January 2024
NEWSLETTER
Anniversary edition Page
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In the beginning Dr Stephen Kirkham reflects on 30 years
Page
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Anniversary Celebration find out how you can help mark our special year
Dear friends... Chief Executive, Hannah O'Hare
Dear Friends, I am delighted to welcome you to this special edition of our newsletter celebrating the 30th anniversary of Forest Holme Hospice Charity. Over the past three decades, your unwavering support has enabled us to care for thousands of people in our local community living with life limiting illnesses. As we reflect on the journey so far, we are reminded of the incredible impact we've collectively made. In this edition, join us on a journey down memory lane as we revisit pivotal moments, celebrate achievements, and acknowledge the profound significance of your generosity.
Thank you for all your support over the past 30 years. 2
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Thank you for your enduring support and for being part of our history. Here's to the next 30 years of compassion, dignity, and quality end-of-life care for all. Very best wishes,
Hannah
Share your memories
We hope you enjoy the memories and history shared in this special edition of our Newsletter. If you have any particular memories, highlights and stories of your own experiences of Forest Holme over the past 30 years, we’d love to hear from you.
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Contents
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2 Welcome
9 “One big family”
15 Anniversary Celebration
4 In The Beginning
10 30 Years of History
17 Glass Flower Order Form
6 £30 for 30 Years
12 30 Years of Care
19 Events Calendar
of Care
8 Ways To Support Us
14 “It was a very special place to work” forestholmehospice.org.uk
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In the beginning
In 1991 Dr Stephen Kirkham left Pilgrims’ Hospice in Canterbury, where he had been Medical Director for nine years, to come to Dorset to set up the Palliative Care Service in Poole. He was lead clinician at Forest Holme Hospice until his retirement in 2012 and later became Chair of the Board of Trustees at Forest Holme Hospice Charity from 2014 to 2022. Here Stephen reflects on the last 30 years. What were the main challenges the hospice faced in the early years? There was a number of initial challenges, starting with getting planning permission for the site. Then, as this was a completely new service, it was a matter of networking to get referrals. The next challenge was building a team that shared all the same ideals, so that they could trust each other to do what was needed.
How much has Forest Holme changed over the past 30 years? Loads, in terms of the building, the places where care is provided and the different teams which work together, but not at all in terms of the philosophy of care, which continues to emphasise the person not the disease, and ensures that we care not just for the patient, but also for the family and the staff.
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Some key components of this model of care are not routinely commissioned and provided within the NHS, and are not funded from the exchequer. These include counselling and also support for the family as the unit of care. We can only provide these core elements because they are funded by the Charity.
How important is the role of the Charity in supporting the hospice care provided by Forest Holme?
Do you have any particular standout memories or achievements from the past 30 years?
The Charity’s support is essential. Dame Cicely Saunders described a whole new model of care in the 1960s, which has spread across many countries and is exemplified in the services available through Forest Holme.
There are so many, but what I carry with me is the reputation of Forest Holme in the community, not only in terms of the quality of care but also the enormous support given to the Charity, in all kinds of ways.
BBC Breakfast fitness guru The Green Goddess (aka Diana Moran) visiting to begin digging the foundations.
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£30 for 30 years of care 2024 marks an incredible 30 years since Forest Holme Hospice Charity was set up to raise funds for the new specialist palliative care unit. 1994 was the year Four Weddings and a Funeral became the top grossing UK film, the first UK National Lottery draw took place, and Tony Blair won the Labour Party leadership election. The Charity officially launched on April 26th as Prince’s ‘The Most Beautiful Girl in the World’ topped the UK charts. Since then, donations from supporters have helped the hospice to care for over 30,000 adults and their families. We wouldn’t be providing the kind of care we do today if it wasn’t for the support of people like you. Thank you.
By donating £30 during our anniversary year, you will help to continue our vital services over the next 30 years and support terminally ill patients during the most difficult time of their lives.
