St Luke's Hospice Plymouth

Nurses – we need you! We are recruiting Band 5 nurses to join our nursing team at our specialist unit at Turnchapel. If you are passionate about delivering quality, evidence-based care with a particular interest in palliative care we would love to hear from you. Our specialist unit has a 1:4 nurse to patient ratio ensuring that our patients get the highest quality of compassionate care. We have part time and full time positions available. Joining St Luke’s offers excellent opportunities to develop your skills, a challenging working environment, a supportive team and the chance to carry across your NHS pension. The closing date for applications is Thursday 17 October. To find out more and apply visit https://bit.ly/3HZwpQL

Our volunteers are at the heart of our shops. As we mark Hospice Care Week (7-13 October) we want to shine a light on the many faces that keep our shops open and ultimately help keep our care services running. According to Hospice UK last year more money was spent in hospice charity shops than hospices received from government, with charity shops having to sell £1,034 worth of stock to fund a week of a hospice care nurse’s time. That care would not be possible if it wasn’t for our fabulous volunteers, giving up their time to keep our shops open. Our volunteers come from all walks of life, all with different reasons for volunteering. This week is a chance to say thank you to them, for their kindness, generosity and selflessness. If you could spare some time to volunteer in one of our shops we would love to hear from you. Visit https://bit.ly/2I9Orom to find out more.

Happy 1st birthday to our community-minded b.kinda coffee shop! 🎂 It’s a year since St Luke’s b.kinda coffee shop opened its doors in the heart of Plympton and it’s certainly made a strong impression on the local community in those first 12 months. It’s not just about the excellent coffee and the tempting menu. It’s about the dedicated staff who have made it into an inviting place where every customer feels welcomed, looked after and treated as an important individual. Read the full story on our blog: https://bit.ly/4eJgJly

Every time Harry Stevens and his family drove past the Tour de Moor billboard he would always ask to take part, desperate to join the experienced cyclists as they took on the epic rides across Dartmoor, but always being just a little bit too young for the longer routes. Finally, for the first time, it is Harry’s time to ride, the now 9-year-old can ride alongside his dad on our adventurer style 28km route on Sunday. Harry’s mum Laura said: "Harry loves cycling. We try to cycle as much as possible and you'll often see Harry cycling up to school several times a week. For the last 2-3 years we've driven past the St Luke's advert for the Tour De Moor and Harry has been desperate to give the challenge a go but was too young, so this year he asked us to sign him up as soon as he saw the adverts up again! He can't wait for Sunday and was very excited when his number came through the post last week.” Being a GP, Laura has seen firsthand the impact that St Luke’s has when it comes to providing end of life care. She even did some of her GP training at our specialist unit at Turnchapel. “The St Luke’s team are an invaluable support for so many of my patients who need symptom control with chronic illness and are approaching the end of their life, providing amazing care for them at really challenging times. “St Luke’s is a charity very close to all of our hearts. It is great that Harry is able to support them this weekend and he is really proud of his fundraising so far and very grateful to everyone who has sponsored him. “He can't wait to get out there with his dad on Sunday and take on the challenge!” Read the full story on our blog: https://bit.ly/4eYsTXa Don't forget that registration for our Tour de Moor, sponsored by Print, Copy, Scan Ltd, part of The Anglotech Group CLOSES AT 9AM TOMORROW! Sign up now before it's too late https://bit.ly/2S2pm0W

Did you know that last year more money was spent in hospice charity shops than hospices received in funding from government? The research from Hospice UK reveals that charity shops would have to sell 5,375 pairs of jeans to fund a palliative care nurse for a year and a further 43,000 blouses to provide a patient with a hospice bed for the same period of time. This comes as the hospice sector struggles with the mounting financial pressures of providing vital end-of-life care. This week is #HospiceCareWeek (7-13 October), a chance to celebrate the enormous part our shops play in funding our care and shine a light on the many faces that contribute to the running of them. We want to take this opportunity to say thank you to our loyal customers, your donations and purchases really do play a massive role in funding our care. To find your nearest charity shop visit: https://bit.ly/2I7ClvY

