St Clare Hospice

31/12/2025

WE DID IT – THANKS TO YOU! 🥳

This Christmas, we asked for your help to raise £75,000 to fund our vital night-sitting service for 365 days in 2026… and YOU made it happen! 🎉

Because of you, our night-sitters will be there for families in 2026 - offering expert, compassionate care and bringing comfort and peace when it matters most.

Your support shows that even in the darkest times, there’s always light ahead. Thank you for helping us keep that light shining into 2026 🧡✨

Help spread the good news by sharing this with your friends and family!

31/12/2025

Say goodbye to your Christmas tree and hello to a stress-free start to the New Year 🎄

We'll collect and recycle your tree straight from your doorstep - no mess, no fuss - and you'll be supporting local hospice care at the same time 💚

Collection postcodes: CB10, CB11, CM5, CM6, CM16, CM17, CM18, CM19, CM20, CM21, CM22, CM23, CM24, EN9, IG7, IG9 & IG10

LIMITED SLOTS AVAILABLE - BOOK NOW: https://bit.ly/3WDeI2Q

This year's collection has been kindly sponsored by Exertis.

30/12/2025

You're simply the best, Team St Clare! 💛

Our incredible St Clare supporters who've taken on challenges this year have raised a STAGGERING £184,867 - since January 2025 - in aid of hospice care!

Here’s what that looks like:

• 989.6 miles run 🏃
• 1,711.8 miles trekked 🥾
• 600 miles walked 🚶
• 52.2 miles swam 🏊
• 236 miles cycled 🚴
• 16 skydives from 13,000ft 🪂

And that’s not all… they’ve smashed some epic challenges and beaten world records. Including...

• A podcast world record 🎙
• A 27 hour karaoke marathon 🎤
• An IRONMAN®️ triathlon
• Movember
• Sponsored leg and chest waxes
• Ultra White Collar Boxing 🥊
• A Hyrox competition
• Nuclear Races
• An inflatable 5K

This year, it costs approximately £17,000 to run the hospice each day, so £184,867 could help cover the costs of 10 days of St Clare care.

If you would like to join Team St Clare in 2026, visit: https://bit.ly/3BqjrgW

Every mile, every challenge, every pound raised makes a difference. THANK YOU!

28/12/2025

With the New Year approaching, we wanted to take some time to reflect on 2025 and share some of our highlights with you ❤️

It's certainly been one to remember and yet another year of St Clare care that has been made possible thanks to you.

Take a look through the pictures...we can't wait to see what 2026 brings 😊

Have we missed a St Clare moment you'd like to highlight? Let us know in the comments below!

27/12/2025

Dreading the hassle of recycling your Christmas tree? 😟 Let us take the stress away!

We'll collect and recycle your tree straight from your doorstep - no mess, no fuss - and you'll be supporting local hospice care at the same time 💚

Collection postcodes: CB10, CB11, CM5, CM6, CM16, CM17, CM18, CM19, CM20, CM21, CM22, CM23, CM24, EN9, IG7, IG9 & IG10.

Book now - while availability lasts: https://bit.ly/3G9zkaN

Share this with friends & family so they can enjoy a stress-free Christmas too!

Kindly sponsored by Exertis.

26/12/2025

Whether its your first or your 30th, New Year can feel heavy when you're grieving 💔

This December, you can remember someone you love and miss by dedicating a star on our virtual Light up a Life tree 💫

Personalise your dedication with a heartfelt message and photo, and let their legacy shine on into 2026 💛

Every glowing star helps St Clare Hospice continue to light the way for families going through the toughest, darkest moments in their lives ✨

Make your dedication today: https://bit.ly/4n5PqoD

25/12/2025

Richard felt he was on a downward slope after the cancer he'd been diagnosed with in 2022 returned this year...until he met Cate, a St Clare Hospice Clinical Nurse Specialist.

'The pain in my shoulder and my back was excruciating, and I wasn't sleeping or eating,' Richard said.

After an exhausting regime of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Richard and his family decided to stop treatment.

A referral from Richard's oncologist had put Cate and Richard in touch - a call that would change the course of Richard's quality of life 📈

Cate was able to review all of Richard's complex medication and find a balance that worked for him.