Your donation of £30 could help fund: A bereavement counselling session following the death of a loved one An aromatherapy session for a patient going through cancer treatment A yoga session for cancer patients to boost fitness and wellbeing In appreciation of your donation, you will receive a commemorative pin badge, along with a thank you letter.
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Donate to Forest Holme Hospice during our 30th anniversary year Your Details (please print in BLOCK CAPITALS) Title
Full Name
Address Postcode Email address By providing your email address above you confirming you are happy for us to contact you by email with news, events, projects, information about volunteer opportunities and fundraising. We promise that we will never sell or trade your details and you can opt-out at any time. If you prefer not to receive future correspondence via email please tick here.
I would like to make a gift of: £30 Other amount I enclose a cheque, payable to ‘Forest Holme Hospice Charity’ If your donation is in memory of a loved-one, please include their name Scan To Donate to Forest Holme!
Please also indicate if you would like to receive a 'Thank You' for your donation either by Post
No 'Thank You' required
Boost your donation by 25%, at no cost to you Tick the box below after reading the terms and conditions to allow Forest Holme Hospice Charity to claim Gift Aid on your donation at no cost to you.
Yes, I want my gift and any future gifts to go further. I am a UK taxpayer and would like Forest Holme Hospice Charity to claim Gift Aid on my support. I confirm that I am happy to treat all donations I have made with Forest Holme Hospice Charity for the past 4 years and any future donations I make as Gift Aid donations until I notify you otherwise. I understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year, it is my responsibility to pay any difference.
Signed
Date
Please make cheques payable to 'Forest Holme Hospice Charity' and return via FREEPOST to Freepost RUCG–BZRL–CZRH, Forest Holme Hospice Charity 5 Seldown Road, Poole BH15 1TS We take your privacy seriously and promise to never sell your data, You can find out more by reading our Privacy Policy at www.forestholmehospice.org.uk/privacy
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WAYS TO SUPPORT US 1. Fundraise
2. Donate
3. Volunteer
4. Leave a Gift in Will
5. Share your story Visit our website for more details
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“One big family”
Sheila Banyard started as a nurse at Forest Holme Hospice on the very first day it opened and recalls her experiences of those first few days.
Tell us a bit about your background and how you came to work at Forest Holme? Before coming to Forest Holme I worked as an auxiliary nurse at Poole Hospital. I was very fortunate to transfer from Ward B3 there to Forest Holme with Sister Moira Higgs.
You started at Forest Holme Hospice on the very first day it opened – what do you remember from that time? I remember feeling very excited on the first day. We spent a few days getting to know all our new colleagues from different backgrounds. We had only one patient on the first day, therefore he had lots of attention. After coming from a busy ward it was very rewarding to have more time with patients and their families.
What are your fondest memories of working at the hospice? Lots of happy memories – always lots of laughter. I remember taking patients to Poole Park or to the Dolphin Centre for a coffee and cake. We had a few weddings at Forest Holme and also a christening. I went with a patient once to her daughter’s house for a family party. We felt like one big family from the Consultant Dr Kirkham, doctors, and nurses to secretaries, fundraisers and cleaners and not forgetting the volunteers. We had lots of support for all the sad time as well. We had all sorts of animals visit from a parrot, ducks, cats and dogs. I’ve seen this still happens now, which is wonderful. forestholmehospice.org.uk
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30 years of history... 1993 Building work began for Forest Holme Hospice with BBC Breakfast fitness guru The Green Goddess (aka Diana Moran) visiting to begin digging the foundations.
1993 Entertainer Roy Castle OBE laid the foundation stone of the building but sadly died of cancer before the Hospice was officially opened.
1994 Friends of Forest Holme as it was known then,
was set up to raise funds for the new specialist palliative care unit.
1995 Forest Holme Hospice was officially opened by the Lady Romsey on 9th January 1995.
1995 The Counselling Service began. The service
provides confidential support and counselling for individuals, couples, children, young people and families.
