A LIFE FULL OF LOVE, LAUGHTER, AND LUCK

The last few weeks as we have come to terms with the realities of life with Covid-19, have been strange, sad and worrying. We have all had to adapt, but none more so than the hospices up and down the country. The new status quo has meant that hospices have had to take on the care of far more patients and their families than they would normally.  Equally the ability to fund raise has also become so much harder due to restrictions.

Therefore, we would like to ask for your help in supporting St. Elizabeth Hospice near Ipswich. St. Elizabeth Hospice offer expert care and support to people living with progressive and terminal illnesses, helping them and their families to maximise the time they have left together. They provide whatever help they can in the hospice itself and in people's homes and their help is invaluable to those families in such a tough position. 

As a family, the Buckmasters felt they owed a huge debt of gratitude to the wonderfully supportive people at the hospice who gave Henry such dignified and tender care in the last days and hours of his life at home last August. We thought long and hard about ways to help support the hospice whilst remaining at home following government guidance and hit upon the idea of running a short story competition. Writing is something that you can do from the comfort of your own home; it doesn't require any materials beyond a means of typing (or a pen) and some imagination. Everyone has been making banana bread, perfecting their yoga poses and reading their bedside pile - now is the time to start writing the story you've always wanted to put down on paper. 

Details of the Competition

- The competition is open to anyone over the age of 18

- To enter please make a donation to St. Elizabeth
Hospice of £10 or more per entry. You may enter more than once.

- We ask that your short story is a maximum of 3,000 words long

- We ask that your short story is based around the
themes of family, community or compassion

- The competition is now open and will close at midnight on Sunday 14 June. The winner will be announced on National Writing Day, the 26 June.

Once you have made your donation of £10 (if you are able to give more it would be very much appreciated) and we will be in contact with you regarding sending in your short story.  The deadline for entries is midnight on Sunday 14 June.

Please put your name, contact telephone number and email address in the body of the email and attach your short story. Ideally please use a word document. If you would like to send a printed or handwritten entry please do be in contact with Lily (details below) who will help you arrange this.

The Winner

The winner will be announced publicly on National Writing Day, the 26
June, although they will be informed a couple of days before this date.

The winning entry will be printed in the East Anglian Daily Times, as
well as on the St. Elizabeth Hospice website, along with two runner up
stories.

The winning author will also have a 1.5 hour mentoring session with an
editor at Penguin Random House