21 Dec 2020 Community

Christmas with The Kirkwood: a visit from Hade Edge Band

The festive period is a special time for everyone and when patients are admitted to the hospice during December, our teams and the local community are there to make sure families are able to make lasting memories with one another.

At The Kirkwood, our teams are always looking for new ways of bringing some festive spirit into the hospice for patients and their families to enjoy with one another.

But as the coronavirus pandemic imposed restrictions on us all, our teams struggled to come up with festive activities for patients to enjoy in a safe way.

One very special activity included six members of the Hade Edge Brass Band paying a visit to the hospice garden to play for patients and families whilst they listened from the comfort and safety of their rooms.

The local brass band members organised their own COVID-19 risk assessment, ensuring everyone was safe and socially distancing throughout their visit.

Sonia Tyndall, Practice Development Sister on our In-Patient Unit, was amongst those listening to the band play. Sonia said: “It was really lovely. One patient mentioned with all the restrictions going on, it was the only Christmassy thing she’s seen so far. It was a special moment.”

The band played requests from our patients, including Good King Wenceslas by Bing Crosby, which Sonia was able to capture on video.

To watch the video, simply click the image below.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to The Hade Edge Band for their visit and also their generous donation of £100.