Support St. Luke’s Hospice and join a community
caring together
Purchase a special blue heart garden ornament, donate and join a summer celebration to support vital hospice care
St. Luke’s Hospice is calling on the local community to support its vital services through a new fundraising appeal, encouraging people to donate and purchase a symbolic blue heart garden ornament – helping to continue their care for the thousands of people who rely on its support each year.
The blue hearts are a striking symbol of the importance and impact of caring together. With rising costs and increased demand for specialist care, support from the community has never been more important. St. Luke’s Hospice provides free, compassionate palliative and end of life care thanks to the generosity of local people, volunteers, businesses and organisations – all caring together.
The impact of this support can be seen in families like Natalie (Nat) Sansom’s. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, Nat later developed secondary breast cancer and began receiving care from St. Luke’s Hospice in 2023.
Her husband, Chris Sansom, says: “Nat needed regular treatments and IV infusions and was travelling to hospital a fair distance from our home every fortnight. We met the team at St. Luke’s Hospice and Nat’s treatment moved there, which made life so much easier.
“It was important for Nat to keep her independence and continue working in the job she loved – as headteacher of a primary school – and be an amazing mum to our two sons. The outpatient appointments at the Hospice enabled her to do just that. Nat said it was a gift.”
“She was able to continue working until the day before she was admitted to the Hospice’s In-Patient Unit. The Hospice teams worked together to help Nat live her life to the fullest – meeting her needs as well as looking after me, Kyan and Woody. We had support from nurses from the Clinical Outpatients team, Hospice doctors and the In-Patient Unit team. Additional support was there if we needed it – from volunteer Bedside Companions to specialist Physiotherapists.
“As well as receiving expert care from the Hospice teams directly, the boys and I were enabled to attend to Nat and care for her ourselves, which is something I really wanted. We knew that the nurses and doctors were there if we needed them. We felt that we were in the best hands.
“Nat loved life. She was independent and a true inspiration – a wonderful, kind and loving person. Nat never let herself be defined by her treatment or illness and the Hospice’s support played an important part in making this possible.”
Nat’s story is just one example of why it is so important that St. Luke’s Hospice carries on providing its services for those who need it, and why the charity is calling on the community’s support.
Eileen Marshall, CEO of St. Luke’s Hospice, said: “This is a crucial moment for our Hospice. Demand for our services continues to grow, while the cost of providing care is rising significantly. We are deeply grateful for the unwavering support of our local community – quite simply, we could not do this without you. By purchasing a blue heart ornament and donating, you are standing with us and helping ensure we can continue to care for those who need us most.”
Hundreds of the blue heart ornaments will be on display at the Hospice’s Summer Garden Party, taking place on Saturday 20th June, 12pm-4pm at its Thurrock Hospice. The event promises a delightful afternoon of entertainment, stalls, food and refreshments for the whole family to enjoy, and is free to attend.
To purchase a blue heart garden ornament, donate or find out more, visit www.stlukeshospice.com/blue-heart-appeal or you can call the St. Luke’s Hospice Fundraising team on 01268 524973.
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