People

AMIR IS A KNOCKOUT WITH PATIENTS

Patients, carers, families and clinicians will be consulted about priorities in palliative care research, as part of a partnership led by Marie Curie and the James Lind Alliance.

The alliance is a not-for-profit initiative that helps other organisations to set their research priorities based on the experiences of people who use their services and clinicians. The two charities aim to not only set Marie Curie’s priorities, but also to influence goals in the wider field of palliative care research.

Marie Curie’s Head of Research, Dr Sabine Best, said: “Marie Curie wants to fund research that is of direct benefit to patients, families and carers.

“However, looking at how research areas in palliative care have developed over the years, we can see that patients, carers and families have very little influence on what topics have been studied. We want to change that.

“That’s why we have teamed up with the James Lind Alliance. They have developed a rigorous process to help determine the research priorities identified by clinicians and the people who are ultimately the end-users of the research that we fund.

“Our aim is to set the priorities for palliative care research at Marie Curie and more widely. Many other research and palliative care organisations are involved in the partnership, and we hope that they will also develop priorities based on its findings.”

EVIDENCEMarie Curie and the James Lind Alliance are now developing a simple survey to ask people about “evidence uncertainties” – areas where they believe that further research is needed.

“We want our people to tell us about anything that they have come across in their experiences of palliative care – professional or as patients and carers – where they have thought ‘I’d like to know the answer to that’, but haven’t been able to find the answer,” Sabine said.

Boxing champ Amir Khan swapped stories with former amateur boxer Jimmy Walsh, 86, at the Marie Curie Hospice, Bradford.

Amir – who was twice Light-Welterweight World Champion – met patients, staff and volunteers at the hospice and helped raise awareness of the care the hospice provides to people across Bradford and Airedale.

Amir said: “It’s a brilliant place. I walked in and couldn’t believe how nice it was. If people are ill or they need help, they’ll come here and they’ll be looked after really well.

“It’s nice to put a smile on patients’ faces too. They really appreciate this facility and it really helps having great staff looking after them.”

Hospice Fundraising Manager Sharon Link said: “Having Amir visit the hospice was just fantastic. It really helps to give patients a boost.”

The experiences of clinicians and end-users will be key to forming strategic priorities for palliative care research

Football fan meets sporting idols, thanks to Helper teamPAGE 7

STEPHEN’S WISH IS MADE IN CHELSEA

RESEARCH PROJECT TO SET PRIORITIES

Marie Curie

Marie Curie Cancer Care’s newspaper for staff

and volunteers

OCTOBER 2013

“We need the help of everyone who works for Marie Curie. Please tell us your unanswered questions.”

The survey will open in November for six months. Once responses are in, Marie Curie’s research centres in Cardiff and London will carry out a systematic review of the questions submitted.

“They will put similar questions together, remove duplicates and see which have already been answered,” Sabine said. “Then, working with our partner organisations, we will run prioritisation workshops, with patients, carers and clinicians. We are developing a new research strategy for Marie Curie, and this will be one of the cornerstones. We will come up with a top 10 list of research questions, which will inform our strategy.”

The project will run for 18 months, with a budget of £70,000.

Marie Curie’s Medical Director, Dr Bill Noble, said: “The James Lind Alliance will help us to align our research strategy with

PUT ‘EM UP: Jimmy Walsh meets Amir Khan

The James Lind Alliance is named after a pioneer of medical research, Scottish naval surgeon James Lind (1716-1794). To find out

the best way of treating scurvy, Lind ran the first ever clinical trial. He compared six proposed remedies and showed that oranges and lemons were dramatically better than the other supposed treatments.

ABOUT JAMES LIND gaps in the scientific evidence for palliative care practitioners, as well as the concerns of our service users and the wider public.”

SUPPORTCo-funders of the project include the National Institute for Health Research Evaluation Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre, the National Institute for Social Care and Health Research, the Chief Scientist Office (Scotland) and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Organisations represented on the steering group include Macmillan Cancer Support, the Association for Palliative Medicine, the Royal College for Nursing, Help the Hospices, the National Council for Palliative Care, and the National Bereavement Alliance.

Athletes raise thousands for the charity competing in two tough challenges PAGE 10

SPORTING TRIUMPH fOR MARIE CURIE

Marie Curie benefits from charity auction at historic-car eventPAGE 14

fUNDRAISING IN TOP GEAR

People October 20132

News

5Things you can do This monTh

1. make a will – free of charge Throughout October, Marie Curie Cancer Care is offering all its employees the opportunity to make a simple Will, completely free of charge. Sort out your affairs, make sure your wishes are followed, ensure your family are provided for and consider leaving a gift to your favourite charity (there is no obligation) with the expert help of a local solicitor. The staff offer closes at the end of October (although volunteers aged over 50 can make a free simple Will all year round). So get your skates on and call us on 0800 716 146, talk to your Regional Legacy Advisor or visit mariecurie.org.uk/legacies

2. give us your feedback Check out our Chief Executive’s new video about the charity’s strategic plan for 2013-17 – and give us your thoughts on the way ahead for Marie Curie. For more details, read Dr Jane Collins’ column on page 4.

We also want to hear the views of colleagues about how can we improve the Peacock Nursing Awards for 2014. Could we make the awards easier to enter? Do we need to introduce a new category? Should we open up the awards to other professions? Or hold the awards at a different time of year? Wherever you are in Marie Curie, please give us your opinion. Send your thoughts on the Peacock Awards to csfeedback@mariecurie.org.uk

3. save 10% on christmas gifts Get your Christmas gifts from Marie Curie’s Christmas catalogue – and save £££s. Whether you’re looking for classy cards, a gift for someone special or stocking fillers for the children (or grandchildren), we’ve got a super selection of seasonal goodies for you – at a fantastic 10% discount. Whether you shop online or from our traditional printed catalogue, you’ll have a cracking Christmas with Marie Curie. See page 9 for more details.

4. read marie curie every day Marie Curie every day is the fantastic new multimedia report on our impact in 2012/13. Go online – and watch video interviews showing how we’ve made a difference to patients and families. Or read the printed report, and give it to a supporter so that they can catch up on our latest work. For more information, see page 4 or visit mariecurie.org.uk/everyday

5. enter the london to brighton challenge The London to Brighton Challenge is one of the UK’s great endurance events. Walk from the capital down to Brighton Race Course on 100 kilometres of paths, trails and roads on 24 May 2014. Join thousands of others on the epic trek. You’ll discover resolve and spirit you didn’t know you had, and maybe even shed a tear at the end of your journey. Take part in the challenge for Marie Curie Cancer Care and raise £375 for our work. For more details, visit mariecurie.org.uk/en-gB/events/running/London-2-Brighton-challenge/

Editor: Nick Moulton Writers: Clair Whitefield, Lara Jennings, Ana Malinovicdesigners: Artful Dog Publishing and Marie Curie Creative Services Repro by: Selsey Press

Send stories to Editor Nick Moulton, Creative Services, Marie Curie Cancer Care, 89 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7TP. Email nick.moulton@mariecurie.org.uk or phone me on 020 7599 7706 and I’ll draft a story from your call.

