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On your marks, get set … go for the Deadly Dozen

Posted on by Becky Sidwell

On your marks, get set … go for the Deadly Dozen, a relay race like no other in aid of East Cheshire Hospice.

The event at Macclesfield athletics track on Saturday, October 12, combines fitness and fundraising.

Organiser Jason Curtis, owner of 5S Fitness, has been amazed by the popularity of the Deadly Dozen which involves speed and stamina.

Relay teams of four each complete three 400 metre runs and three exercise stations.

Exercise stations at the Deadly Dozen.  

They choose which exercises to complete, though the race must be completed in the right order.

Entry is £100 a team and all proceeds go to the Hospice.

The fourth event on September 14 is full, with more than 500 tickets sold in a day.

Jason has published more than 20 books on strength and conditioning.

He said: “Deadly Dozen started as a small event in Macclesfield less than six months ago. We thought we’d get about 50 gym members and a few others turning up, but it’s just blown up.

Organiser Jason Curtis offering fitness tips.

“It’s now considered one of the fastest growing fitness races in the UK and podcasters reckon it’s going to be the next big race internationally.”

Jason has organised eight events nationally next year and is hoping to take the format to Dubai.

Competitors are put through their paces.

He said: “It’s important to help charity so we’re hoping to raise £3,000 from our October race for the Hospice.

“In the grand scheme of things, they need a lot of money but every little helps and hopefully we can build our support each year.”

* To enter visit www.deadlydozen.co.uk.

Gary Henshaw raise almost £20,000 for East Cheshire Hospice in the last two and a half years

Posted on by Becky Sidwell

Give it to Gary – that is the motto of promotional merchandising suppliers Bown Enterprises with its charitable support.

The company has played a major role helping Gary Henshaw raise almost £20,000 for East Cheshire Hospice in the last two and a half years.

Pens, pencils, notebooks have been among stock donated to Gary who in turn raises money from these goods at his tombola stall at Macclesfield market.

Bown Enterprises Accounts Manager Julie Rutter (left) and Head of Sales Fiona Pearson with promotional merchandise. 

Thousands of pens have just been handed over, enabling Gary’s fundraising initiative to flourish.

The suppliers were founded by Ken Bown, now in his Nineties, more than 35 years ago.

Son Duncan and wife Alison own the Adlington-based business with merchandise stored at a warehouse located elsewhere.

MD Duncan said: “It’s important we do something for charity and we know the funds raised by Gary helps patients and families at the most precious time in their lives.

“Any end of line stock, or goods we can’t use for various reasons, we give to Gary.

“We buy vast stock, such as bags, notebooks and pens, from overseas. Merchandise can be from high end to giveaways.”

Gary charges £1 for his draw, with a prize won on every spin of his tombola drum.

Gary said: “I love doing it and every penny taken goes to the Hospice. I couldn’t do it without the support of Bown Enterprises, other businesses and the public who also make donations.”

* To donate contact Gary on 07776 181028 or gazhenshaw@hotmail.com

Ollier Photography marks its 60th Anniversary

Posted on by Becky Sidwell

A well-known photography studio is marking its 60th anniversary with a special promotion in aid of East Cheshire Hospice.

Ollier Photography is offering a two-hour studio portrait shoot, plus a 10” x 8” mounted photograph valued at £180, for a £25 donation to the Hospice.

Any additional images can then be bought separately from the studio which has strong Macclesfield roots.

The firm was set up in 1964 by the late Brian Ollier after he left his job as a junior photographer with the Macclesfield Express. Wife Margaret left her job as a cook to help run the studio.

Joe Ollier who is supporting East Cheshire Hospice.

He kept his links with the paper through his popular ‘Looking Back’ column which was published for many years.

Brian’s original pastel portrait style was highly successful and the couple travelled the world attending lectures and seminars.

Brian died in 2014, a year after he retired. The firm continues to flourish under youngest son Joe and business partner Matt Webb.

Matt said: “We’re proud of our Macclesfield heritage and want to celebrate 60 years in business by supporting the Hospice.”

“People can have portraits of whatever they want – it might be their children, grandchildren or their pets.”

