Autumn/Winter 2011 newsletter - Willen Hospice

www.willen-hospice.org.uk
newsletter
AUTUMN / WINTER 2011
A Celebration of our 30 Years
Friends and supporters of Willen Hospice joined together
to enjoy a spectacular celebratory ball on Friday 20th May.
This black tie, pearl and underwater themed evening was
held at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, Stadium:MK attended
by 360 individuals and was one of the high points of the
Hospice’s 30th Anniversary programme.
Photos by Derek Barrett www.thatphotoplace.co.ukPhoto Woolfe PR
The evening was an incredible success
with guests being transported to an
underwater themed world with
bubbles lining the walls, unique table
centres of giant fish bowls complete
with live fish and oyster shells and
guests were even greeted by a live
mermaid on arrival!
The highlight of the evening was the
Grand Auction, hosted by celebrity
auctioneer Charlie Ross, who had the
privilege of bringing down the gavel on
several breathtaking gifts donated by
local companies.
Paul Hinson, Hospice Chief Executive,
commented: “I would like to thank all the
local companies and individuals that
supported this amazing one-off event.”
In keeping with the pearl and underwater
theme, a bespoke 18 carat white gold
necklace set with sapphires, aquamarines,
diamonds and pearls had been generously
donated by Woolfe Jewellery. The skill
of the celebrity auctioneer had the
guests enthralled and thanks to his
professionalism succeeded in bringing
the room to its feet as the Willen
necklace went to auction raising
£20,000. The successful bidder then
requested that it be re-auctioned and
was finally won for the second time
raising a further £12,000!
Friends from the band Atlantique
provided live music throughout the
evening with a surprise act of four
singing waitresses adding to this very
special event. However the reason for the
celebration was never far from people’s
thoughts with a specially commissioned
film detailing the Hospice’s journey over
the last 30 years featuring a patient, a
nurse and one of the Hospice’s youngest
fundraisers who’s just ten years old!
The auction, and all the other fundraising
activities on the night raised an
outstanding £59,000 to help fund the
£4 million that the Hospice needs this
year to provide its specialist care.
Julia Rogerson, Events and Promotions
Manager at Willen Hospice, said:
“I am overwhelmed by the generosity,
warmth and feeling of all those who
attended our Ball and helped to make
it such a successful event. This support
has made us believe that the local
community really wants us to be
always there to care.’
page 3 page 4
Bereavement Service
Margaret’s story
page 6
Events
page 11
News from our shops

message from
paul hinson
The 30th Anniversary of Willen Hospice is well on
its way now and we have enjoyed such a lot of
support at this special time. The celebration Pearl
Ball in May was a big success and raised extra
funds for our important work. The new Brand
that I talked about in the last newsletter is now
well established and working well for the
Hospice.
The focus of our work is the high quality care we
provide for our patients and their families and friends.
It is the holistic approach that is at the heart of all we
do. This makes the work that is done by our Chaplaincy
service and the Social Care Team, which includes the
specialist areas of Family Support, Carers Support and
Bereavement care, so very important. All of these
areas are helped by teams of Volunteers who have
undertaken training for this special type of caring.
Volunteers form the backbone of the work of the Hospice. We have in excess of 650
people who give their time to support all that is needed at the Hospice, around our
shops and with fundraising. This is not just a loving gift of care and support; it is also a
financial saving for the Hospice because, without our Volunteers, we would have to pay
to have this work done.
We provide complex
and individual care
to terminally ill
adults in our
community and
support to their
families and friends.
That brings me nicely on to things financial; you would be very surprised if I did not
mention money in my message to you. I apologise, but it is the same old request. We
need to raise over £3 million ourselves again this year and I am sorry to report that for
the first time, the Primary Care Trust has reduced the amount we receive by 1.5%, as
part of national efficiency savings for the NHS. That means we need even more from
the local community, so if you can help by giving a little more that would be fantastic.