Peoplemarie curie

marie curie People is the charity’s official newspaper for staff and volunteers. it is published monthly.

marie curie PeoPle needs your news. Printed by: Mortonsmanaged & distributed by: CDL circulation: 6,500marie curie People is now available online:issuu.com/mcccp/docs/marie_curie_people_october_2013

three charities team uP for Party conferencesmarie curie joined forces with charities sue ryder and help the hospices during the 2013 political party conference season at a series of fringe events to raise awareness of the ‘demographic time bomb’ facing demand for end of life care in the uk.

The events asked the question: Can giving patients choice be cost-effective for the NHS?

The joint fringe events took place at the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative party conferences in late September, with panels consisting of health ministers, health professionals and policy experts. Minister of State for Care and Support Norman Lamb MP, Andy Burnham MP and Dr Sarah Wollaston MP led debates exploring how giving patients and

£3.2m grant creates new ucl chairmarie curie cancer care and university college london (ucl) school of life and medical sciences are set to establish the first chair of Palliative and end of life care at ucl.

The new position follows the award of a £3.2 million grant over 10 years by the charity. The new professor will lead an established team of researchers in the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Unit (MCPCRU) in the Mental Health

Sciences Unit. The unit is a leading centre of excellence in palliative and end of life care.

Marie Curie’s Medical Director, Dr Bill Noble, leads the charity’s programme of research. He said: “The new professor at UCL is a significant addition to the research community in our field. Palliative medicine, as a medical specialty, has fewer academics than most other fields.

“Doctors and nurses desperately need more evidence of better treatments

and ways of helping our patients. It is important that Marie Curie plays a leading part in increasing the capacity of UK research to give us new knowledge about patient care.

“UCL is, of course, one of our leading medical research institutions. I met our team there recently. They are a very bright and lively bunch. I am very much looking forward to working closely with the new professor.”

their families choice can lead to increased efficiency for the NHS.

The charities called on all the parties to take a longer-term view and commit to change to avoid a future care crisis by investing in end of life care improvements.

increasing deathsThey argued that Britain’s rapidly ageing population and increases in the number of people with multiple long-term conditions will mean that, by 2030, the number of deaths each year will outnumber the

number of births – rising by 17% to 590,000. NHS spending on end

of life care is also expected to increase by £5 billion to £25 billion by 2030.

The charities said there should be a greater focus on the provision of

high-quality end of life

care across a wider range of settings, including hospices, at home, hospitals and care homes. They suggested encouraging stronger partnerships between hospitals and hospices, in order to help improve hospital care.

Marie Curie Chief Executive Dr Jane Collins said: “We need to find ways of making it easier for those who want to move out of hospital and receive the care they want and need – whether that’s at home, in a care home or a hospice. We want all parties to give full consideration to high-quality end of life care in their manifestos, including fast-track and free social care for those nearing the end of their lives.”

590,000Estimated number of deaths per year

in Britain by 2030 – outnumbering

births

BEyond ThE FRingE: (Left to right) david Brindle of the Guardian; norman Warner mP; minister for care services; and mark Thomas of the Royal college of gPs discuss options for patient care at the Lib dem conference

3October 2013 People

Celebration

three marie curie nursing colleagues have been presented with the charity’s new Peacock award by marie curie chairman John varley.

aisyah scott, Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead, received the Clinical Award, while the Above and Beyond Award went jointly to Phyllis mckirdy and nadine archibald, both Senior Healthcare Assistants for the Marie Curie Nursing Service in rural Scotland.

awards for exceptional nursing colleagues

‘ you have to be prepared for difficult weather’

Phyllis mckirdy lives on the isle of bute and is a marie curie senior healthcare assistant covering cowal and bute.

I’m contracted for three shifts a week to go into patients’ homes to care for them at the end of their

lives, and to give their families a break. Mostly I do night shifts, from 10pm until 7am. I’ve been called on a day off asking whether I can go and see a patient urgently, which I have done.

You have to be prepared for difficult weather. In winter, there are high winds and terrible weather. You have to be prepared to drop everything, as the ferries go off at the drop of a hat – it’s nine miles from my house to the ferry.

I built up a good rapport with one young man and his partner who were talking about getting married. She thought he was too ill to get to the registry office. I suggested, ‘You can bring that forward and get married in the house.’ They were married just before Christmas and sadly he passed away just after the new year.”

‘ the project helped to reduce staff anxiety’

clinical nurse specialist aisyah scott works at the marie curie hospice, hampstead.

The award was for a project to help young adults with life-limiting condition who are transitioning

from a children’s hospice to an adult hospice. It looked at ways we can support them.

The project helped reduce staff anxiety about caring for this patient group at the Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead. It was also about reducing the concerns of the children’s hospice staff who had looked after them for so long, and become so involved with them.

I worked collaboratively with Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, Richard House Hospice and St Joseph’s Hospice.

I love working at the hospice. We have such fantastic facilities and an amazing team, so we can deliver the care people need at this time in their lives. And we are so committed to high standards.”

‘ it’s like a toboggan run in the snow’

nadine archibald lives in strathy, north highlands. she is the only marie curie nurse in sutherland and caithness.

It’s challenging, but rewarding. It’s up to 100 miles to the nearest hospital from some areas and it would

be difficult for families to be with patients, so we provide a service to keep them at home. It really is a privilege.

We can be on the go from the second we walk through the door until the second we leave, nine hours later. That means we have saved the family that busy night, giving them vital rest. I might be comforting someone with dementia through the small hours. I’m also there for the family. A lot of people have never experienced the dying process, and we can help them through what might occur and what happens afterwards.

In winter, it can easily take a couple of hours to get to a patient. It’s like a toboggan run in the snow. Herds of deer come down to lick the salt off the road. You can meet a huge stag on the road – and he’s not moving for anyone.”

The results were announced by Dawn Tame-Battell, Assistant Director, Patient Services, who praised the winners’ professional skills and commitment.

Aisyah received her award for exceptional work on a project to ensure that young patients made a smooth transition to adult hospice services.

Phyllis and Nadine work in rural Scottish locations. Both have travelled hundreds of miles to visit patients,

sometimes staying away from home in very remote areas to make sure patients receive care.

l the Peacock awards are supported by the Peacock family, who have donated to marie curie for over 40 years. they were developed to celebrate the difference marie curie nurses make to patients, families and carers.

three charities team uP for Party conferences

People October 20134

News

new multimedia rePort shows achievementscaring for more people

revised templates for emails are more user-friendly

new materials demonstrate charity’s skills to commissioners

I make no apology for writing about our plans for the charity over the next three to five years, because it is so important to continue to get your views about them. We will be doing the work before asking our trustees to confirm the direction of travel in November and then decide on the priorities within the plan and budget at their meeting in January.

I have made a short video piece explaining some of our thinking so far, but I thought it might be helpful to say a bit more in my column, too.

We will, of course, continue to provide direct care for patients and their families. I would like to grow that – particularly where there is unmet need – from the 38,000-39,000 patients we currently care for to closer to 50,000. That would be 10 per cent of those dying in the UK. Around 90,000 people dying don’t get any care, which is more likely if they don’t have cancer – so they are the ones to target if we can.

