For Cheryl and her family, our beautiful gardens offer a place of comfort and reflection following the passing of her father, Martin. They would spend time looking at the flowers and enjoying being in nature together until Martin became too poorly to walk them himself. Now, Cheryl attends our in memory events every year to remember him, while appreciating the gardens in bloom and full of colour.
Martin received specialist care on our Inpatient Unit in his final phase of life from late 2025 until early 2026. He was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer six years prior and, during a previous stay in hospital, it was identified that he also had Parkinson’s disease.
“I'm so grateful and glad that we were able to have a bed for dad, because I think mum had got to the point that she really needed the support,” Cheryl recalls. “He suffered a lot and it took a while to get on top of his pain, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. So many times we received a phone call to say they thought he was close to the end, but he still just kept fighting it and fighting it.
“The doctors were fantastic. It was never too much trouble to have a word with them - they would come and chat to you, make sure you were alright and take you into a private room if you needed to. They wanted to help everybody - not just Dad, but our family and friends as well.”
“We used to walk around the gardens with dad until he became too poorly to walk them himself. Even in the darkest days, my family and I would wander them to find comfort and appreciate the nature and tranquility that surrounds the Hospice. We spent lots of time looking at the flowers, enjoying the pond - it’s a beautiful place to be, very serene.
“Immediately after Dad had passed away, we wanted to come back. All the remembrance afternoons and events, they’re an opportunity to reflect and to take comfort through some really dark times. It's nice for everyone to be together and know that there are other people going through exactly the same thing that you've been through.”
“As part of The Wildflowers campaign and event, I dedicated a poppy in memory of Dad because I feel like that's a symbol that most people associate with remembrance. The campaign is so important to the Hospice because it needs more funding from somewhere. People going forward in the future still need to have the beds like my dad was fortunate to have.
“The lack of funding is a definite worry going forward because nobody knows what the future holds. I also know of patients much younger than my dad who have benefitted from the valuable service that the Hospice provides. Compared to a hospital, it’s like a ‘home from home’ as best as you can get, but still accessing the medical support you need.
“The Hospice is and will always be a special place - it means a lot to us as a family. It was a rollercoaster of a journey, but we’re very privileged to have been supported by them.”