2002 Forest Holme Hospice Charity launched the ‘Light up a Life’ appeal
whereby supporters dedicate a star on the hospice Christmas tree in memory of their loved ones.
2008 The new relatives’ lounge is officially opened by Fiona Castle (wife of Roy) following a successful grant application from the King’s Fund.
2011 Proving age is just a number, 89 year old Ada Newman completed a tandem skydive which raised £2,000 for Forest Holme Hospice Charity in memory of her late husband, who had been cared for at the hospice.
2013 The Community Specialist Palliative Care team based at Forest Holme expanded to 7 nurses covering Poole, Wimborne and the Isle of Purbeck, supporting patients in their own home, in nursing homes or care homes. 10
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30 years of history... 2014 Forest Holme is officially reopened following a £1 million refurbishment. 2015 Charitable donations fund a Thor Laser for the Lymphoedema team at Forest Holme, which enhances the treatment of patients by using LED light therapy to treat large areas of fluid retention in the body.
2015 The Therapeutic Bereavement Group began and offered individuals the opportunity to meet with other bereaved people who are experiencing similar loss.
2016 A moving display of 1,000 handcrafted sunflowers went on display in Poole Park. Each of the sunflowers represented the life of a person cared for by Forest Holme Hospice each year.
2016 AFC Bournemouth Manager, Eddie Howe visited staff, patients and their families at the hospice.
2017 ‘The Sunflower Suite’ was renovated to provide a peaceful and private space for family members to say their final goodbye to their loved ones and begin their grieving process.
2018 Skipper the pony joined a long list of creatures great and small who have visited patients over the years.
2019 Forest Holme Hospice Charity celebrated its 25th anniversary, including a Tea Party for both current and former members of staff.
2023 The hospice completes an internal refurbishment to enhance the experience of patients, staff and visitors. forestholmehospice.org.uk
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years of care
“Forest Holme make the hardest time in your life that little bit easier. An amazing place which holds a special place in our hearts.”
“What a peaceful and calming place. The counselling service based at Forest Holme has in the region of 600 referrals each year.
“The most amazing place, with the most amazing people. There are no words.”
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Staff are faultless and attentive, kind, thoughtful and considerate to the ultimate degree.”
Forest Holme Hospice currently has around 80 members of staff from nurses and doctors to cleaners and administrators
years of care
The Forest Holme Community Specialist Palliative Care Nurse Team undertakes, on average, in excess of 1,700 face-to-face patient visits each year, along with approximately 35,000 telephone and indirect contacts (of which, over 14,000 are via the 24hr advice line)
“A wonderful place. So much warmth and care shown to patients and their families at often the most difficult time in their lives.”
Forest Holme Hospice currently has around 75 registered volunteers
Since it first opened Forest Holme Hospice has supported over 30,000 people in our local community
“They care for the family and friends as much as their patients.”
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“It was a very special place to work” Nursing staff on the first day Forest Holme Hospice opened
Suzanne Thomas, was another nurse who was at Forest Holme Hospice on the very first day it opened and recalls her experiences. What can you remember from those early days when the hospice first opened? We spent time getting Forest Holme ready for the patients to arrive. We all wanted our patients to feel that they we’re coming to a safe place where they would be cared for in every way. We also wanted it to feel as much like being at home that was possible. We often had patients’ pets visit - I remember an Alsatian sitting under his master’s bed for several days and also a cat visiting, which was slightly worrying as an air mattress and cats claws are not a good combination!
How long were you at Forest Holme? I worked for 20 years at Forest Holme. It was a very special place to work, not only because of my colleagues but mainly the patients I helped looked after. Our care developed over the years, and symptom control also developed, including pain management. . Our counselling service was available to both patients and relatives and we 14
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started bereavement care, including the Pop In group. We also started a children’s bereavement group, which went on to become Mosaic.
Suzanne Thomas with Sheila Banyard
What particular memories do you have of your time at Forest Holme? Looking back I have many special memories. Some happy, some sad, some funny and some personal.