As Marie Curie, we will never be able to care for everyone and nor should we try. There are many excellent organisations playing their important part, too. But these other organisations cover a defined locality, whereas we are in a unique position being a national charity. Given that patients and their families are asking for more than direct care, particularly when they have been told that no further curative treatment is available, don’t we have an obligation to try to offer additional, albeit indirect, help if we can? So one suggestion in the plan is to look at how we could do this.

We are all proud of working for Marie Curie Cancer Care, which is a well-loved charity, but our brand doesn’t reflect what we want to achieve. We need to transform our brand, so the ambition set out in the new strategic plan is reflected in the way we express who we are to the outside world. We must build on our brand’s well-known and respected heritage, but we also need to gear it towards reaching many more people with the message that Marie Curie and the services, support and information we offer are relevant to them.

If we want to provide help to more people, directly and indirectly, we need to improve our infrastructure and the way we work both internally and with our partners in other organisations. Not working harder but smarter is a saying some people use – and it’s one that sums up what I am aiming for. Better Connected and the People Programme, of which you will hear much more about over the next months, will help us do that.

Please share your thoughts and ideas directly with me!

a new multimedia report from marie curie cancer care shows the charity’s impact and achievements in the financial year 2012/13.

Marie Curie every day incorporates photos, video and written accounts of Marie Curie’s work.

While the audio and video material is exclusive to the online report, Marie Curie every day is also available as a printed report that can be given to supporters.

It was produced by the charity’s creative team, with production led by Senior Digital Content Editor Frank Harkin, who wrote most of the content, and Digital

marie curie cancer care has introduced a new set of templates for its mass emails.

The new templates are in line with the charity’s brand guidelines and work on all mobile devices. There are different email templates for different parts of the business.

Digital Marketing Executive Jennifer Lam (pictured) said: “The last time we revisited our email templates was over three years ago. The mass email industry

has moved on a lot, especially with emails for mobile devices, so it was time to bring our own emails up to speed. More and more people are using smartphones to access emails. If they can’t read our emails easily, it’s a huge barrier.”

The new suite includes templates for events, business-to-business marketing, online shopping and general fundraising.

“From the user’s point of view, someone could get three emails from us, and immediately tell they were about three very different things,” Jen said.

In a typical month, Marie Curie sends mass emails

to more than 150,000 people. Mass emails offer a cost-effective

way to communicate with large numbers of supporters, or reach a particular group of supporters.

marie curie cancer care is approaching nhs commissioners with a new range of marketing materials and online content.

A new round of commissioning is under way, and NHS organisations are looking at the options available for caring for patients and signing contracts with care providers. In England, commercial companies will be competing for NHS contracts to provide care.

Sarah Bracken, Marketing Campaigns Manager (Caring Services) was part of the team that developed the new marketing materials. She said: “These new materials will help colleagues in our caring services and business development teams when they sit down with commissioners in meetings and at face-to-face events.

“They have been developed to showcase what we’re good at, and show

chief executive’s view

dr Jane collins Chief Executive

for more informationto share your thoughts with Jane, email jane.collins@mariecurie.org.uk. to see Jane’s short video piece, visit mariecurie.org.uk/progressupdate

for more informationread the report online at mariecurie.org.uk/everyday

that what we can do matches the issues that commissioners face. We are reminding them that we are the people who deal with end of life care.”

The new materials use case studies showing how Marie Curie services make a difference for patients and families, as well as evidence from the major Nuffield research study, which demonstrates that patients who get

Designer Danielle Mullis, who developed visuals and built the new microsite.

Frank said: “The aim was to produce a digital report, using multimedia to showcase the impact that Marie Curie has, not just with text and photos, but with video and audio.

“We aimed to cover the most significant and emotive impacts – finding people to speak about the difference the charity has made, on video wherever possible.”

“It’s the first project of its kind for Marie Curie,” Danielle said. “We are pleased with it, and hope to do more in the future.”

Marie Curie nursing are much more likely to die at home, and have fewer hospital admissions. They show how the charity works effectively in both cities and rural areas.

“There’s specific material for each of the four nations, showing how we understand the local health economies. And there’s a simple overview of Marie Curie for commissioners who have never worked with us before,” Sarah said.

Marketing Manager Catherine Salmon said: “Commissioners are now looking at which organisations they commission or recommission contracts with. We are seeking to be the partner of choice for end of life care for new clinical commissioning groups in England. We know that we can’t reply on previously guaranteed contracts, and this new material is about being proactive.”

Marie Curie every day was published following the charity’s AGM in September, alongside the more traditional Report and accounts document, which focuses on detailed financial and governance reporting.

Members of the Marie Curie Association voted to accept the report and accounts, and heard reports from the charity’s Chairman John Varley and Chief Executive Dr Jane Collins. They also saw a video showcasing Marie Curie every day.

These marketing materials have been developed to show that what we can do matches the issues that commissioners face.sarah BracKen

The new multimedia reportMarie Curie every day is also available as a printed document

The Report and accounts focuses on detailed financial reporting

5October 2013 People

News

new multimedia rePort shows achievements

roadchef employees get on their bikes for charity

new research shows one in four experiences end of life care two new editions of nursing guide around a quarter of adults say that they

have experience of giving end of life care. That was one of the findings of research

by nfpSynergy, commissioned by Marie Curie’s insight team to investigate people’s experiences in this area.

Senior Insight Manager Ann Davison said: “Our wonderful supporters give that support for lots of different reasons. So we decided to do some research into what experience people in the general population had.

“We found that people with experience of giving end of life care are more likely to support Marie Curie, even 10 years later, and support for Marie Curie is higher over age 55. Unsurprisingly, widowed people say they have spent most time giving end of life care.”

People who support Marie Curie because they have experience of end of life care haven’t necessarily had experience of the charity’s services. Recent research into the Great Daffodil Appeal collectors shows that over half of collectors have experience relevant to Marie Curie services.

“Of those, about two-thirds remembered experience of our service and many of these supported Marie Curie because they wanted others to have the same kind of care. About a quarter of collectors with relevant experience said they hadn’t had Marie Curie care,” Ann said.

The general public is concerned about end of life issues. Over half are very or extremely concerned about receiving the right care at the end of life and around half about the need for specialist care and pain relief for people with a terminal illness.

marie curie cancer care has launched a new edition of its Nursing Handbook for staff working in the marie curie nursing service.

For the first time, there are two editions of the handbook – one for Registered Nurses and one for Healthcare Assistants.

It includes chapters on nursing practice guidelines; documentation and record keeping; syringe drivers and pumps; infection control in community settings; moving and handling; and managing a death at home

Dawn Tame-Battell, Assistant Director of Patient Services, said: “I am really excited to have the revised nursing handbook out. The format has been improved to make it easier for nursing colleagues to carry with them and refer to when they are out and about. The content has been updated, so people can be confident when referring to it.

“I am very grateful to Michele Rooke, Eastern Regional Manager and everyone who contributed to it – it is a really worthwhile document.”

Copies will be sent out to all staff in the Marie Curie Nursing Service from regional nursing offices in October.

employees at nine roadchef motorway service areas have raised more than £5,500 for marie curie in a nationwide static cycling relay.

The teams covered 405 miles on exercise bikes stationed outside the service areas’ front entrances, with each site cycling 45 miles.