Richard shared: 'Whenever I'm feeling at my lowest or I get a problem, you can never get the GP. Over weekend or bank holidays, which is when things seem to happen. You can go to the hospital, but you probably end up having a ten or twelve hour wait. And so, we've got the calls that we can make to St Clare and Cate. And every time we have called them, they've given us a time and worked everything out. They’ve been excellent.'

Richard is now pain-free and feels more able to do the things he loves - including playing with his great grandchild Florence.

Recently, with the newfound confidence that Cate's support has given them, Richard and his family were able to visit Father Christmas together at a local garden centre 🎅🎄

Richard shared: 'I’m looking forward to all the family coming to us this Christmas. My daughter Lisa is so good to me and my wife, so we got her an early Christmas present, a Shih Tzu puppy she’s called Willow. I’ve another great-grandchild on the way in March, and I’m looking forward to that. You’ve got to have something to look forward to because it gives you a meaning.'

Thanks to your support, we can help families like Richard's make the most of every moment together ❤️

24/12/2025

This Christmas, you didn't just meet Santa - you made a real difference! ✨

A huge thank you to everyone who visited our first-ever Santa's Grotto at Harlow Garden Centre 🎅

Santa and his elves had a wonderful time meeting you all, and together you raised an incredible £9,500 for St Clare Hospice!

That's enough to help towards buying two specialist pressure-relieving mattresses for our Inpatient Unit. These mattresses are vital for ensuring our patients are comfortable in bed and helping us provide the best care possible.

Your generosity means expert care, reassurance, and compassion for local people living with a life-limiting illness. From all of us at St Clare, thank you for making this Christmas magical – and meaningful ❤️

We'd also like to extend a special thank you to...

Our joyful Santa and his elves
Harlow Garden Centre, part of Blue Diamond Garden Centres
HTS Group
Reyland Johnson Estate-Agents
Clarke International Ltd
Montagues Estate Agents
Seen Services
Little Bloomers Photography

And of course our fantastic volunteers and everyone else who contributed to the build of our first-ever Grotto!

24/12/2025

We’re proud to share that the patient and family support team at St Clare Hospice, served as advisors on the script for BBC One's new animated film Pudsey and the Thread of Hope. We were asked to help ensure that childhood grief is portrayed with care and authenticity 💛

Our children and family therapist Amanda attended the premiere of the film recently. She is an expert in grief and bereavement.

Amanda said: “Supporting children through grief is one of the most important parts of my work. Being able to attend the London premiere was a privilege - I’m proud to represent the specialist support we provide at St Clare Hospice.”

St Clare Hospice offers a range of groups and support services to help children and families navigate loss with compassion and understanding through its Echo Project, funded this year for the last time after nine years, by BBC Children in Need.

You can catch Pudsey and the Thread of Hope on BBC One this morning at 10:20am! 📺

Join Pudsey Bear as he takes nine-year-old Jai on a magical adventure of hope and joy.

23/12/2025

Finding Christmas difficult while caring someone with a life-limiting illness? 😖 While many are celebrating, you might be facing long days, sleepless nights, and changes in your loved one’s symptoms. It can feel isolating when everyone else seems to be enjoying the festivities.

If you need someone to talk to, help is just a phone call away.

Whether you're looking for guidance, reassurance, or simply a listening ear, you can call the St Clare 24-Hour Advice Line any time - day or night, even on Christmas Day.

Call 01279 773773 whenever you need support 📞

Because caring doesn’t stop for Christmas – and neither should your support ❤️

21/12/2025

Today marks the Winter Solstice - the longest night of the year - a powerful reminder that light always returns ✨

Through those dark, lonely hours, our night-sitters bring comfort, care, and a trusted presence to families facing the toughest moments of their lives.

But we can only keep this lifeline going if we reach our goal: £75,000 by Christmas.

There's still time to make a difference. We're 84% of the way there - please give today and help us shine a light in the darkest hours throughout the whole of next year.

Donate now: https://bit.ly/3WztdEN

20/12/2025

What does Christmas sound like at the hospice? 💭 For us, it's the warm voices of staff and patients joining Dr Arjun for his annual carol concert 🎶

But it's much more than carols – it’s a moment for connection and comfort during the festive season.

Your support makes moments like this possible. Thank you for helping us spread joy when it matters most ❤️