May 2019 - East Cheshire Hospice

£1million donation from Proseal

Posted on 30th May 2019 by Luke Brightmore

One of the region’s best-performing companies is taking the opportunity to share its success with worthy local causes.

As part of its local community support programme, Adlington-based Proseal has donated £1 million, to East Cheshire Hospice for the care of people with life-limiting illnesses.

The donation to East Cheshire Hospice will help it to further extend its outreach projects and palliative care service, providing specialist medical treatment and holistic care for local people coping with life limiting illnesses, while continuing to deliver compassionate support and counselling for carers and relatives.

Karyn Johnston, East Cheshire Hospice Director, said on receipt of the gift “I am humbled to accept this generous donation from Proseal. As a small local charity, we rely on our community and corporate partners for more than 85% of our funding, so this represents a massive boost to our future plans. The team at Proseal have been generous supporters of the Hospice for a number of years, working alongside our amazing What Women Want supporter group.”

“On behalf of all the patients and families whose end of life experience will be improved by this gift, I say thank you.”

The Christie Cancer Centre Macclesfield is also receiving the same amount. This will undoubtedly make East Cheshire, and Macclesfield in particular, the centre of excellence in palliative and end of life care.

Proseal directors and co-founders Steve Malone and Robbie Hargreaves, who set up the company in 1998, say the donation is on behalf of all its employees, whose hard work and dedication have enabled it to make this important contribution.

“We have enjoyed immense success and growth in the 20 years since Proseal was established, and none of this could have been achieved without the fantastic support and commitment of everyone within the business.”

“Proseal therefore wanted to give something back to the local community. We chose the Christie Cancer Centre and East Cheshire Hospice as the recipients because of the vital work they do, which any of us at Proseal, as well as our families and friends, may have to call on at some point.”

“The Christie Cancer Centre and East Cheshire Hospice play vital roles in the local community,” says Steve and Robbie. “We hope our contributions will help both organisations continue their great work.”

Proseal designs and manufactures high quality food packaging machinery for the food industry. Since its inception in 1998, the company has grown into a global market leader in its sector, currently employing over 350 people in the UK and nearly 500 worldwide. Last year, Proseal won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.

New Splash Out Sponsor!

Posted on 9th May 2019 by Luke Brightmore

Local car dealership, RRG Toyota, has been confirmed as sponsors of this summer’s new family fun event for East Cheshire Hospice – Splash Out!

Rain or shine, the July event is sure to guarantee huge amounts of fun as entrants tackle five fun water challenges over a five-kilometre course. Obstacles include a giant slippery slide and a wobbly floating bridge.

RRG General Manager, Nigel Clarke, says the company is delighted to be involved with the event and he expects to see a staff team take part in the event which takes place on Saturday, July 6 at Alderley Park.

“The Hospice is a great local cause and we are very pleased to be associated with this brand new event,” he said.

Splash Out! replaces Bubble Rush in the Hospice’s fundraising calendar and the Hospice events team are sure it’ll will guarantee a great family day out.

Jo Boyd, Events Manager at East Cheshire Hospice, said: ” When water and children are involved, its always going to be fun and Splash Out! promises plenty of that. “

There’s just over a week left to buy Early Bird tickets for the event, which is being held in partnership with Francis House Children’s Hospice, one of Manchester’s favourite children’s charities. Early Bird tickets are priced at £20 for adults and £10 for children.

For more information and to enter go to eastcheshirehospice.org.uk/splashout19

From Volunteering to Finance

Posted on 9th May 2019 by Luke Brightmore

Browsing through emails whilst on honeymoon created a full-time “dream job” for one Macclesfield lady.

Michele Slack, 51, checked in on her emails whilst in Mauritius in February only to see a job which she knew she would love.

The role of a Finance Officer at East Cheshire Hospice was practically a dream come true for the Lyme Green resident who had plenty of experience working within the Millbank Drive environment.

“I wasn’t necessarily looking for a job but I’ve been a volunteer at the Hospice for the last 18 months and absolutely love the place so when I saw the job advertisement I knew that I couldn’t ignore it” says Michele.

“My mother, Marlene Jackson, spent her final last ten days at the Hospice back in March 2016 following a long illness and I saw at first hand the incredible work they do,” she adds. “The nurses couldn’t do enough for both my mum and my family and I knew I wanted to give something back.”