Margaret said: “Brian saw great changes in photography throughout his career, finally embracing digital photography. He never lost his enthusiasm for his art and left a legacy of thousands of images spanning almost 50 years.”

Visit www.eastcheshirehospice.org.uk/ollier-photography to make the donation, using the email confirmation as a voucher to book a session directly with Ollier Photography.

A special installation at the RHS Flower Show

Posted on by Becky Sidwell

A colourful floral display brought back wonderful memories for the Jones family at Tatton Park.

A special installation at the RHS Flower Show was dedicated to Christine Jones who died of bowel cancer at East Cheshire Hospice earlier this year.

Chris Jones with 10-year-old granddaughter Florence at the installation.

It was created by close friend Kathryn Cronin whose installation ‘Threshold – On Life and Living’ helped raise awareness of the Hospice’s work and its motto ‘where people come to live.’

Daffodils and sunflowers – the Hospice emblem – featured in Kathryn’s all-British flower installation. The centrepiece was a wooden door frame which formed a living threshold.

The gardening theme was a fitting and touching tribute.

Christine’s husband Chris said: “It was wonderful and moving to visit the Hospice installation with my family.

“It made us think about our lovely Christine and remember the happy times we had in our own garden, as Christine so enjoyed looking after our plants and flowers.

“We’re extremely grateful to Kathryn for dedicating the installation to Christine’s memory. It also allowed us to say thank you to the Hospice for the amazing, dedicated care and support they offered Christine in her last few weeks.”

Kathryn said: “Many thanks for the support of Chris and his family, the RHS and East Cheshire Hospice. Flowers help us convey the words we’re often unable to express.

“The installation encouraged many meaningful conversations around the role of a hospice and especially when Christine’s family came to visit. Hopefully, it also raised the profile of the Hospice.”

Age is no barrier for Barbara Horry who continues to support East Cheshire Hospice

Posted on by Becky Sidwell

Age is no barrier for Barbara Horry who continues to support East Cheshire Hospice approaching her 94th birthday in November.

Barbara has bought a leaf on the Memory Tree in the Hospice gardens to remember husband Harold who died in 2012, aged 86.

It is her latest way of fundraising for the Hospice where Harold spent only 15 hours as a patient, though it was long enough to leave a lasting impression on his family.

Barbara with daughter Judith Scorer at a Memory Tree garden party.

Barbara has already donated proceeds from a book of family memoirs entitled The Mad Midwife of Mobberley, an affectionate account of more than 40 years as a nurse.

The hardback was written by granddaughter Lydia to mark Barbara’s 90th birthday.

Harold was a leading figure in the scout movement, spending 20 years as Alderley’s district commissioner. Barbara raised more than £200,000 for the scouts over five decades.

Barbara said: “The Memory Tree is a lovely way to maintain our family’s link with the Hospice and to thank them for the care Harold received.

“He was only at the Hospice for a short time after he was transferred from hospital, but we’re so grateful for their care, kindness and compassion.”

The metal sculpture, gifted by AZ employees, has leaves engraved with a short message to someone special if desired. Subscriptions are £10 a month, or £120 for a year.

* To sign up to the Memory Tree visit www.eastcheshirehospice.org.uk/memory-tree.

For queries, contact amy.williams@echospice.org.uk or call 01625 665688

Lucas Jackson is tackling the Three Peaks Challenge

Posted on by Becky Sidwell

Scaling the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales within the space of 24 hours is the challenge facing Lucas Jackson.

Spurring him on will be the memory of his mum Annalisa who died of cancer in January, aged 52.

Lucas Jackson with mum Annalisa.

Lucas, from Macclesfield, has already raised more than £2,200 for East Cheshire Hospice where his mum spent her final days.

Lucas is tackling the Three Peaks Challenge with close friend Ben Dewe this weekend (Aug 3-4).

Lucas’ dad Simon will drive the pair on their adventure which starts at Ben Nevis and is followed by Scafell and then Snowdon.

Lucas during his Snowdon climb last year.

Annalisa, an accountant based in Manchester, died within weeks of diagnosis.

Lucas, an apprentice engineer, said: “Mum was the best person ever and it was a great shock to lose her. It all happened so quickly.

“The care she received at the Hospice was amazing and this is my way of thanking them for looking after her and many others.

