A look inside St Barnabas Hospice which has branches across Lincolnshire and a Wellbeing Centre in Grantham
When people think of a hospice, it brings thoughts of sadness and sorrow.
But there is much more to it than that and the work of hospice staff brings hope for individuals after they lose a loved one.
For more than 40 years, St Barnabas Hospice has cared for over 100,000 people within Lincolnshire, providing not just free and compassionate end-of-life care and support, but a lifeline for families affected by loss.
The St Barnabas Hospice Wellbeing Centre in Barrowby Road, Grantham, does just this, hosting a range of support groups for families, therapeutic care for patients and a base for the south west St Barnabas clinical team to come together.
“This centre is not just for people who have died, it is for families, it’s for people who have been through something or who may be going through something. We are here for a lot of people,” said Fiona Malloch-Rear, St Barnabas community fundraiser for Grantham.
The Grantham centre is run by about 20 clinical staff, 12 creative volunteers, six volunteer councillors and provides help to, on average, 25 to 30 people a week.
It also has four therapy rooms, a clinical office, kitchen, meeting room, a dining area for people to socialise and training rooms.
Volunteer Liz Wooley, who has been volunteering for 15 years, said it is a “lovely feeling” being able to help people.
She added: “Everyone who comes here gets to know each other well. There are a lot of people who come to our coffee mornings who live on their own and this is something they can look forward to.
“People have said to me ‘is it a depressing place to work?’. But, I say as soon as you walk through the front door, you hear the laughter.
“As soon as someone new comes in, I will always sit them in the corner and have a quiet chat with them before they meet the others.
“They come to know that other people have experienced the same as they and they can share this with each other.
“When I retired, I knew I wanted to do this. The other thing about being in Grantham is it is known for being very generous. The people that help us are brilliant.”
The centre’s drop in coffee mornings, held every Thursday from 10am until noon and 2pm until 3.30pm, are a popular event and some of its attendees have been coming for many years.
Here are some of them:
‘It is an important place for people that have lost somebody’
Archie Lees, from Allington, started going to the centre five years ago when his wife was cared for by St Barnabas during her battle with leukaemia. After she died, he carried on attending.
“I have formed some good friendships here,” said Archie.
He added: “It’s very friendly and the volunteers do a great job. It is an important place for people that have lost somebody.
“You just form great friendships with people. I enjoy coming to the coffee mornings.
“We get a great selection of biscuits and on peoples birthdays people also bring cake!”
Archie has also raised just under £1,000 for the charity after hosting a coffee morning with some other members of the group.
‘I was struggling, so I came along and I got a lot of help’
Avice Kemshell has been coming to the coffee mornings for six years. She decided to start coming after her friend told her about the coffee mornings and after her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
“I was struggling a lot, so I came along and I got a lot of help,” said Avice.
She added: “It’s just nice. It was a shame when Covid came along and everything had to stop.
“However, I started to come again after lockdown as my husband had to go into a care home. I wanted to continue to support them like they support me.
“I have done a couple of coffee mornings with people as well. I felt it was quite good to give something back to the people that help us.
“I have formed some great friendships and I have got a lot out of it.
“I only come to the coffee mornings, but they are good because it gets people out of the house and it’s something to look forward to.
“The volunteers are also wonderful.”
‘As soon as you walk in the door you can hear and feel the joy’
Sheila Upton first started coming 10 years ago when she was asked by a St Barnabas nurse if she could host a crotchet session for attendees.
“When I first came I didn’t know what to expect, but I was made to feel very welcome and I have been coming ever since,” said Sheila.
She added: “You just come along and make friends so easily.
“I always say to people as soon as you walk in there it is a great feeling.
“A lot of people here have lost their spouses or maybe they are not well. It comes to a time that people need to talk and this is a supportive place they can talk.
“I think as a generation we can be quite isolated and that’s not just since Covid.
“By coming here, you meet some amazing people.
“The volunteers here are amazing. Like I said, as soon as you walk in the door you can hear and feel the joy.”
‘Once you get to know each other, you support each other’
Good friends Elizabeth Parker, who has been coming for three years, and Beryl Challis, who has been coming for six years, both started to attend after losing their husbands.
Elizabeth said the centre is a “lovely place”. She added: “We may not be close in distance, but in this place we are.
“Once you get to know each other, you support each other. It’s a nice community and the volunteers are lovely.”
Beryl said it is a “very welcoming place” and “it’s a good way of getting people out”.
She added: “There are a lot of people that don’t know what goes on here.”
The friends also said since they have both been coming, they have seen an increase in men coming to the coffee mornings.
Elizabeth added: “My husband was never one to talk about his feelings, so it is good to see more men coming here and doing that.”
The Grantham centre is one of five wellbeing centres in Lincolnshire, with the others located in Boston, Lincoln, Louth and Gainsborough.
There is also the inpatient unit at Lincoln County Hospital, a hospice base at Grantham Hospital and day therapy centres in Skegness and Spalding.
There are also over 20 charity shops across the county.
Like any charity, it is vital for the hospice to raise as much money as it can.
St Barnabas receives 40% funding from the Government and has to raise around £14 million each year to continue.
Fiona said: “People think the hospice is all about cancer, but we provide so much more support, such as for dementia and Alzheimer's.
“We are starting to think of new groups at the centre because people don’t just want to come for coffee.
“We can also promote some of our fundraising events and campaigns, so it’s all about word of mouth at the centre as well.”
As well as its coffee mornings, the centre also runs a creative wellbeing group every Wednesday from 10am until noon, seated tai-chi sessions for patients every Thursday from 1pm until 2pm and a Knit & Natter group on Mondays from 10am until noon.
In August, staff are also looking to launch a new art group.
Throughout the summer, St Barnabas has also launched its open garden scheme, encouraging people to open up their gardens and raise money for the charity.
They are also looking to relaunch its Care For A Cuppa coffee mornings.
TV and film star Warwick Davies is a patron for St Barnabas Hospice and is encouraging people to support the hospice by leaving a gift to it in their will.
Anyone interested in leaving a gift for St Barnabas in their will can find out more at https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/.
St Barnabas is always on the lookout for new volunteers or to hold fundraising events.
Anyone who is interested in volunteering with the charity can find out more at https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/get-involved/volunteer/.
Anyone who is interested in holding a fundraising event, whether that be in Grantham or around Lincolnshire, they can email Fiona at fiona.malloch-rear@stbarnabashospice.co.uk.