This week is Hospice UK's Hospice Care Week (7-13 October), a chance to celebrate our shops and shine a light on the many faces that contribute to the running of them. Its costs over £11 million to keep our services running and a vital chunk of that comes from our fleet of shops across Plymouth and the surrounding areas. Leah Clark is the shop manager at our North Prospect store. She has worked in our shops for the last 9 years. Our North Prospect shop will be celebrating its first anniversary next month, marking a year since it opened in a space in The Beacon, a Plymouth Community Homes neighbourhood hub. For Leah, the shop has become her project, she invests her time in making sure the shop and its contents appeals to her customers, with a regular turnover of stock. “I like dealing with customers and working with the volunteers. It’s like having an extra family. I am so lucky with them. I am very proud of the shops I have worked in. I try to make them ‘boutiquey’ to appeal to customers and therefore raise money for the hospice. “I find that very important as I have had a few passings in my time. It’s rewarding when we can say ‘we made this much this week and that’s going to help someone at the hospice’. I love my job and the customers all have a story to tell. They bring their stuff here because they have had someone helped by St Luke’s or know of someone who has, it is very rewarding to know you are helping to fund end of life care.” To Leah, there is no question as to why people should shop with St Luke’s. “Firstly, because it’s a good cause. Secondly, the high street has hardly anything in it these days. We are such a great cause where you can spend half the amount of money and come out with twice the amount of clothes.” To find your nearest shop visit https://bit.ly/2I7ClvY

Today is an important day for the UK’s hospices 🧡 As Hospice Care Week launches, our campaign film highlights how hospices’ shops raise vital funds for hospice care – and the injustice that more is now spent in them than is received in government funding. 👉 If you’d like to get involved with the campaign and show your support for hospice care, it’s easy: just like and share this film. Thank you. #HospiceCareWeek

Cycling is a family affair. This is especially true when it comes to Lisa and Dave and their three children who will be getting on their bikes next week for our hospice care. The family have all signed up to our Tour de Moor on Sunday 13 October and are ready to put their bike skills to the test in memory of Lisa’s grandmother, Marnie. This will be the second year the family have taken part in our annual cycling challenge on Dartmoor, last year raising £500 for our patient care. The couple’s three children, Olly, 13, Lucy 11 and Zoe, 8 will be joining their parents on their bikes along with their aunts and uncle and cousin. Lisa said: “Our whole household is taking part in Tour de Moor, (except the dog and cat). The dog will be miffed as he usually comes with us on Haldon Forest rides at the weekend!” “This year we’ve all moved up a level of ride, with Zoe joining in on the piccolo (Mini-moor), while Olly and Lucy will be tackling the beast.” While the family haven’t had any direct experience of St Luke’s care, after witnessing the care of her grandmother Marnie, Lisa is determined to help others who are going through the same locally. “We haven’t experienced St Luke’s care, but my grandmother had a lovely philosophy about the end of life, and knew the value of little things that make people happy. She was in a home with amazing staff. When she could hardly drink a cup of tea without pain, they would share a piece of piano music with her or bring in their new baby for her to cuddle. She had done the same for her friends, making sure she visited when they were alone, sharing a funny story or bringing a homemade sponge. “My mother and aunt cared for Marnie with huge dedication in those last years, with immense patience and love. She would be the first to join in in tribute to those who care tirelessly for others through the hardest times, to the end.” Read their story on our blog: https://lnkd.in/e8AwFMW5 Our Tour de Moor is sponsored by Print Copy Scan Ltd part of Anglotech Group

Join TEC Construction Ltd for an evening of giving at their Winter Dinner and Dance on Friday 8 November at Boringdon Park Golf Club. There will be a three course dinner, raffle, entertainment and music to dance the night away to! The evening will be in support of St Luke's. Tables of 10-12 are available. Tickets are £55. RSVP to events@tec-construction.co.uk

A big thank you to the lovely lot at Plymouth Tothill Bowling Club who have chosen us as their charity of the year and raised over £120 for our patient care. If your club or organisation would like to support St Luke's, choosing us as your charity of the year is the perfect way to help play a part. Find out more here https://bit.ly/2YO4fTz