'I'm repaying their kindness' - hospice volunteer

A man whose late wife was cared for by a hospice nurse said he was volunteering for the place where they worked so he could "give something back" and "repay their kindness".

Trevor Hardwell, 74, drives patients to and from Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Northampton and said it gave him "great satisfaction".

"After my wife died I was wondering what to do with myself and I wanted to give something back after they'd helped us so much," he said.

Cynthia Spencer has joined forces with Cransley Hospice in nearby Kettering and others in the sector, to highlight the growing need for hospice care.

After Mr Hardwell's wife, Ros, was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, she was visited at home by a palliative care nurse based at the Northampton hospice.

He said: "That nurse visited my wife over the last 12 months of her life, spending time with her and getting to know her."

He now takes patients to the hospice's Wellbeing Centre and back home again afterwards.

"I feel like I'm repaying their kindness, support and care," he said.

With the number of UK deaths each year expected to rise by 130,000 come 2040, hospices are worried they will not have enough funding to keep pace with demand.

A national campaign to encourage people to consider leaving a gift in their will to support their local hospice has been launched by Hospice UK, which champions hospice care nationwide.

Cynthia Spencer has teamed up with Cransley Hospice to take part.

Anita Frith, from Cynthia Spencer, said: "Not only does [the campaign] highlight the critical work we do across the region, but also the lasting impact that gifts in wills can have on our ability to continue providing care here in Northamptonshire."

Cransley's Jenine Rees, said: "With the number of deaths increasing year-on-year within the UK, if we don't start planning now, the gap in hospice care will become very real."

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