Meanwhile Roadchef CEO Simon Turl rode 405 miles on his Harley, setting out at 6am from Bothwell to the company’s northmost site, and calling at all nine sites to do a little of the pedalling as well.

Roadchef sites also ran fundraising activities, including children’s games and collections.

Head of Corporate Account Management Jo Hancock said: “The event was a huge success, raising over £5,500 for our nursing service. A massive thanks to Simon for taking on this challenge and to the Roadchef staff for their enthusiasm.”

Simon said: “Marie Curie was chosen as our annual charity by Roadchef employees, so it was great to see so many of our colleagues getting involved in this fundraising drive. I’m not sure who is more tired though – staff after cycling for 45 miles, or me after riding my bike for 405.”

The money was raised thanks to donations from both staff and visitors.

Roadchef is one of the Britain’s leading motorway service area operators. Across 20 sites, the company aims to provide a restful and relaxing environment for the estimated 45 million visitors to its sites each year.

for more informationthe book is supplied in loose-leaf format, in a plastic ring binder, so that pages can easily be updated. a Pdf version is also available on the learnanddevelop.mariecurie.org.uk website.

25%About a quarter of adults say they have experience of giving end of life care. Half of those people say they spend or spent more than 24 hours a week on such care.

45People over 45 have more experience of end of life care and spend more time on it.

40%Experience varies significantly with age. Nearly 40% of over 55s and over 65s say they have experience of end of life care, while the figure is under 20% for 18-44 year olds. This older age group is also more concerned about the ability of terminally ill people to be cared for in their place of choice rather than hospital at the end of life.

in numbers: end of life care research

£5,500Money raised by Roadchef staff in

their cycling fundraising event

PEDAL POWER: Roadchef CEO Simon Turl and staff raise money for Marie Curie

People October 20136

News

Pilot Project to investigate use of social investment

marie curie has been funded by the social investment Business to work on a project to explore how social investment can be used to move care from acute hospitals into patients’ homes and community settings. the partnership will involve sandwell and West Birmingham clinical commissioning group and other partners, including not-for-profit organisation social finance.

Marie Curie Project Manager Maneesha Sharma said: “We are excited to be leading the first social investment pilot initiative in end of life care in the UK. Our ambition is to develop a proof of concept that, if successful, can be used as a blueprint to transform services across the health economy.

“By March 2014, we aim to deliver an integrated end of life care model and have tested social investment as an alternative to traditional funding mechanisms.

“We have an ageing population, and we expect that the number of people dying will increase. While it is cheaper for people to be cared for in the community, and it’s what they want, services are mostly concentrated in the acute sector. And it’s not easy for commissioners to find the money needed to redesign and change services so that they are community based. Social investment

Social investment is provided on the basis of making a financial return and a social impact.

If you put money in an ISA, you hope to get a financial return – but you don’t expect a beneficial social impact. If you make a grant or give a donation, you aim to have a social impact – but there is no return.

We realised that there are people – and organisations – who would like to have more of a social impact than they can afford to give away. So we asked whether there was a way of getting a financial return and having a social impact. We can support organisations that have a social impact to grow and to repay social investors.

In recent years, charitable trusts and foundations have led social investment – they are looking to have an impact with their financial investments. We approach the government with a suggested outcome, such as getting a young person into employment, and we work out the financial value of socially positive outcomes, such as what it costs to support them in benefits. Then we approach social investors and propose that they invest in a project to get young people into work. The project goes ahead and gets young people into work, we identify the savings made, and we pay investors some of this.

What is social investment?

waiting to go home. The project is seeking to work out whether investing in more responsive services could also generate savings that could be paid to investors for the positive social outcome.

“The metrics are challenging because it’s about giving patients choice and measuring whether that is achieved. We need to make sure that patients get the right care in the right place at the right time.

“We know that there will be increasing demand for end of life care in future, and we need to look at new ways of funding

it. The NHS budget has been cut, and money is tight. This is a really

innovative way of raising the money that’s needed.”

Partners in the project are the NHS Confederation, NHS Clinical Commissioners, the Social Investment Business,

Bevan Brittan, Social Finance and Unipart.

The project is funded by the Social Investment Business and is supported by the Department of Health.

get your fashion fix in aid of marie curie stylist and co-founder of sugahfix.com Katrina Doran has helped launch the first all-ireland great Bt shops challenge at marie curie’s shop in Belmont road, Belfast.

Belmont Road is one of seven shops throughout Northern Ireland taking part in the challenge, which is raising money for Marie Curie and the Irish Cancer Society.

“I’d encourage everyone to get down to their local Marie Curie Shop and support this challenge,” said Katrina. “It’s amazing the hidden vintage clothing you can find that will really set your outfit apart and help you to make a fashion statement this upcoming season. Plus, it’s all for a great cause.”

The challenge sees over 170 BT staff volunteering in seven Marie Curie Shops across Northern Ireland and 10 Irish Cancer Society shops in the Republic of Ireland. BT staff will take over the shops FASHION STATEMENT: Stylist Katrina Doran shows BT volunteer Orla Young how to fashionably dress for less this autumn

HELPING TRANSFORM SERVICES: Project Manager Maneesha Sharma

for the day to help raise much-needed funds for the charities, while competing against each other to see which shop has the biggest increase in takings.

Ciara Gallagher, Head of Fundraising for Marie Curie in Northern

Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be working with BT in their charity shops challenge this year. It’s a great way to raise awareness about

the fashionable, value-for-money stock we have

available in our stores for the autumn and winter season

– particularly in the current economic climate. Our shops make accessible fashion available for everyone, while raising much-needed funds for Marie Curie.”

The Great BT Charity Shops Challenge will take place on 3 October at the following Marie Curie Shops: Botanic Avenue, Lisburn Road, Stranmillis, Belmont Road, Hollywood, Portadown and Newry.

170Number of BT

staff volunteering in shops across Northern Ireland

Marie Curie Cancer Care is running a pilot project with Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group to investigate the feasibility of using social investment funding to transform end of life care Associate Director of Social Finance Richard Todd

describes this new way of funding servicesoffers a way of funding that change.”

The partnership will focus on identifying the services needed by patients and, if the project proceeds, setting them up.

Social Finance will devise the financial structures needed for the project to work. If the project proceeds, Social Finance will also be responsible for recruiting investors.

The project is divided into three stages: a feasibility study, detailed design and implementation.

giving Patients cHoiceRichard Todd, Associate Director of Social Finance said: “The theory is that it would be a positive outcome if people were to have more choice around where they die, and have services that are more responsive to their needs. We know that if services are more responsive, they are more efficient and people spend less time in hospital

7October 2013 People

News

golDen couPleA generous couple from Limavady, Northern Ireland, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary by supporting Marie Curie. When Annie and Sammy McGregor’s friends organised a party, they asked guests to donate to the Roe Valley Friends of Marie Curie Cancer Care. The couple, who were married on 15 August 1963, handed over a cheque for £730. Annie said: “At our time of life, we do not really need presents, but decided that a donation to charity was better.”