Thank you for your ongoing support and keep focused on our vision:
Total amount needed
to run the Hospice
this year: £4.12 million
£m
4
3
Our vision is to be the lasting and thriving provider of free care to all people
affected by life limiting illness in our community. This will be made possible by a
community working together continually to share in the delivery of the most
assuring, equally accessible and advanced care available. Always There to Care
Total amount of
funding received
from NHS: 22.5%
2
1
Paul J Hinson
Chief Executive
2

Bereavement Service and Family Support
The Hospice Bereavement Support Team includes Fi Jones, (Bereavement Support
Worker), Sue Whear, (Social Care Manager), and Amanda Cullens, (Macmillan
Bereavement Co-ordinator), and a team of 13 bereavement volunteers.
AMANDA CULLENS writes:
The Hospice has traditionally had
a bereavement service with volunteers
offering individual support to adult
carers and relatives following the
death of their loved one, either at
home or in the Hospice.
My role is a new one which is kindly being
funded by Macmillan and I have been
with the Hospice since January 2011. My
mission is to develop the current service
available. Over the past six months I can
honestly say the service has grown both in
terms of what we are able to offer and the
numbers of people currently accessing
bereavement support.
One of my first goals was to get a
bereavement support group up and
running. The need for this was voiced to
me by many Hospice professionals and
my work in the past had clearly shown
the benefit of people joining together in
a group to share their experiences and
feelings as well as gain some social
support. We now have a group of 10
people bereaved of their partners in the
last few months meeting on a monthly
basis in Day Hospice. The group are really
feeling the benefit of coming together and
supporting one another. This group will
close to new members once the group
membership reaches 12 and we will then
open a second group.
Numbers of people accessing our individual
support has also nearly tripled since the
end of the last year and I think this is due
to a change in the way the service is
being introduced. Rather than receiving
information only by letter, the bereavement
service is now offered by phone by a group
of volunteers offering phone support every
Thursday evening, once a referral has been
received. This introduction is made in a
kindly, gentle manner by asking the person
how they are coping and letting them
know that support is available in a variety
of ways, if at any time, they would like to
access it. Confirmation is still made by
letter.
We are also starting to re-contact people
at around six month’s post bereavement
as this is traditionally a time when people
are known to start to struggle. With this in
mind we will also be introducing an event
called ‘Time to Remember’ for those
bereaved approximately six months
previously. This will be an opportunity to
return to the Hospice for a short time on
a Sunday afternoon to reflect on the life
of their loved one, light a candle and gain
some support over a cup of tea. There
will also be a few readings to connect the
group together although these will be of
a non religious nature. We hope to offer
this event four times per year.
We have an ongoing telephone support
service for those who wish to receive
a regular phone call from one of our
volunteers on a Thursday evening. This
service is proving extremely popular and
quite often bridges the gap for someone
who is struggling but does not feel ready
or does not want someone to visit them at
home. During this period on a Thursday
evening we also have one of our phones
free which is used as a helpline.
We are developing a befriending service on
a short term basis for those people who do
not want bereavement support but would
like some help in returning to their day to
day activities outside the home.
With all this development it has been
necessary to increase our volunteer team
and we are currently training an additional
group of 13 bereavement volunteers who
are nearing completion of their 8 week
training programme. All our volunteers
receive regular ongoing training and
monthly group supervision. We are very
much looking forward to the group joining
our existing team of volunteers which will
enable us to develop the service even
further and expand the number of family
members and others to whom we are able
to actively offer the service.
Fi and I will also be able to undertake
initial home visits, to all those requesting
individual support so we can match the
appropriate volunteer with the individual,
something that to date resources have not
allowed and will bring us into line with our
other social care services.
It really has been a very interesting
first six months in post and I wonder
what the next six will bring!
3

These are the words of Margaret.
Her father and husband were both
cared for by Willen Hospice and
she felt compelled to share
her experiences.
Margaret’s
husband
Malc’
I completely believe in earthly angels. They live among us and are kind, pure,
beautiful, considerate people who work at Willen Hospice. These special people look
after our loved ones so well for us.
Although to them it is so much more
than a job - it is helping patients,
family and friends at one of the most
difficult times in their lives. Their help
is exceptional and the special aura that
seems to pervade the whole of the
Hospice is taken out into the community
with them, wherever they go.