I recall a man’s determination to see in the millennium, which he did and celebrated with a glass of champagne! We celebrated each patient’s birthday with a cake and we also celebrated Christmas with a Carol Service with families and friends invited. Everyone enjoyed mince pies and Moira’s warm fruit punch.. I feel very thankful to have worked at Forest Holme and the people I worked with - we have become good friends and that quite a few of us still meet up.
Join us for our
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
26 APRIL 2024 3:00 PM
£37.50 MERLEY HOUSE MERLEY HOUSE LANE WIMBORNE BH21 3AA
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Join the celebration Celebrate with us as Forest Holme Hospice Charity reaches its 30year milestone! Immerse yourself in an afternoon filled with art and elegance at Merley House in Wimborne. The garden will feature a stunning display of 1000 handcrafted stained glass fritillaria flowers, skillfully created by the talented Ellie from Garden Glass Art. Following the art installation, indulge in the timeless charm of the Old Library, where an afternoon tea awaits, followed by a beautiful dance performance.
Tickets for this event are priced at £37.50 and can be booked online via our website forestholmehospice.org.uk or scan the QR code below. Secure your spot early, as tickets are limited (maximum of 4 per person). If you would like to own a piece of our 30th anniversary commemorative art, these keepsake flowers will be available to pre purchase for delivery or collection following the event. Please see overleaf for the order form or order online via our website. If you are unable to join us, the art will be available for the public to view free of charge from Saturday 27th April - Thursday 2nd May.
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Scan to book
GLASS FLOWER
ORDER FORM
DATE ORDER №
The artwork will come in an assortment of colours and we are unable to guarantee which one you’ll receive. The price includes the Shepherd's Crook.
NAME ADDRESS PHONE EMAIL
DESCRIPTION
QTY
PRICE
Glass Flower & Shepherd's Crook
£30.00
Postage & Packing (per flower)
£8.99
Collection from the charity office (Tuesday 7th May 2024)
£0.00
Collection from Merley House (Friday 3rd May 2024)
£0.00
TOTAL
Optional Donation TOTAL
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Payment details Total payable
£
. Card
Cheque (made payable to 'Forest Holme Hospice Charity') Name on card Card number Cardholder's signature
Expiry
MM
YY
CVV
Boost your donation by 25%, at no cost to you.
Yes, I want my gift and any future gifts to go further I am a UK taxpayer and would like Forest Holme Hospice Charity to claim gift aid on my support. I confirm that I am happy to treat all donations I have made to Forest Holme Hospice Charity for the past 4 years and any future donations I make as Gift Aid donations until I notify you otherwise. I understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year, it is my responsibility to pay any difference. Signed ___________________________
Date____________________
Send it back Freepost RUCG-BZRL-CZRH Forest Holme Hospice Charity, 5 Seldown Road, Poole, BH15 1TS
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01202 670 644
Scan to order
Events
2024
CALENDER
7th March
Bingo Hamworthy Club
26th April
16th May
15th June
Anniversary Celebration Merley House
Quiz Night Hamworthy Club
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Poole Park
12th July
14th November
Golf Day Bulbury Woods
Quiz Night Hamworthy Club
Light up a life December
Light Up a Life
Want to get involved in a challenge?
Skydive
Wing Walk
Marathon
Overseas
Ultra Hike
Contact fundraising@forestholmehospice.org.uk
NG IN
2025...
COMI
Scan for more information
STRICTLY EXTRAVAGANZA 25th January
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Contact Us If you would like more information about the care the hospice provides or how to fundraise for us, we would love to hear from you.
Forest Holme Hospice 5 Seldown Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1TS T: 01202 670644 (Charity) T: 0300 019 8147 (Hospice) E: fundraising@forestholmehospice.org.uk
forestholmehospice.org.uk Ways to donate
Scan To Donate
By phone: 01202 670644 By post: Scan QR code to download donation form
Forestholme
@ForestHolme
@forestholmehospice
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