StElizHospiceNews issue2 2009 FINAL_PJ - St Elizabeth Hospice

Celebration
20th Anniversary
Chief Executive Jane Loughlin
and volunteer Shirley Quinton
John Peel attended the
10th anniversary celebrations
In November 1989 St Elizabeth Hospice
opened its doors to patients in East Suffolk.
This was a real achievement for the local
community and was the culmination of a few
years of hard work; identifying the need for a
Hospice; planning the details and the efforts
of many to fundraise for the project.
Celebrating
As we celebrate providing
twenty years of Hospice care,
we talk to some of the people
involved along the way.
Dr Terry Mott
Dr Terry Mott, dubbed “the
founding father of St Elizabeth
Hospice”, has continued to
support the work of the
Hospice as a member of the
Board until 2008. “My father
always said a job worth doing
is worth doing properly. I was
very proud when the Hospice
opened to know that I was a
part of its creation. The project
had achieved its goals and
would then run for the benefit
of East Suffolk, which it
continues to do so. It is a
marvellous success story for
our local community, who have
been instrumental in its success
since then.”
Nicholas Ridley
After 20 years as Chairman
and 21 associated with St
Elizabeth Hospice, Nicholas
Ridley is now President of the
Hospice. He believes that the
reason why the Hospice is so
well thought of within East
Suffolk is that the fundraising
has been from the bottom up
i.e. there was not a large
Above: Sir Bobby Robson, Mayor
Jeanette McCarthy and Nicholas
Ridley, former Hospice Chairman
open the extended Hospice day
care centre, 30th October 1997
Below: Building work at the Hospice
donation that started the
campaign and that every event
however small, was key in
progressing the Appeal Fund.
He said “In November 2009 we
celebrate twenty years since
the Hospice opened, although
the official opening ceremony
was performed by HRH The
Princess Royal in December
1989. It was a great triumph
and followed some six years of
fundraising which had been
commenced by Terry Mott,
Bob Marjoram, Tom Savage
and others. It was led at a very
crucial time by Denis
Whidborne, who handed the
baton across to me when his
wife Mary became terminally ill
with cancer. The opening of St
EIizabeth Hospice was a great
achievement, and remains so,
for the community of East
Suffolk. The support of the
local community enabled the
Hospice to open without debt,
a situation which has allowed
it to sustain the highest
standards from the time of its
opening to the present day.”
Jenny Paul
Jenny Paul is a former Board
member and volunteer who
has got a great deal of
pleasure from working within
fundraising, particularly in the
beginning when the Hospice
was literally getting off the
ground. When considering the
highlights of her time in the
Hospice, she talks about the
early days, working with Roger
Sydenham, director of
fundraising: “It was exciting to
come in and find out what
had been raised.” She also
remembers the in-patient unit
as a peaceful place where
patients were well looked
after. “I could see the removal
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St Elizabeth Hospice news Autumn 2009