Who are they?

St Clare Hospice is a local charity based in Essex which provides holistic, person-centred care for those who are living with an incurable illness. They offer a range of free, palliative and end of life care services to suit the needs of any local people who are facing death, dying and bereavement. They also offer community-based, volunteer-led support to help local people in relation to living - and dying - well. The two types of support they offer are quite different - the palliative care they provide is given right from the point of diagnosis of a terminal illness, whilst the end of life care is that extra special care given in the last few weeks and days of a person’s life.

In practice, this means that the charity provides specialist medical care in both inpatient and outpatient settings, along with bereavement support and therapy services to the wider community. They work tirelessly to support the people of West Essex and East Herts that need it most, at a time when they most need it.

Why did we choose this charity?

Well, it really was a no-brainer for us. Many of us here have lost a loved one to an incurable illness, and have seen firsthand the amazing support offered by hospices and palliative care teams in the local area. When we found out about St Clare Hospice we knew straight away that we wanted them to be our chosen charity, one that we would build an ongoing relationship with and give our support to, over hopefully many years to come. 

We have loved finding out about all of the work they do in the community - from helping a local care home set up a sensory room for dementia patients; to hosting their second Storytime Picnic for children who have been bereaved, to expanding the availability of GriefLine - the free helpline run by the Hospice to offer emotional support to bereaved people. What has really struck us is the range of different services that are provided, which really have a deep and much needed impact on those in the area.

We’ll update you regularly with news from the charity and our partnership with them, both on this page and via our monthly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here if you haven’t already. 

What can you do to help?

The charity are always on the lookout for volunteers and have a wide range of opportunities available, from either supporting patients on their Inpatient Unit, to volunteering in the community to help tackle loneliness and isolation amongst local people, to tending their beautiful hospice gardens. You can find out more about these volunteering opportunities here.

Alternatively, they really need donations to help support the fantastic work that they do. For paying their lovely staff who provide the specialist and compassionate care, to buying medical supplies and equipment, and for running their hospice facilities, these donations are absolutely vital. Hospice care may be free for those who need to use it, but it is not cheap, and with limited NHS funding these donations play a vital role in making their work possible.You can help them do this via their donation page, as either a one-off payment or as a regular contribution.

Hopefully we’ve given you a decent overview of the fantastic work they do, but if you did want to find out even more about St Clare Hospice, please do visit their website, which you can find here.

Thank you for reading!