A woman whose cousin received end of life care from St Giles Hospice is asking people to play the charity’s fundraising Summer Raffle after winning an £8,000 prize.
Kath Eaves was cared for by the Whittington-based hospice before her death from cancer in 2006.
Inspired by the care her cousin received, Dympna Stewart started playing the St Giles raffle as a way to say thank you and support the charity.
“Amazingly, I won £8,000 in the Christmas Raffle at the end of last year. We’re looking forward to going on holiday and treating ourselves in memory of Kath.
“It is so important that people receive outstanding end of life care – we only have once chance to get that right.
“I encourage people to support St Giles Hospice – we never know what is round the corner and any of us may need hospice care one day.”
Dympna Stewart
Kath had been treated at St Giles before being supported by the team to carry out her wish to die at home.
“It was important to Kath so that she could be surrounded by her loved ones. Being all together as a family in her final days is what she would have wanted.
“When I first visited Kath at St Giles, I didn’t really know what to expect. The only thing you really think of when you hear the word ‘hospice’ is that people go there to die.
“As soon as I walked through the door, I was just so impressed by the care that Kath was receiving. The care team were so helpful and couldn’t do enough for both patients and families, ensuring they had everything they needed.
“The hospice had such a relaxed and calming atmosphere – one nurse was supporting a patient to go outside so they could feel the sun on their face and the fresh air through their hair – it was really lovely to see.”
Dympna Stewart
To coincide with their 40th anniversary year, St Giles Hospice are offering 40 prizes for this year’s Summer Raffle, worth over £12,000, including two joint first prizes of £4,040.
An extra draw will also be held for speedy raffle entries – those who purchase tickets by 9th May could win a £40 Marks & Spencer gift card.
Chloe Hope, head of Fundraising at St Giles, said the fundraising raffle was a key part of ensuring the charity could continuing caring for patients.
“Playing our summer raffle is a fun and easy way to support St Giles, with the chance to win some fabulous cash prizes which could really brighten up your summer.
“While we receive some funding from the Government, we still rely heavily on donations and income generation from our local community.
“Tickets cost just £1 each, and every ticket sold helps St Giles to continue to be there for more local people like Dympna and Kath, today, for the next 40 years and beyond.”
Chloe Hope
Raffle tickets can be purchased until midnight on 30th June and the draw date is 18th July. For more information, or to purchase raffle tickets visit www.stgileshospice.com/raffle or call 01543 434020.