I first encountered this care 20 years ago
when my father entered Willen Hospice
as a terminally ill patient and I saw first
hand how all his worries were relieved,
as were ours. His stay was short but the
support we as a family were given was
immeasurable. I expect there are many
people that will have been affected
directly or indirectly with cancer or a life
limiting disease.
More recently my husband Malc came
under their care. Malc’s cancer had been
controlled for a considerable time in the
community with pills and implants.
When we were given the diagnosis that
the cancer was terminal Willen Hospice
became involved. At first, several of the
Hospice at Home team visited to get all
the information about Malc’s illness.
They helped us tremendously as one
Friday, almost overnight, Malc started to
experience excruciating pain. On ringing
Hospice at Home team came to see us
and assured Malc that by the following
Monday his pain would be under control.
I must admit that I was sceptical, but
sure enough three days later the magic
4
was working, and life returned pain free
to its familiar pattern.
As you can imagine after this episode,
we knew that Malc would be kept as
pain-free as possible giving him the best
quality of life that could be maintained.
Each time the pain worsened,
medication was juggled and latterly
when Malc became intolerant to the
oral medication, it was given directly
into his body over a 24 hour period. This
continual monitoring enabled us to go
out and I remember with great joy our
Boxing Day celebrations at my sisters an
hour and a half away with all the family.
This is one of the reasons that Willen
Hospice became almost one of the
family. They are always there at the end
of the phone to answer any questions
and allay any worries in a calm caring
way. Everything was explained fully and
they visited almost every day, including
weekends with some support from the
district nurses, even though the
weather conditions were treacherous
and a lot of people were not managing
to travel.
This incredible gift of caring allowed us
to continue to live our lives to the full
and as life faded, we were able to
face it with no fear and I thank Willen
Hospice that with their support Malc
passed away at home, with me,
where he loved to be.
Illness does not always equate to
sadness all the time – there were many
laughs and jokes along the way. With
support, we managed to continue to
enjoy our lives to the full and we
embraced each day and appreciated the
precious gift of time and comfort that the
Willen staff and their efforts afforded us.
Nothing was rushed or too much trouble
for the Hospice at Home team and we
both felt cherished and precious to them.
The Hospice at Home team were so
attentive that nothing was overlooked
and on occasions, they asked just the
right questions to make sure Malc had
every appliance that would help with
living comfortably.
This illustrates and is testament to
the wonderful inspirational ways that
the Hospice helped and continue to
support me and so many like me.
I am sure, like you, we would all want
the Hospice to continue to flourish and
support those in the local community
as they have for me and my family.
Margaret
If you have a story or experience
that you would like to share with us,
please contact us on:
info@willen-hospice.org.uk

Day Hospice patients have produced some stunning
artwork, including stained glass windows, a mural and
a photo picture, reflecting their thoughts and feelings
The Day Hospice
One of the services Willen Hospice
provides is a Day Hospice. This is a
warm and supportive environment
where patients who are being cared
for in their own homes can come to
talk to specialists and other patients
and engage in diversional therapies.
One very popular therapy is art. On
talking to patients, it was felt that it would
be nice to work together to create some
permanent pieces to celebrate the holistic,
creative and caring atmosphere of the
Day Hospice.
Under the direction of Melody Hornblow,
Day Hospice Activities Co-ordinator, and
with the help of Coralie Mansfield,
a pottery tutor and glass artist, and
Hilary Becket, an expert in stained glass,
the patients undertook the production of a
series of stained glass windows. The design
includes the thoughts and feelings of Day
Hospice patients and reflects the different
aspects of the journeys they have made
during this difficult stage of their lives.
The funding for the materials for this
project, and others, that include a photo
picture and mural (pictured below) were
all generously given by St Peter and
Paul’s Lodge in Newport Pagnell. The
lodge also kindly donated £1,500
towards general care.
Melody Hornblow, Day Hospice
Activities Co-ordinator, said: “When it
became clear through talking to the
patients and our art therapists that it
would be beneficial to work on larger
creative projects I knew I had to get the
funding to make it happen. We are all
very grateful to the members of the
Lodge for coming to our aid and helping
us to achieve our aim to produce some
beautiful, permanent pieces to grace the
Day Hospice for all to enjoy.”
