23 Dec 2022 Care

Dedicated Nurses spread festive joy on our In-Patient Unit

Hard working Auxiliary Nurses, Helen Helen Benn, Yvonne Howe and Susan MacDonald, came in on their days off to add some festive sparkle to our In-Patient Unit in the run up to Christmas. And after two years of Covid-19 restrictions, this year, families and loved ones will be able to enjoy them together once more.

The Kirkwood have always believed in the spirit of Christmas. Even in the most difficult times for our patients and families, Christmas is a chance to come together and make special memories that will be cherished for a lifetime.

The Kirkwood’s hardworking In-Patient Unit team pride themselves on creating a beautiful display for visitors during the festive period. In year’s gone by, volunteers and nurses would spend hours adding a dash of sparkle to every nook and cranny you could find.

This year, the decorating duties were handed to two of our dedicated Auxiliary nurses, Helen Benn, Yvonne Howe and Susan Macdonald, who made a special trip to The Kirkwood on their days off to decorate our In-Patient Unit.

Yvonne Howe adds some festive sparkle to one of our trees.

 

Although our decorations look pretty fantastic now, back in 2019 they were beginning to look a bit worse for wear. That’s when Helen and her family decided they should raise some money to bring some festive cheer back to the In-Patient Unit.

Helen's daughter in law, Danielle Benn, was eager to find a way to thank The Kirkwood for the care we offered to her nanna, Margaret Reynolds, who sadly died at the hospice in November 2018 at the age of just 72. The idea to throw a fundraising event just came to the family.

Helen said: "Danielle wanted to raise money for the The Kirkwood so asked myself and Graham if she could hold a charity event at our house. We agreed, and I said I would like to buy decorations for the In-Patient Unit as we didn’t have any nice ones.

"We hosted a fundraising event at our house and had an amazing day. Our drive had a secondhand stall, and in the dining room there were lots of cakes, coffee and tea. In the kitchen, pie and peas and in our conservatory there was a hairdresser and a makeup session going on. In the back garden we had a prosecco and real ale bar too. We even had a tombola and a children’s hook a duck game – so there was plenty fun for the little ones as well.

"We raised just short of £2,000, and we split the money, giving half to the University of Huddersfield, toward their cancer research, and half to The Kirkwood.

"Yvonne and I then set about the task of going out and buying all the trees and decorations and on the night of the official unveiling, we asked Danielle to do the switch on. It all felt very emotional."

Susan, Yvonne and Helen.

 

With restrictions having eased on our In-Patient Unit, the whole team are delighted that we are able to bring a little festive cheer once again this Christmas – thanks to the wonderful decorations on display.

With the hospice fully tinselled up, and the Turkey about to be served, everyone involved with The Kirkwood would like to wish all our employees, volunteers, supporters and most importantly our patients and their families a very Merry Christmas.