Dramatic PerformanceMarie Curie Cancer Care benefitted from the staging of The Darling Buds of May in Yeadon Town Hall. Performances featured a market day at the home of the Larkin family, with produce sold to theatre-goers. The play was staged by Yeadon Amateur Operatic and Drama Society.

sPorts luncH Prominent business people and sports celebrities were among almost 300 supporters at the fourth Annual Marie Curie Bradford Hospice Sports Lunch. Guest speaker was Robbie Hunter-Paul of the Bradford Bulls. Robbie became synonymous with the Bradford Bulls both on and off the pitch as well as playing for the New Zealand national team 27 times.

The lunch raised £32,000 for the charity. It was organised by the Bradford Hospice Development Board.

neWs in Brief

teeing off for cHarity The ladies section of Cawder Golf Club held their annual charity open day to benefit Marie Curie Cancer Care. The event raised more than £2,700, and a cheque was handed over to Fundraising Manager Murray Easton.

Meanwhile, golfers supported Marie Curie Cancer Care at the first mid-Wales charity golf afternoon. The event took place at Lakeside Golf Course in Powys, and included a nine-hole Texas Scramble, a master class, and a nearest-the-pin competition. The 10 teams taking part raised over £200.

Beer festival cHeer Marie Curie is one of three charities that benefitted from the third annual Rastrick Beer Festival. The two-day event included a wide range of beers from local breweries, including new beers. It took place in the community hall at St John’s Church.

marie curie Helper service makes chelsea fan’s dream come truethe marie curie Helper service in liverpool has helped 19-year-old stephen airey to fulfil his dream to watch his beloved chelsea play at stamford Bridge – and to meet the players.

Stephen has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), further complicated by cardiomyopathy, and was referred to the Helper service by a colleague from the Marie Curie Hospice, Liverpool.

Avid Chelsea fan Stephen is supported by his dedicated Helper volunteer Daniel, who visits him at home for a few hours each week to play games on his Playstation and chat about the latest football news.

Stephen has always dreamed of going to a Chelsea game, so Marie Curie contacted the club to find out if they could grant his wish of watching them play on their home turf. When the staff found out about Stephen’s condition and what a huge fan he was, they kindly invited him and his family along to Stamford Bridge to watch

a game from the comfort of the family hospitality area.

Not only did Stephen have the pleasure of watching the game, he also met all the players, including his idol, Frank Lampard.

Stephen had a fantastic day. “It was brilliant; I got to meet all the players who all signed my wheelchair,” he said. “I was made up to meet Frank Lampard especially. It was made all the better because we won.”

The Marie Curie Helper service currently supports over 30 families in Liverpool and is always looking for more Helper volunteers to widen the service’s reach to provide support to more terminally ill people, their carers and families in the local area.

for more informationto find out more information about the Helper service in liverpool, email liverpoolhelper@mariecurie.org.uk or call the service number on 0845 634 9813 (monday-friday, 9am-5pm).

FOOTBALL FAN: Stephen Airey

with Chelsea player Frank

Lampard

non-cancer patients in scotland are missing out on palliative care new research published by marie curie cancer care, the university of edinburgh and nHs lothian reveals that only a fifth of non-cancer patients in scotland get palliative care before dying.

The study, published in the European Journal of Palliative Care, is the first of its kind in the UK to examine the point at which patients are formally identified for palliative care. The research team investigated cases from nine GP practices and the cases of 684 patients.

They found that only 20 per cent of patients diagnosed with heart, lung, liver or kidney conditions (organ failure) or dementia either requested or were identified for palliative care before dying, compared with 75 per cent of cancer patients.

The researchers also found that the gap between diagnosis with a life-threatening illness and receiving palliative care was

In Scottish society, we need to promote a culture

that is less afraid of discussing death and dying.anne finucane

considerable and that many patients receive this extra support too late to fully benefit.

The study concluded that a gradual and long-term approach to phasing in supportive and palliative care, while continuing with other treatment, would benefit patients and their families.

Marie Curie Research Facilitator Dr Anne Finucane, who co-authored the report, said: “It is clear from our study that most people with a non-cancer diagnosis are not identified for palliative care before they die. These patients are missing out on the

benefits that a palliative care approach could provide, including symptom relief, as well as social, psychological and spiritual support.

“In Scottish society, we need to promote a culture that is less afraid of discussing death and dying. Patients and healthcare professionals should be encouraged to talk more openly about death and dying so that patients have a better understanding of what lies ahead, and are provided the support they need when making important decisions relating to their future care. More openness around death and dying will help patients to live as well as they can in the last months, weeks and days of life.”

Reference – Zheng L, Finucane AM, Oxenham D, McLoughlin P, McCutcheon H, Murray SA. How good is primary care at identifying patients who need palliative care? A mixed-methods study. European Journal of Palliative Care 2013; 20: 216–222.

PALLIATIVE CARE RESEARCH: Marie Curie’s Anne Finucane at the Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh

the findingsThe researchers found the following:l Most patients were identified for palliative

care too late to fully benefit – on average only eight weeks before dying.

l GPs said that introducing palliative care was fairly straightforward for those with cancer, who typically had a clear terminal decline but much more difficult for patients with other life-threatening illnesses.

l Some GPs found it difficult to raise and discuss death and dying with patients, particularly those with a non-cancer diagnosis.

l Both patients and health professionals struggled with understanding end of life/palliative phrases, further confusing the issue.

BULLISH SUPPORT: Robbie Hunter-Paul

People October 20138

News

marie curie shops reported the best income growth of the top 12 charity retailers for the month of july.

Charities taking part in the Charity Retail Association monthly survey provide their figures confidentially and are only told their own position relative to other unidentified charities.

Head of Shops Alec Barclay said: “This is fantastic news. It’s great to see that the hard work of our staff and volunteers is realising such

green-fingered volunteers from Homeserve’s Walsall and Banbury offices descended on the marie curie Hospice, West midlands to improve the garden setting for patients and their families.

The army of 50 volunteers, who were given an extra day’s leave as part of HomeServe’s Gardening Volunteer Week, toiled away in flower beds, spruced up garden benches and worked in the hospice restaurant.

HomeServe helped out by donating over £5,000 for materials such as soil improver, compost and plants. HomeServe plumbing and drainage engineer Albert Hill also installed an outside garden tap.

Volunteers were split into three teams; at the week’s end, the team that produced

income puts us top of the charity shops

Homeserve staff Dig uP a treat

the best flower bed was presented with the King of the Crop trophy by HomeServe’s UK CEO Jonathan King. Teams were judged by Jonathan and the Mayor of Solihull, Joe Tildesley. The eventual winners, The Passionate Perennials, were rewarded on the basis of effort, design and colourful selection of foliage.

West Midlands Hospice Manager Liz Cottier said: “Volunteers play a crucial role in helping with the running of the hospice and we would like to extend our thanks to all those at HomeServe who have supported us during the week. The volunteers from HomeServe have made a valuable contribution in the hospice garden and all their time and energy has helped to ensure that there is a peaceful and pleasant environment for patients and their families when they visit.”

HomeServe has extended its partnership with Marie Curie until March 2014.

NEW SHOP: Director of Communications Chris Dainty and Healthcare Assistant Diane Terse from the Marie Curie Hospice, Newcastle open a new Marie Curie Shop in North Shields

Volunteers play a crucial role in

helping with the running of the hospice.liz cottier

marie curie researcher Dr liz sampson has become one of a handful of women to win the William farr medal – a prestigious award for research that benefits elderly people.

