Every day of the year, local people and their families turn to us for care. Could you give us the regular support that will fund the care they will need?
We will all reach the end of our lives – and when that happens, some of us will need the free, expert, specialist care and support that only LOROS provides. The reality is that, one day, it may be us, or someone we know and love who urgently needs our care. As a local charity, here to serve everyone in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, we desperately want to be able to say ‘yes’ to all of these requests – but we can only do this if we know we will have the money available to pay for the care people will need.
A regular gift to LOROS Hospice by Direct Debit through your bank is an easy, affordable and secure way to support our vital hospice care services. Any amount you choose to give will provide our charity with the reliable income we need to effectively plan our services into the future. Please, consider becoming a Friend of LOROS and support your local Hospice, today.
I am Dr Luke Feathers, Medical Director here at the Hospice and I’m also a Consultant in Palliative Medicine. It’s my honour to lead a team of doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants who deliver, every day of the year, exceptional care to people who are living through the most challenging and vulnerable times of their lives.
It’s a simple truth that, just like being born, dying isn’t easy. People need specialist, expert, compassionate care. Our team works tirelessly, bringing skill, experience and dedication to every patient we see; because we only ever have one chance to get someone’s end of life care right. When we succeed, we allow someone to live the very fullest life they can, right up until their last day.
As a doctor, my focus is on the medical care and life experiences of my patients. But as a Director of LOROS Hospice, I am painfully aware of how challenging our financial situation could become. The reality is that one day, it may be someone you or I know and love who urgently needs our care. We desperately want to be able to say ‘yes’ to all requests – but we can only do this if we know we will have the money available to pay for the care people will need.
That is why, today, I am asking you to please consider setting up a regular gift to fund the care services so many people are going to call upon in the future.
Of course, I know that times are tight for many people in our community right now. And so I must stress that you must take care of yourself and your loved ones first. But if you are able to spare a regular amount, perhaps monthly, quarterly or annually, you would have the heartfelt thanks and gratitude of all of us here at the Hospice.
How we'll use your gift
To support our patients to keep moving - making their own choices in what is important to them
We’re Kerry and Hannah and together we lead LOROS’ Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy services. Just because someone has a terminal illness doesn’t mean they can’t live well.
We give patients the support they need to feel the best they can, with the greatest physical ability and freedom – no matter where they are in their life journey.
Every day is a day to be lived to the fullest – and everything we do is focused on each individual, finding out what they want, and working out how we can help them the most. For some, success is regaining as much strength and function as possible so that they can go home again. Many people want support to help regain a level of independence after (for example) a long hospital stay. For others, success is simply having the energy to welcome the kids and grandkids in for a visit.
A regular gift of £25 per month could go towards giving a patient the strength and confidence they need to live their life to the fullest.
To maintain our lush, vibrant gardens that mean so much to so many patients
I’m one of the volunteer gardeners here in LOROS’ gardens. When illness takes away your health, your strength and your mobility, one of the things many people miss is being able to get outside and into the garden.
So, the gardens here at the Hospice become really important to many people who come here – as they offer a chance to get out of a ‘clinical’ place and to get some welcome fresh air. Some people just want to feel the rain on their face again!
One of the highlights of our garden is our own poly-tunnel greenhouse, where we grow flowers and vegetables. We have these in raised planters so that people can come out in their wheelchairs or beds and re-engage with their love of gardening. Our vegetables are then used in our kitchens to feed patients and staff.
The gardens are also a quiet place, where families can come and sit for a while, perhaps take a break from their loved one’s bedside. And, as we see often, the gardens are somewhere people can come back to and reflect, maybe on a birthday or anniversary, for many years after a loss.
A regular gift of £12 per month would help us to maintain our gardens – and buy new plants, flowers and vegetables to bring life and colour into our patients’ lives.
To support families when they need us the most
My name is Tracey and I am the Counselling and Bereavement lead here at LOROS. A loved one dying can be an emotionally traumatic experience and often leave you feeling lost in your thoughts of grief. We’re here to give family, friends and carers the support they need – to help them to grieve but also to remember the life shared with their loved one and to celebrate the legacy that their loved one has left behind.
We all experience grief differently, some people will need our support leading up to and immediately after death, others may need our support later after any shock of grief has settled and the recognition of what life now looks like becomes apparent. Some people continue their relationship with us for many years, and some go on to become bereavement volunteers themselves, supporting others in their community.
A regular gift of £16 per month would help fund our Counselling and Bereavement support service – helping local people through their grief.