“I climbed Snowdon and Scafell last year, so Ben Nevis is the only peak I’ve not visited but doing them at once is completely different.

“Thankfully dad has volunteered to drive so we can focus on the walking.

“Ben and I enjoy going to the gym and walk a lot so we’re quite active, but it’ll be tough, especially within a 24-hour target.

“I think I might book a few days off work afterwards.”

* To sponsor Lucas visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/lucas-jackson-3peaks

Deputy Matron Remembered on Hospice Memory Tree

Posted on by Luke Brightmore

A pioneering nurse who was there when East Cheshire Hospice opened is remembered on the Hospice’s Memory Tree.

Deputy matron Jean Stevenson described her time on the Hospice ward as the ‘jewel of her nursing career.’

Jean died last December, aged 83, just four months after losing her husband Christopher who was 77.

Jean was a key part of the Hospice’s development. She spent five and a half years on the staff from 1988 after spotting an advertisement for the role of assistant head of nursing.

It was her last job in a nursing career which spanned more than 30 years.

Son Simon said: “Mum adored the Hospice – there’s no two ways about it. She regarded it as a privilege to work there and made some lifelong friends.

“I don’t think it was a job to her, but something she did naturally. She spoke about her role with such warmth and held the Hospice in high esteem.

Hospice staff from times gone by

* Flashback to the Hospice early days. Jean Stevenson (third from right, front row) with Claire Jones (second from right, back row).

“She enjoyed working with a collection of highly skilled staff who had the right temperament and created an atmosphere of warmth and happiness with a desire to help people out.

“Mum was heavily involved in the church. Our parents had a strong faith and the bereavement aspect had a big part in her role and outlook on things.”

Family friend Randall Gray, who lives in Florida, bought a leaf dedicated to the couple’s memory.

Simon and brother David – they also have an older brother Michael – visited the Memory Tree where they met Claire Jones, a nursing colleague of Jean.

Simon said: “I now live in Abersoch and returning to the Hospice back brought a lot of memories. We were given a tour and as soon as we saw Claire recognised her and gave her a hug.

“Mum kept in touch with the Hospice when she retired and was keen on fundraising.

“We were blown away that Randall, whom we met on a family holiday when we were young, wanted to buy a leaf. We had no idea he was doing it.

“The Memory Tree has rekindled our connection with the Hospice and is a wonderful legacy of our mum’s involvement.”

The metal tree is in the gardens behind the main Hospice building. Subscription is £10 a month or £120 for a year.

Stevenson Family

* To sign up to the Memory Tree visit www.eastcheshirehospice.org.uk/memory-tree.

For queries, contact amy.williams@echospice.org.uk or call 01625 665688.

Peter Davis’s Art Fair talk

Posted on by Becky Sidwell

The mobile phone and its presence in everyday life is depicted in a series of contemporary paintings by prize winning Cheshire artist Peter Davis.

A fascinating theme which features in his 45-minute talk entitled ‘Painting the Zeitgeist’ at Art Fair Cheshire 2024 on Sunday, September 29, from 11.30 am.

The exhibition, sponsored by AstraZeneca, is at Macclesfield Town Hall (Sept 26 to Oct 3) and in aid of East Cheshire Hospice. Admission is free.

Artist Peter Davis who is giving a talk at Art Fair Cheshire 2024. 

Peter said: “I like capturing the world and the era we live in. I’m fascinated by the urban environment and inner cities and how quickly they’re changing.

“My overriding obsession is people and their relationship with technology. I remember life before people had black rectangles in their hand. They might have gone on a train and read an actual book made of paper, looked out of the window or walked down the street and didn’t just look down at their phone.

“If you took a snapshot of people walking down the main street in Macclesfield, 90 per cent will be on their mobile.”

A sample of Peter Davis’ award-winning work.

Peter’s talk will highlight parallels with American painter Edward Hopper. Peter said: “He painted in the 1920s and I’m painting in the 2020s. I’m interested in how he documented life, particularly in New York, and what we can learn from that.”

A member of the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts, Peter currently has a portrait of a young woman exhibited in a prestigious award at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Visit www.theartfair.org.uk.

