(Jill Kirkham and members of the inpatient unit staff receiving the TLC Bears from the Eastern Area Charity Steward)
The Eastern Area Charity Steward, Russ Perks recently applied to the ELMC, for a Teddies for Loving Care (TLC) grant for Dr Kershaw`s Hospice in Royton Oldham, which was approved and dealt with very quickly by Karen Hall from the ELMC. Dr Kershaw`s serves the local community of Oldham and Failsworth, providing End of Life Care both in the inpatient unit, and at home. Dr Kershaw`s also runs a wellbeing service that supports people right from the point of diagnosis with several tailored groups offering care and support with a focus on wellbeing.
The Hospice also runs a domiciliary care service as well as a Bereavement service, group therapy service, it also does a chemotherapy closer to home service which enables patients from Christie living in Oldham or the surrounding area to have their treatment at the hospice, rather than having to attend at Christies in Didsbury, and also a Macmillan 1-1 support service as well as a dementia hub.
A hospice, like a hospital, can be a frightening experience for a young person, and the Teddies for the Loving Care initiative provides a unique cuddly bear. The nationwide initiative by Freemasons has now delivered more than 3.5 million TLC bears to children in distress and in need of comfort, and helps reduce the shock and distress of their experience.
On Thursday 7th August, Russ Perks (Eastern Area Charity Steward) accompanied by Andy Halford (Eastern Area Chairman) and Dave Jones (Eastern Area Deputy Chairman), were welcomed to the Hospice by Jill Kirkham who is the community and partnership lead for the Hospice, and the CEO of the Hospice Lindsay Harper. After a quick chat and some refreshments in the café discussing what else the Eastern Area Freemasons could do to help the hospice in the community, they were then taken on a tour around the hospice, to where they presented the TLC Bears to the staff of the inpatient unit. Both Lindsey Harper and Jill Kirkham as well as the staff said a big thank you to the ELMC and the Eastern Area Freemasons for their very kind generosity.