The medal from the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London will be presented at the society’s annual dinner in May 2014.

Liz (pictured) works at the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research unit at UCL, and was nominated by the Faculty of Old Age Psychiatry at the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

“I had totally forgotten about it,” said Liz, “and then I received an email telling me I had won – it was a big surprise.

“It’s really good recognition of the work of the team at UCL. It’s going to be quite an experience to go to the society’s annual dinner – I have to give a short speech about my work, which will be an opportunity to raise the profile of the charity and let people know that we work with people with dementia.”

For the past decade, Liz has led Marie Curie’s research into dementia and end of life care. She has particularly focused on

the Worshipful society of apothecariesThe Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London is one of the livery companies of the City of London. It was founded in 1617 and is based at Apothecaries Hall in Blackfriars. Its members are mainly eminent physicians.

award for researcher raises the profile of charity’s care for dementia patients

the care of older people in hospital and issues relating to pain and end of life care.

“The most significant projects have looked at how common

dementia is in older people in acute hospitals and at their mortality rates. We have also done work on pain and behavioural problems, and the care that people with

dementia receive when they are dying,” she said.“We have found that they

have very high mortality rates. They are a population that would benefit from a palliative care approach, and hospitals have difficulty meeting their care needs.”

tremendous results. Everybody’s efforts are greatly appreciated.”

“We recently introduced a revised stock refresh process after market research carried out earlier in the year. While there are other factors contributing to our success, including the brilliant weather, I believe that the changes that we have introduced, supported by our staff and volunteers, have clearly contributed to this outstanding success.”

£5,000Amount donated by HomeServe for gardening

materials

BLOOMING MARVELLOUS:Gardening Volunteer Week brought HomeServe staff and Mayor Joe Tildesley to Marie Curie’s West Midlands Hospice

9October 2013 People

News

marie curie’s new Head of governance is developing a new risk-management strategy, which will run alongside the forthcoming strategic Plan for 2014-17.

Suzana Drummond has taken on responsibility for risk management, business continuity and making sure that care services are registered with the relevant regulator.

“Governance is about ensuring that we have the right processes, structures and systems in place to provide the highest quality services that we can,” she said. “It’s also about providing assurance to the Executive Board and ultimately our trustees that we are doing things as safely as we can.

“I am currently developing the charity’s risk management strategy – our first. It’s a major project, and it will be phased to run alongside our new strategic plan. The first

Head of governance to develop risk-management strategy

save £££s on christmas goodies

MANAGING RISK: Suzana Drummond

for more informationto request your free copy or order your christmas goodies, call 0844 415 7845 or shop online. you can download the catalogue direct from our online shop at mariecurie.org.uk/shop to get your 10% discount, order using the code: PeoPle13

santa’s giving Marie Curie People readers a 10% discount on all items in this year’s marie curie christmas catalogue.

You’ll find a sleigh-full of cards and gifts for everyone, whether you’re shopping for your partner, mum, dad, grandparents or kids.

Trading Manager Rebecca Keaveney said: “This year we have packed the Marie Curie catalogue full of all you

could need this Christmas. With a wide range of cards, decorations and great gifts your family and friends will love, it is fast becoming a one-stop shop, all from the comfort of your home. There are plenty of special offers to take advantage of too.

“The best part is every order we receive goes towards funding Marie Curie’s care for terminally ill patients.”

just a handful of the items you can buy in the new catalogue…

christmas cardsSend your best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.Mary and Joseph CCS590Robin on Spade CCS562

Winter berry candle holdersA set of two festive candle holders to decorate your Christmas table.AVS014

reindeer chocolate boxThe perfect stocking filler.AVS109

madelene floyd magnetic shopping listA lined, beautifully illustrated memo pad with magnetic strip.AVS042

reflexology socksTake the weight off your feet with these moisturising reflexology socks.AVS063

World map flaskStainless steel lunch flask. Holds 350ml.AVS065

farm dominoesBrightly coloured dominoes featuring a variety of animals. Age 12 months+.MVS687

stage will be to place all the risks across the charity into categories, and to look at how they might affect our ability to meet our strategic objectives.

“We are going to have to think differently about risk. It should be something everyone thinks about as part of our daily work.

“There is always going to be risk, but it’s not always negative. This strategy is about managing risk and mitigating it as far as possible. Risks can also offer opportunities.

We may make a decision that initially seems risky, but has potential to benefit the charity.”

Suzana is also working on business continuity planning to ensure that the charity can keep vital services running throughout a serious incident.

“Previously the focus has been on getting plans in place,” she explained. “We are now looking at making sure we carry out exercises to find out whether we are following our plans, and whether they need to be adapted. We need to be confident that we are robust and can cope with anything.”

Suzana has worked for Marie Curie for eight years, and was promoted to her new role from the post of Governance Lead, covering similar areas of responsibility.

“This is a more strategic role and it’s certainly going to be a challenge,” she said.

We are going to have to think

differently about risk. It should be a part of everyone’s daily work. suzana DrummonD

Was £6.50

noW £5.85

Was £3.99

noW £3.59

Was £3.99

noW £3.59

Was £7.00

noW £6.30

Was £4.99

noW £4.49

Was £6.00

noW £5.40

Was £9.99

noW £8.99

People October 201312

Food for thought

Recipe of the month... Banana Caramel Cookie Slice Suzy Pelta was this year’s official Blooming Great Tea Party blogger, so she knows a thing or two about baking a good cake. Here, she shares one of her favourite recipes with us.

MUSIC FAN: Brian Curran has a full playlist to keep him entertained on the island

TOP BAKER: Suzy Pelta

SWEET TREAT: The banana caramel cookie slices

STEP ONE – CHECK THE CABLES The easiest first step you can take is to check all related cables and connections. Ensure that all power cables, network cables and peripheral connections work. If your computer does not start, check the power cord and make sure that the outlet works.

STEP TWO – ISOLATE THE PROBLEMFor example, if you can’t get the cursor to move on the screen, try to determine if the issue is with the mouse. When trying to isolate the problem, only make one change at a time.

STEP THREE – TAKE NOTESIf you get error messages, write down as much information as possible. If your attempts at troubleshooting don’t work, you may need the information when you contact IT Servicedesk. Most of the time, problems can be fixed by simply closing and reopening the program, or shutting down and re-starting your PC.

If a program is completely unresponsive, press (and hold)

SONGI’ve picked five. First, Cooksferry Queen – a perfect song by Richard Thompson, which would remind me of many times with special friends at York University

Second, Mao Tse Tung Said by Alabama 3. I’m fascinated by this band’s lyrics and music production.

Then there’s Blind Sighted Faith by The Dunwells. They’re a great Leeds band who I get to see as often as possible. And fourth is Eddy Vortex by Steve Gibbons Band. I spent a lot of happy years in London and regularly saw this band. I was fortunate enough to sing backing vocals on one of their albums.

Finally, Sheila by Jamie T would remind me of my family, especially Joe, my 14-year-old son.

