As we are coming out of spring into summer we wanted to invite you to take part in our Sunflower Appeal.

This year facing the challenge of COVID-19 has brought uncertain and difficult times for everyone and we do hope you are keeping safe and well.

Despite these difficult times our staff have continued to provide outstanding care, day and night, for patients and their loved ones both within the hospice and in their homes.

We have heard first-hand from families how much it has meant to still be able to visit their loved ones as they receive end-of-life care. Our nurses have been wearing protective clothing and have carried on looking after patients around the clock.

As we move from spring into summer, we do not know what the future holds as regards COVID-19 and the new challenges we may face but with your help, we are here to continue to support all the patients and families that need us.

It takes a community to make a hospice and with your support, we can continue to be there for patients and their families when they need us the most - together we are Saint Catherine's.

To run all of our services it costs around £6 million a year, with only a third of our funding available from the NHS. We rely on the generosity of the community and our dedicated supporters to ensure we can raise the remainder - around £11,000 a day - and continue to provide our much-needed care. We have received some government support during these unprecedented times; however this will not cover all of the money we need to raise to continue to provide our care.

We would be really grateful if you choose to support this years Sunflower Appeal. Kindly donate through this Just Giving page or call our fundraising department on 01723 351421 and any donation you can give will go directly towards patient care.

During this time, we will create displays of sunflowers in our gardens and chapel in memory of loved ones and in recognition of your continued support.

On behalf of all of us here at Saint Catherine's, thank you so much for your support - it is truly appreciated.

How your support will help make a big difference :

By supporting the Sunflower Appeal, you will be helping to ensure that patients and their loved ones can receive the most outstanding care at the time when they need it the most.

For example:

- £20 could pay for an in-patient's meals and refreshments for one day.

- £50 could pay for a member of the Hospice at Home team to visit a patient in their own home.

- £500 could pay for one In-Patient Unit bed for one day.

Here is some of the wonderful feedback we have received during this time of COVID-19:

I promised mum that I would be there with her when she takes her last breath, and I'm so grateful that I was allowed to be there at the end, bearing in mind the current situation. Every single member of staff at Saint Catherine's have been absolutely wonderful, not just with mum, but with us as well. They were often at the door asking if they can get us anything and they were there to support us all the way. I watched them as they looked after her, they turned her in her bed, washed her, changed her nightie, brushed her hair. They were so gentle with her. They were absolutely amazing, and it was very touching to see. Angels do walk amongst us after all.

Thank you for your donations and continued support. Together, we are Saint Catherine's.