The Day Hospice offers a friendly
environment for patients with
specialist palliative care needs.
Care is provided by a team of
professional staff supported by
committed volunteers and
complementary therapists.
The specialist services include advice on
pain control and symptom management,
support through treatments such as
chemotherapy and radiotherapy and
complementary therapies, including
massage, aromatherapy and reflexology.
The Day Hospice also offers general
information regarding benefits, aids and
community services with daily individual
and group activities such as arts and
crafts, quizzes and games.
The Day Hospice works closely with other
members of the Hospice team including
Doctors, Nurses, Community teams,
Social Care department, Chaplain and
Volunteers. It is open on Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday from 10.30am
to 3.30pm.
To find out more about the Day
Hospice please contact us on
(01908) 663636.
5

Fundraising focus
With the Hospice needing over £4million pounds a year to operate, and with
only a small percentage of this amount coming from the NHS Funding, it is the efforts
of our Events and Promotions team and the tremendous amount of community
support that provides vital funds to ensure that we are ‘always there to care.’
The Hospice Events and Promotions Team have hosted a real variety of events that
have been enjoyed by all who attended, here are a few highlights . . .
Alternative Ascot
Over 120 ladies and a few gentlemen
donned their finest hats and outfits to
join in with all the activities provided at
the Hospice’s annual Alternative Ascot
in June. They tucked in to a very special
afternoon tea and enjoyed the delights of
the 4ft chocolate fountain while being
serenaded by MK Acappella. Guests
enjoyed the delights of Royal Ascot with
the races live on the plasma screens, and
placed bets with The Hospice’s Tote Girls
Extraordinaire. Together they raised an
Walk for Willen & Summer Garden Party
amazing £5,678.74.
This amount would fund almost six
months worth of essential clinical supplies
needed by our community team, such as
gloves, aprons, masks, needles and
syringes.
Where could you possibly imagine
seeing a Stormtrooper, Darth Vader,
Spiderman and Florence the MK
Midnight Moo mascot all together
That’s exactly what took place on Sunday
5th June when 700 people Walked for
Willen. Completing the Hospice’s
sponsored walk around Willen Lake,
6
many families also brought their four
legged friends along to go Walkies for
Willen, including Sugar, pictured above.
On returning from their walk people
were able to chill out to the sights and
sounds of our Summer Garden Party.
There was live music from the Fenny
Stompers and the Bolivian Sunshine
Dogs, a Zumba demonstration, a variety
of refreshments including a BBQ and
Caribbean food together with numerous
stalls and games for all the family.
So far the day has raised over £10,000
every penny of which will go towards
providing specialist care to our patients
and their families.

Herd kept mooving for the Midnight Moo
Willen Hospice’s third MK Midnight
Moo took place on Saturday 16th July
with over 1700 ladies entering into
the moovellous atmosphere and
pledging to raise a moomentous
£130k.
Midsummer Place Shopping Centre was
transformed with a belly dancing display
to get the ladies in the mood. The herd
were treated to hoof massages from ISIS
Chiropractors before warming up with the
Fundraising events - Thank you
Last year Willen Hospice received
donations in excess of £298,000 thanks
to a multitude of supporters in our local
community who gave up their time to
organise or take part in a variety of
events to support our specialist care.
The Events and Promotions team at the
Hospice are always on hand to offer our
fundraisers as much support as possible
and attend many of these events.
Events and Promotions Manager,
Julia Rogerson said:
“I’m always so inspired by the
enthusiasm of our local community;
they give up their time to arrange
a whole host of innovative events to
support us. From classic car festivals and
karaoke evenings, to golf days and open
gardens. Fundraisers from across Milton
Keynes and the surrounding area come
together to have some great fun while
raising much needed funds.
As a team we are on hand to offer any
advice we can from providing posters
and collecting tins to help with
fundraising, to attending events or just
being a listening ear and offering
encouragement to individuals or groups
as they arrange their event.”
