Cyclist inspired by hospice shares story in Two Sides campaign
The daughter of a lifelong cyclist who spent his final two days at Cynthia Spencer Hospice has praised the “absolutely fantastic” care he received as part of the hospice’s Two Sides to Every Story campaign.
The campaign, running from 7th to 13th October to mark Hospice Care Week, highlights the importance of palliative care and the dedication of hospice staff by telling stories from both families who have experienced the hospice and the incredible staff who work there.
Holly Shannon’s father Simon Bown was diagnosed with cancer in January and died just a few weeks later on 23rd March 2024. The hospice not only found him a bed at short notice when needed but cared for the whole family’s needs at a difficult time.
Holly, 50, her sister and her mother were all housed overnight in her father’s final hours so they could be close by when Simon passed.
She said: “We lost Dad in a devastatingly short period, and we will always be extremely grateful for the incredible care he received at the hospice and the compassion shown to us. The staff were absolutely fantastic; I couldn’t fault them at all.”
Holly planned to take part in the recently cancelled Cycle4Cynthia event in her father’s memory. The sporty duo enjoyed cycling together before Simon fell ill. Holly will still clock up the miles for the challenge individually in another ride on 26th October from Bristol to Monmouth. She has raised £2,500 to date.
Holly said: “Through my work, I was already aware of how little funding hospices get from the government, so I will raise as much as I possibly can in this challenge.”
The other side of this story comes from Michelle Morris who is the Lead Community & Events Fundraiser at the hospice and sees daily how community fundraising makes a significant difference to the service.
“Every year we must raise £2.2 million to continue our palliative care services for patients in Northamptonshire. So, any donation and act of kindness has a big impact, whether it be a skydive or a cake sale.
“Community efforts are desperately needed – and appreciated – so that patients like Simon can have the end of life care they deserve, and families can be wholly supported.”
Sadly, the hospice’s biggest annual fundraiser, Cycle4Cynthia was cancelled last month due to inclement weather, and this will have a huge impact on the charity’s finances.
“We’ve already been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis this year and our income is down,” said Michelle. “Not running Cycle4Cynthia could mean we will lose another £40,000 which could have an impact on the care we can provide for our patients.
“Our dedicated supporters and volunteers are the backbone of our efforts. Earlier this year, we launched our Make A Difference Your Way campaign, with a goal to engage the wider local community, inviting everyone to support us in their own unique way.
“We hope that the cyclists that were unable to race last month will either continue the challenge individually or do their own fundraiser to support us, but if you have been touched by what we do in any way please be inspired to host your own event in aid of Cynthia Spencer Hospice and Make A Difference Your Way!”
To find out more about how you can help support Cynthia Spencer Hospice, visit https://cynthiaspencer.org.uk//how-you-can-help-us/