RHS Flower Show installation by Florist Kathryn Cronin

Posted on by Becky Sidwell

Florist Kathryn Cronin has a yellow theme for her installation at the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park in the next few days (Wed July 17 – Sun July 21).

Daffodils and sunflowers feature in a poignant tribute to her late friend Christine Jones.

The choice of colour is deliberate – the sunflower is the emblem of East Cheshire Hospice where Christine died of bowel cancer in January, while the daffodil is a nod to their Welsh upbringing.

The installation called ‘Threshold – On Life and Living’ is to raise awareness of the Hospice’s work and its motto ‘where people come to live.’

Kathryn Cronin at last year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

Kathryn is exhibiting at Tatton for the third time and had an installation at last year’s Chelsea Flower Show, though this display at Tatton is special for personal reasons.

She said: “This is the most ambitious installation I’ve done and it’s the one that means the most since it’s in honour of a dear long-standing friend.

“Christine loved her garden and I had to have daffodils so I dried them. As a fellow Welsh girl, we’d often cheer the Welsh rugby team when everyone else wasn’t.”

Kathryn at work in her garden. 

Fresh and dried flowers, all sustainably British grown, are arranged in wild garden style, a wooden door frame forming a living threshold.

Kathryn developed her floral passion at five inspired by her fuchsia-loving grandfather Jack.

“I would stand in his greenhouse knee high to his potting bench. The greenhouse took up half the garden at his terraced house in Cardiff. I just loved it and I think every child needs to know how to grow food or flowers.”

Kathryn with flowers for Fashion on the Edge.

Kathryn worked for AstraZeneca for 25 years and has supported the Hospice’s Fashion on the Edge show with flowers grown in her Cheshire canal side cutting garden.

Her business www.fierceblooms.com provides exclusively British flowers for weddings, funerals and other functions and she is passionate about sustainability.

Friends Christine and Christopher Jones on their 40th wedding anniversary.

“Many places grow flowers for import and that takes a lot of carbon, chemicals and air freight, but you can have beautiful British grown seasonal flowers.

“This has been the toughest year I’ve known for growing flowers due to the cold and wet. The installation will hopefully raise awareness for East Cheshire Hospice where Christine received such wonderful care.”

Coming back to East Cheshire Hospice was like coming home

Posted on by Becky Sidwell

Coming back to East Cheshire Hospice was like coming home … a quote from mum Georgia Leah reflecting on her husband Leon’s final journey.

It is 16 months since Leon, a drayman at Wincle Brewery, died from pancreatic cancer, aged 53.

His pain was so bad he was readmitted to the Hospice within 48 hours of going home following a three-week inpatient stay.

Wife Georgia is courageously sharing the couple’s story to raise awareness of how much the Hospice cares for patients like her late husband.

Ruby Leah takes on a nursing role to help her dad.

Georgia features in an emotional video produced by the Hospice and shared with supporters.

The little star of the film is three-year-old daughter Ruby who fell in love with the nurses, even helping them care for her doting dad.

Georgia said: “Leon was an amazing dad. He was so hands-on and loved spending time with Ruby.

Georgia, Ruby and Leon.  

“He started to feel pain six months after she was born and it reached the stage where he couldn’t even play with her or read her a story.

“A Macmillan nurse suggested pain management at the Hospice and he was reluctant to go in at first.

“Then he agreed to give it a try. He had his own room and Ruby loved it. That settled Leon and he felt better.

“We spent quality time together. Having a conversation and watching him read her a story and smile was everything.

“When he came out, the Hospice gave us an out of hours number and his pain suddenly got so bad that I had to ring it.

“Coming back to the Hospice was like coming home. When the ambulance took him back, I just knew they’d look after him.

“They also looked after me and were the first to give me a hug, tell me what was happening and help me make some pretty hard decisions in the few hours we’d got left.

“The nursing staff understood and knew what to say. We were also offered bereavement counselling which I found helpful.

“Ruby wanted to be a nurse, carrying medicine and hot water bottles for her dad. I bought her a nurse’s outfit from a charity shop and she carried round a doctor’s toy set. She felt she was helping and looking after Leon.

“The staff became a massive part of Ruby’s life and she’s often been back to say Hi to them.”

* To watch the video visit eastcheshirehospice.org.uk/campaign/georgias-story/

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