So far, as part of our 30th anniversary
celebrations, our community fundraisers
have held : 17 Quiz Nights, 12 Family Fun
Days, 10 Coffee and Cake sales, 9 Book
Sales, 8 Music Events, 3 Pamper Days and
1 Tattoo Convention.
There are so many events that take
place regularly that it would be
impossible to mention them all in this
article. We are so grateful to all our
you can run a great event
Get Excited - if you are excited about
your event, everyone else will be too!
Get Planning – get together with friends
to come up with an event that will be both fun
and rewarding.
Be Organised - know what kind of event you
what to hold and when and where to hold it.
Give yourselves plenty of time to get it right
personal trainers from David Lloyd Fitness
in readiness for the challenge of the 10
mile route around Milton Keynes.
What our herd had to say…
“Great to be part of such a well organised,
fun event for such an important cause, so
close to all our hearts!” Vikki
“Really fantastic atmosphere and so well
organised. Thank you for making it so
much fun raising money for a fantastic
place. See ya next year. “ Maxine
Double check your community calendar
to see what else is going on in your
community
Find out what types of fundraisers have
been successful for your group or community
in the past.
Set a budget - How much will you need to
spend How much do you expect to raise
What will you need to charge people in order
to make a profit
supporters and their tremendous efforts.
For more information check out the
events calendar on the hospice website:
www.willen-hospice.org.uk
If you are considering organising your
own fundraising event please contact
the events team on 01908 306691
or events@willen-hospice.org.uk
Sam Gibson, one of the Hospice’s youngest
fundraisers, at just 10 years old, has raised
over £1,800.
Please get in touch to let us know if you are
fundraising for us. We are always delighted to
hear from our supporters and are here to
support you with your event.
Don't forget to check if you need to ask
permission to fundraise - especially if you are
planning to do a collection in a public place.
Advertise your event - put up posters in your
local area or contact local papers for coverage
Have Fun!
If you have some spare time and would consider helping at a fundraising event then
please call us on 01908 663636 for more information on how you can get involved.
7

Friends of Willen Hospice
The amount donated to the Hospice
by the Friends in 2010 – 2011 was
£100,000.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the
Friends 2011 fundraising year has started
more slowly than the last few years.
At the end of the first quarter the Friends
have given the Hospice £13,000 and
have allocated £2,000 for items on the
Hospice departments ‘‘wish list’.
While the Friends bucket collections at
supermarkets and collecting tins in shops
and offices continue to be productive
community fundraising activities, the
amounts raised through the door-to-door
and town centre collections are reflecting
present economic times. The door to door
has suffered as volunteers are not being
replaced and many are reluctant to knock
on doors. Thanks must go to the
Committee’s hard working Treasurer, Pat
Kirk, who, in addition to her duties as
Treasurer, is responsible for bucket
collections, the town centre collections
including the shopping centre and helping
at the many fetes and carnivals that the
Friends attend. Help is needed to take over
some of these activities.
We urgently need new members.
Whilst the Friends have been successfully
fundraising for 31 years the future cannot
be described as ‘rosy’. Like many other
charities they are finding that people are
reluctant to get involved with Committees
and give time. Following their May AGM
at which no officers were elected the
current Friends Committee is operating
without a permanent Chairman. Whilst this
is acceptable under their constitution it is
not ideal, and we hope it will be resolved
before the end of the year.
Saturday 8th October 2011 is Voices
for Hospices Day around the world.
The day will be celebrated by a concert at
Newport Pagnell Parish Church with a
number of other choirs presenting a varied
programme of choral, church and popular
music. Taking part are: Newport Pagnell
Singers, The Reluctants - a ladies
Accappella choir, and the Newport Pagnell
Church choir. Tickets are available (from
mid September) at Cambourne Travel in
Newport Pagnell High Street, price £7.50
and £5.00 (concessions). Voices for
Hospices is a wave of concerts taking
place on World Hospice & Palliative Care
Day every two years to raise funds and
awareness of local Hospices.
If you are interested in joining
the Friends please contact
Joan Sidebottom, tel: 01908 616727
or Chris Rowat, tel: 01908 612622
you could be
a winner in your
local lottery
8

Volunteer’s Tea Party
On Sunday 12th June over 100 of our brilliant volunteers braved the
weather to attend the Hospice’s annual ‘Volunteer’s Tea Party’. It was our
opportunity to say a massive thank you to the many valuable volunteers
from our Shops, Warehouse, Newport Pagnell coffee shop, Lottery, Social Care and all
areas based in the Hospice. Despite the terrible weather they were all determined to
enjoy the celebrations.