So Michele became one of the 600-strong band of volunteers who every day take on a range of different roles to support the work of the Hospice.

Michele helped on reception and felt quickly that she was part of the Hospice team and loved that she could fit it around her working life.

“You might think that this is a place of sadness and indeed people endure distressing times but it’s also a place which is full of hope and courage,” says Michele.

It’s not unusual for part-time volunteers to take on full-time roles within the Hospice team. Volunteer Co-ordinator, Helena Smith, says the Hospice seems to get under your skin.

“Another of our volunteer receptionists, Jane Hart, now works as a Clinical Co-ordinator three days a week here at the Hospice. It’s such an accolade for the Hospice that our volunteers get so much out of their volunteering that they want to spend even more time with us.”

Helena can offer a wide variety of roles to volunteers including running the reception, one-off helping at events and regular stints in one of the Hospice charity shops, all of which can be fitted around busy lives.

“Volunteers are always needed at the Hospice and they can give as much time or as little time as they like,” says Helena.

To find out more about volunteering contact Helena on 01625 664984.

End of Life Partnership Training

Posted on 1st May 20191st May 2019 by Luke Brightmore

Health and social care professionals attended the latest East Cheshire Hospice workshop about palliative and end of life care.
The monthly lunchtime sessions bring together the clinical community to share knowledge and experience.
Hospice staff collaborate with partners such as East Cheshire NHS Trust and The Christie to deliver the workshops.
Sponsorship by Porthaven Care Homes, which runs Prestbury House, Macclesfield, and Astbury Mere, Congleton, helps cover on-going costs.

The Hospice uses a combination of in-house and external experts to deliver the training workshops which started a couple of years ago.
Alicia Whittaker, the Hospice’s Training and HR Advisor, said: “The workshops are designed for all health and social care professionals looking to broaden their palliative care knowledge.

“Staff attend from a variety of different organisations, including health care assistants and nurses, the NHS, care home workers, pharmacists, GP practice nurses and student nurses.”

Michelle Hinds, Client Services Manager at Astbury Mere, said: “We’re delighted to support East Cheshire Hospice which provides such a fantastic service for the local community. As a care home, we’re passionate about providing the best care and are pleased to be part of this initiative.”

Gathering – Susie MacMurray

Posted on 1st May 2019 by Luke Brightmore

Teamwork is the key for international artist Susie MacMurray who unveils her newest creation at Tatton Park next month.

Six months of painstaking work by Susie, her assistant Helen Newman and 10 volunteers has created Gathering, an art installation of 3,750 elements of red velvet and barbed wire.

The sewing will be over in the next few days before the assembled installation is suspended from the Mansion’s grand rotunda.

There her creation, inspired by East Cheshire Hospice, will be on display from June 27 to October 6 as part of Art Fair Cheshire 2019.

Susie’s helpers are volunteers from the charity, the group spending many hours at her studio sharing memories of lost loved ones.

Susie, whose husband John died 12 years ago, said: “We’ve had some very profound conversations mixed with a lot of hilarity.

“The making of this work reflects the whole idea of the piece which is a gathering of people to support each other and treasure memories.

“I want the volunteer makers to feel invested in Gathering. This is our work. It’s a collaboration, which is appropriate.

“We’ve had the shared impetus of the Hospice and have developed a great camaraderie within the group and I’d like to thank everyone for their generous support.”

Issy Cooke, from Mobberley, and Fiona Winderam, from Knutsford, are among volunteers who will then act as stewards during the display.

Fiona said: “We’ve created around 300 elements every week. Working on the project has been so rewarding and we can’t wait to be there at Tatton Park when the public gets a chance to view it.”

Susie added: “The rich red colour symbolises the body and its preciousness and the barbed wire isn’t about conflict but facing difficulty and struggle.”

Afterwards, individual elements will be sold for a £30 donation to the hospice, with small wall pieces also on sale.

Susie has also painted a water colour of Gathering. A limited edition of 75 signed and numbered prints costs £225 each. All proceeds to the Hospice.

For more information visit www.gatheringattatton.co.uk. The project is supported by Arts Council England and The Arts Society.

Art Fair Cheshire celebrates its 20th year with a week-long exhibition of more than 80 artists at Macclesfield Town Hall (Thurs, Sept 26 – Thurs, Oct 3) when a series of events take place. Art Fair Cheshire has a new website www.theartfair.org.uk.