham wanted to write about his experiences but died from Covid before he could.

However, they found an email from Graham, which they have made public to inspire people to support the charity.

Graham’s email reads: “Pam fell ill with bowel cancer late in 2019 – it was sudden and unexpected.

“We had bought all the stuff for Christmas and the turkey was in the fridge.

“After two years looking after me with prostate cancer we had to rally round her.

“With the most considerate care from the hospice, we helped her to stay at home for a short while; but soon we had to face up that we couldn’t continue.

“Come the day, the ambulance arrived and, without looking back, Pam walked to it, thus ending nearly 50 years in our home together.

“Pam settled comfortably at the hospice. The staff were all wonderful.

“On the last day she looked out onto the gardens in early bloom, at myself and family. Not much was said. We all knew what was coming. After a restless night she passed away peacefully, early the next morning.

“The nurses were so kind and supportive throughout. I don’t know how we would have coped otherwise.

“I have now moved into a nursing home and continue to receive attention from the hospice staff.

“I am quite well at present, going through ‘a good patch’, as they say.

“But we all know what lies ahead and I am so helped by the reassurances of the hospice staff.”

To donate to the Christmas Appeal 2021 visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/Christmas2021.