The tea was served by staff and helpers
and once again we used fine bone china
cups and saucers that were collected by
the shops. The volunteers chatted to
one another whilst enjoying a spread of
sandwiches and cakes inside the huge
marquee that had been set up for the
event in the grounds of the Hospice.
The china cups and saucers were much
admired and many of the volunteers
took up the offer of making a donation
to the Hospice and took their cup and
saucer home as a memento of the day.
The Volunteers were joined by Paul
Hinson, Chief Executive and several of
the Hospice Trustees who were grateful
for the opportunity to personally thank
so many of the volunteers.
The party was generously supported
by several sponsors who provided
the catering and fantastic raffle prizes
including hampers, jewellery, handbags
and flowers. As a result of this support
we were able to host the whole tea
party at no cost to the Hospice.
The lucky program draw was won by
one of our Olney shop volunteers.
Next years date for the party will be
announced soon and we will all have
our fingers crossed for some better
weather!
9

Since our launch six months ago, Campaign 30
is gathering momentum to reach its target of
an additional £2 million over the next three years
so that Willen Hospice can meet the demands of
our growing community.
There have been many highlights to
date with two Free Will Weeks which,
with other legacy have generated
pledges of over £650,000 and our local
Masonic community is aiming to raise
£100,000 over the next two years.
Our Trust Application programme grows
from strength to strength and Willen is
aiming to securing sponsorship for the
building of a new bereavement room.
Campaign 30 has been educating the
community of Milton Keynes of the work
undertaken by the Hospice through tours
and information events, such as a fantastic
event hosted by Pete Winkleman at The
Open University in June. The event was
particularly successful with several pledging
their support. Pete Winkleman made the
surprise announcement that the MKDons
would support Willen Hospice over the
coming season through the Football
Leagues chosen charity - Help the Hospices.
Campaign 30 is well on its way to reach
its challenging target, but we still have
a long way to go.
If you would like to be part of this
successful campaign, you can make a
pledge to the Campaign over a three year
period or perhaps include Willen Hospice
in your Will.
Campaign 30
needs your support!
Any way you can help will ensure Willen
Hospice provides the best palliative care
in your community.
For more information,
please visit Campaign 30 at:
www.willen-hospice.org.uk/30thyear
or call 01908 308700.
Regular donations
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Please pay to: NatWest Bank plc, 501 Silbury Boulevard, Saxon Gate East, Milton Keynes, MK9 3ER.
Sort code: 60-14-55, for the credit of The Hospice of Our Lady and St John A/C No. 60911166
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In the current financial climate we are more
reliant than ever on our generous supporters
to donate enough to cover three quarters of
our annual budget, with running costs this
year at £4.12 million.
The care we offer to individuals and their families is
ongoing and still desperately needed. Last year over
400 terminally ill people were cared for by the
Hospice, with support offered to their families. We
provide this expert care 365 days a year at no charge.
Now, more than ever, we are relying heavily
on financial contributions from our supporters to
ensure the future stability of the Hospice for all of
our patients and their families.
If you would consider making a regular donation, or
increasing your regular donation if you already make
one, we would be very grateful. Simply complete this
form with your instruction and post it to:
Regular Giving Appeal - Willen Hospice
Milton Road, Willen Village, Milton Keynes MK15 9AB
or making contact directly with your bank
Notes:
1. Gift Aid allows Willen Hospice to claim back 25p for
every £1 you give to us, boosting the value of your
donation by a quarter. All we need from you is
permission to reclaim the tax you have paid to HMRC.
2. You must pay an amount of Income Tax or Capital Gains
Tax for each year (6 April one year to 5 April next) that
is at least equal to the amount of tax the charity will
reclaim on your gifts for that year.
3. Please notify the charity in writing if I wish to cancel
this declaration or if your tax or personal details change.