A BOOKHow to Build a Boat By Hand. I don’t want to be on my own for ever and will want to get back to civilisation. I’ll build a boat, return home and play harmonica with my dear friend Ricky Cool.

How do I… troubleshoot issues with my PC?

Desert island essentials

Andy Hart, IT Account Manager, provides a useful three-step guide to PC troubleshooting.

Imagine you’re marooned on a desert island. What items would you want with you? Is there a song, book or film couldn’t you live without? What luxury item would you need in your beach shack? We asked Brian Curran, Regional Corporate Development Manager North, to tell us the things he couldn’t live without.

Control+Alt+Delete to open the Task Manager. Select the program that isn’t working and click End Task (if using a Mac, press Option+Command+Esc to open a similar dialog box).

FOR MORE INFORMATIONIf you don’t feel comfortable trying any of the above, or you just don’t have the time when you experience an issue, then you should contact the Marie Curie IT Servicedesk. Call 0845 634 2558 or email itservicedesk@mariecurie.org.uk

FOR MORE INFORMATIONYou can find out more about Suzy’s delectable recipes by visiting suzypeltabakes.com or bakewithsuzy.com or by following Suzy on Twitter (@SuzyPelta) and Facebook (facebook.com/suzypeltabakes).

A FILMWoodstock. I saw the film in the early ‘70s and was blown away by the atmosphere this first festival of its kind created.

The different genres of music was amazing but The Who and Crosby Stills & Nash stood out. Jimi Hendrix was undoubtedly the star of the show.

A LuxuRY ITEMA harmonica – one of my favourite instruments. Learning how to play this on the island will keep me occupied.

����

���������������������������������������������������������������������������������

����

���������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Sudoku answersBelow are the answers to the Sudoku puzzles on page 19.

WRITE TO uS Do you have an idea for the Food for thought page – a recipe or advice column? Perhaps you would like to feature in our Desert island essentials section? Write to us at people@mariecurie.org.uk

IT GUY: Andy Hart

INGREDIENTS110g soft unsalted butter110g caster sugar2 large egg yolksPinch of salt165g plain flour45g dark chocolate chips2-3 sliced bananas397g tin of caramel2 tablespoons plain flourNuts to sprinkle on top (optional)

METHOD1 Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. 2 Grease and line a rectangular

brownie tin. 3 Beat together your butter and sugar

until they are fully mixed.4 Add in the egg yolks and beat thoroughly.5 Fold in the flour. 6 Pour in the chocolate chips and mix

until you have the dough (you will have to get your hands involved). 7 Carefully press the dough into the

base of the brownie tin, making sure that the dough covers the entire base.

8 Put the cookie dough into the oven for 18-20 minutes, until it is a light golden brown colour.9 In the meantime, mix the caramel

with the tablespoons of flour to loosen. Slice bananas.10 Once light golden brown, remove the cookie base from the oven and turn your oven down to 170 degrees. 11 Place sliced bananas on top of the cookie base.

12 Carefully spoon the caramel over the bananas, making sure you cover all of them and the base. Once finished, carefully spread the caramel with a teaspoon or small spatula. 13 Return the tin to the oven for 18-20 minutes until the caramel has bubbled and has slightly browned. 14 While still warm, top with chopped nuts (I used chopped roasted hazelnuts). 15 Wait until completely cooled before removing from the tin and slicing.

CHEAT OPTIONSuzy has created a range of ready-to-bake tins containing ingredients and instructions. Bake With Suzy tins are available online and from etailers, including Hobbycraft, Littlewoods and Very.

13October 2013 People

Our team

BEHIND THE SCENES: The North of England Regional Event team in actionBUSY TEAM: Kate Gaynor, Sam James and Marie Steele

BIG EVENT: Supporting Walk Ten

for Marie Curie

One Saturday night in September, nearly 1,000 people watched a spectacular firework display light up the skies over Tatton Park – the climax of Marie Curie Cancer Care’s Walk Ten event.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, the events team finally finished clearing up several hundred pieces of cardboard firework residue from the field – and they were back later in the morning for a final litter pick to ensure they left the site in the pristine condition they found it.

On Monday, they were back in work, unloading gear from cars, counting cash, putting event photos on Facebook and sending out thank-yous to volunteers.

“We’re in a post Walk Ten daze,” said regional events manager Kate Gaynor said. “It’s a weird feeling – ridiculous exhaustion, and your body clock is all over the place, like jetlag. Of all the events we run, Walk Ten is the hardest.”

TOP TRIOKate has worked in Marie Curie events for more than a decade. Her team of three is completed by Sam James and Marie Steele. Together they are responsible for running events all over the North of England. They cover up to the Scottish Borders, including Northumberland, Cumbria, the Pennines, Merseyside, North Stoke, Sheffield, and a tiny bit of Derbyshire. Every year, they’re responsible for raising £800,000 for the charity.

The events fall into two categories. Firstly, there are the bespoke events, Kate explained: “These are events like Walk Ten, mountain challenges, skinny dips and the Whole Hog. We take charge of everything, from deciding on the concept to finding the venue, to working out the logistics for delivering it and putting together a product that will be marketed.

“We do a million and one things to promote an event, recruit participants and help people meet their fundraising targets. We raise awareness with community fundraisers and hold press launches, photocalls and face-to-face days.”

The other type of fundraising events are those organised by a third party, and include Etape Pennines and the Great North Run.

VOLuNTEER SuPPORTAs well as her team and suppliers, there’s one more thing no event Kate coordinates could function without: volunteers.

“We have armies of volunteers who come and work their socks off, giving up their Saturdays or Sundays. We couldn’t do events without them. We rely on them so much to help at cheer stations and post-race receptions. We’d be lost without that kind of commitment,” she said.

Sourcing and securing venues and enrolling participants make up the day-to-day life of the events team and they’ll do whatever they need to make an event pitch perfect.

“Once, we arrived on a site that had been grazed by sheep. Before we set up, we picked up all the sheep poo off the field for two hours, with plastic bags on our hands. We’ll do anything to make events a success – including the not very nice and back-breaking jobs.”

As seasoned events professionals, the team has also perfected some other unusual skills. “At every event, there are four or five gazebos. We timed ourselves once, and we can set up a gazebo in eight minutes from emptying the bag.”

The charity’s events season, which runs from April until the end of September, means that Kate and her team work most weekends. “We do have time off in lieu before our next event, but it’s hard to take when events are back to back and there’s work to be done – that always comes first.”

At every event, there are four or five gazebos. We timed ourselves once, and we can set up a gazebo in eight minutes from emptying the bag.KATE GAYNOR

SEEING THE DIFFERENCEAs far as Kate’s concerned, the finished product is more than worth it. “With events, you can see the difference you’re making. You can quantify it: you can see the participants, or look on Care, our fundraising database, and see the amount an event’s raised and work out the equivalent number of nursing hours. We also get to see how kind and generous people are.”

After nearly 10 years with the charity, Kate’s seen a lot of changes, not least to the admin side of events. “When I joined, it was all paper registration and internet dial-up, which meant I could either use the landline or the internet, but not both.

“We also didn’t have Care – we used to have Spreadsheet Wednesday. When someone registered, we used to type their details into spreadsheets in different areas, and on Wednesday one person used to sort it all out.”