10

Shop, Shop, Shop
Willen Hospice shops have come a long way from the original draughty barn used as
a storage unit where items were sorted for the annual mega jumble sale to a sorting
and distribution centre with thousands of feet capacity, supplying our seven Willen
Hospice shops, our dedicated book shop and two furniture stores.
As you’ll know if you’ve visited any
of our shops, we stock an unlimited
range of merchandise. This has recently
included new, specially selected
purchased items, but the bulk of our
stores still depend upon the generously
donated items that are the main income
driver in all stores and in particular
the clothing.
Ladies fashion delivers the highest volume
of sales and we are continually surprised
by the quality of items that are donated
to us. There is a pride in all our shops to
ensure we are displaying and providing our
customers with items that they really want.
Much care and attention is taken in all
shop merchandising and displays by a
very dedicated team of shop supporters
and colleagues. It is a pleasure to be
part of the shop team as so many of our
customers become friends who we see
on their regular visits to check out
what’s new.
Of course donations are always needed
and gratefully received. We can also
accept less than perfect items as we
then sell them to a rag dealer which
generates another valuable source
of income.
Any donations and/or ‘rags’ you would
like to donate can be taken to any one of
the shops or our main Distribution Centre
at Kiln Farm.
Willen Hospice Sorting
and Distribution Centre,
1 Burners Lane,
Kiln Farm
Milton Keynes
MK11 3HA
Monday – Friday
Opening hours 9am - 4pm
Shops at: Bletchley, Buckingham, Olney,
Leighton Buzzard, Towcester,
Newport Pagnell, Stony Stratford,
Stony Stratford Bookshop and Furniture
Stores in Bletchley and Buckingham
Addresses and telephone numbers can be
found on the Hospice website
www.willen-hospice.org.uk
Correction
In our Spring/Summer 2011 newsletter we said that
in 1999 technology had come to the Hospice.
We apologise for this inaccuracy as this actually
happened 11 years earlier in 1988.
This was the year when Ann Sidgwick secured a donation
of the first computer system to be installed in the Hospice.
This was an IBM PC complete with software and a printer
for our nurses and admin staff to use.
Ann, through Ann Sidgwick & Associates, also provided the
training and support for this new equipment and has, through
her company, continued to provide this invaluable "gift in
kind" support to the Hospice from then until the present day.
11

Enclosed with this newsletter are tickets for
our special 30th Anniversary Draw and our
grateful thanks to Chevrolet UK for supplying
the Chevrolet Spark as our top prize.
The draw will take place on Monday 5th December 2011, so make sure
your tickets are with us by then by sending them to 30th Anniversary Draw,
Willen Hospice, Milton Road, Willen Village, Milton Keynes, MK15 9AB.
Do you work in an office or call centre Would you like extra tickets to
sell to your colleagues If so please call 01908 578256.
Please return any unwanted tickets to the above address.
Thank you
With such limited space in our
newsletter we are unable to
individually acknowledge
everyone who has supported us.
So we would like to take
this opportunity to say we do
appreciate all your efforts and
would like to thank you for helping
us to continue to provide our much
needed services.
WILLEN HOSPICE
Milton Road, Willen Village,
Milton Keynes, MK15 9AB
Telephone 01908 663636
Data Protection Act 1998
Willen Hospice (and Willen
Hospice Ventures Ltd) holds
supporter information for
use in connection with activities
including fundraising.
We may contact you by post,
telephone or electronically.
12
I’d like to help
I’d like to donate
To make a donation,
join our Lottery, or
to offer help as a Volunteer
Please call us on 01908 663636
If you would like to receive
our monthly e-newsletter, need
to let us know of a change of
details or would like to be
removed from our database
please call 01908 306961
or e-mail
info@willen-hospice.org.uk.
www.willen-hospice.org.uk
With grateful thanks to Suzuki who have
supported us with the costs of printing
and posting this newsletter.
www.suzuki.co.ukww
With thanks to City Print Ltd
and Mason Edwards Design Ltd for
providing their services at reduced cost.
Printed on paper certified as an
FSC mixed sources grade
containing 50% recovered waste
and 50% virgin fibre.
Registered Charity number 270194