But one thing that hasn’t changed is the regard people have for the charity. “People love meeting Marie Curie Nurses, which is why Walk Ten is so successful. It links in with the Marie Curie Nursing Service so well.”

The variety of the job is what Kate finds most fulfilling, but if there’s one thing she’d like more of is hours in the day. “It’s always a massive juggling act making sure this year’s events are a success while booking venues and creating next year’s portfolio. There’s just never enough time.”

Behind the scenes with Regional Events Manager Kate Gaynor

‘ WE’LL DO A MILLION AND ONE THINGS TO PROMOTE AN EVENT’

The North Regional Events Team

3 Members

18 Major events this year

£681,712 Fundraising budget

13 Counties covered

See page 19 for Kate’s 60 second interview.

People October 201310

Fundraising

Calf and shoulder muscles have been stretched over the past few months, as sporty fundraisers took to the roads – and a lake – in aid of Marie Curie

Superfit supporters have been running, cycling and swimming for Marie Curie Cancer Care in two tough challenges – Etape Mercia and the ITU World Triathalon.

In West Cheshire, more than 250 cyclists took on the first-ever Etape Mercia in support of Marie Curie, the event’s official charity partner.

Jenni Thompson, Senior Fundraising Product Manager – Events, was among those who jumped on their bikes to tackle the 111km (68.9 mile) course.

“It was an exceptionally well run event, with a really scenic route. The ride was entry level in general, but had a few tough climbs at the end. We started and finished on Oulton Park Race Circuit, so we had a fast, smooth start and finish

and, of course, fully closed roads, which is an experience not to be missed.

“I had a broken chain at nine miles. The excellent mechanical support team got me back on the road. But I was unfortunately still the last back – flying the flag for all the amateur cyclists out there.

“The incentives we offered for fundraising were really popular. Lots of supporters raised more than £350 for us, so we had unprecedented demand for our jersey.”

In London, 250 Marie Curie supporters were among 5,000 participants in the ITU World Triathalon – swimming in the Serpentine, then cycling and running around Hyde Park.

Fundraising Product Manager Tresa Gillam said: “It was an amazing event, and the atmosphere was brilliant. We had a

SUPEr SUPPorTErS CyClE, rUn and SWIMcheer station on West Carriage Drive, on the circuit for the run and the cycle – it was great to see so many people in our yellow vests.”

“The Marie Curie team had a photo booth at its stand. It was a good attraction, and many of our participants came to see us after the event for a picture. They had a real sense of achievement after completing such a great event,” Tresa said.

EtapE MErcia:cyclists Glen Groves, Karen Dalby and Sean Dalby; and (inset) a Marie curie supporter with her medal

For results of this year’s Etape Mercia and to register your interest for next year’s event, visit etapemercia.co.uk To read more about the ITU World Triathlon, go to wts.triathlon.org

50.5kmDistance covered in the

ITU World Triathlon: 1.5km swim, 40km cycle

and 10km run

952mPeak ascent of the 111km

Etape Mercia course

11October 2013 People

Fundraising

SUPEr SUPPorTErS CyClE, rUn and SWIMLONDON priDE:Nabeel Moosa was one of 250 athletes who took part in the itU World triathlon in the Serpentine and around Hyde park, London

Marie curie’s Jenni thompson takes on the 40km cycle

Supporter alfonso rosca pena on the 10km run

triathletes get ready for the 1.5km swim

People October 201314

Feature

Marie Curie was the principal charity partner of the St. James’s Concours of Elegance, a prestigious annual event in which 60 of the rarest and most historic cars from around the world converge on the lawns of Royal Marlborough House in London.

This year’s event supported four charities involved in cancer care, research and support, with Marie Curie hosting the opening night dinner for car owners and invited guests. The dinner grossed £275,000 for charity.

Highlights included Jeremy Clarkson auctioning three pairs of tickets for Top Gear filming for £17,000 each; and after-dinner entertainment from Marie Curie supporter Jon Culshaw.

Other celebrity guests included Top Gear’s Richard Hammond, actor Nick Moran, broadcaster Neil Fox

WE bEnEfit fRoM CLaSSiC CaRS EvEnt

(Dr Fox), actor John Standing and TV presenter Emma Forbes. Concours of Elegance was hosted by HRH Prince Michael of Kent.

Special Events Manager Stuart Edmonds said: “It was an extraordinary event, and there were

some very beautiful cars there. We were very pleased to be a beneficiary.”

Cars at the event included the Bugatti 35B that won the first-ever Monaco Grand Prix in 1929; the first Le Mans winners from Porsche and McLaren; a one-off

Ferrari designed for Eric Clapton; the Rolls-Royce used by Goldfinger in the Bond film;

and a Pebble Beach Ferrari 250 GT California.Prince Michael led the procession of cars past

Buckingham Palace and down the Mall, driving a huge 24-litre Napier Railton built in 1933.

Some of the world’s most unusual cars were on show in London recently – and Marie Curie benefitted

“i’ll be eternally grateful to the nurses at Marie Curie”

Mum went in on 4 August and died five weeks later on 11 September. Our perception of Marie Curie Hospices was that they were just where people who have cancer go. But they’re not. The nurses at the hospice weren’t like nurses at all – they were more like members of your family. We would regularly call the hospice and I would know who I was talking to by name.

All the staff there were fantastic. They didn’t give us false hope. We knew that time was coming to an end for Mum and the doctors were honest about that.

Mum had such a strong-willed mind-set. I asked her if she was scared of death, of

Mum retired in 2010 and bought a new caravan in aberdovey, Wales.

She enjoyed it during the summer of 2010 and for a bit of the following summer before her health took a turn for the worse.

In the same year that Mum retired, she was diagnosed with lung disease. She was unable to walk far due to her lack of breath, but loved walking with our dogs on the moors. She was seen by a nurse, Sandy, who did a lot of work with Marie Curie patients.

Mum adored her grandchildren and loved spending time with them. Ollie, her youngest, was just 13 days from his first birthday when she died.

On Mum’s last trip to the caravan, she was rushed into hospital at Aberystwyth. It was from here that Sandy made the call to the Marie Curie Hospice, West Midlands for us. Then the NHS arranged for an ambulance to take Mum to the hospice and that was where she stayed until she died.

GUESTS: Marie Curie Nurse Sally Monger-Godfrey, and her husband Steven

PROUD GRAND-PARENT:Sheila with her family

MAGICAL MOTORS: Rare and historic cars were on display BIDDING: Auctioneer Humphry Butler in action

moving on, and she said, ‘No, of course not.’ The only thing she said was that she was so ‘disappointed’.

I would travel from Cornwall to Solihull on a regular basis and so would my brother Paddy from Gloucestershire. Mum was a very dignified lady and by this point she struggled with daily tasks. Despite this, she was still laughing and joking with the nurses until the day she died.

I’ll be eternally grateful to the nurses at Marie Curie. The day before Mum died, the nurses gave me a card with some money in it that she’d organised in advance for my son’s first birthday. This was typically

organised of her – but she could not have done it without the help of the nurses.

The next day, Mum had been mostly sleeping. I’d visited in the morning and asked the staff to phone me if there was the slightest change in Mum’s condition.

I left the hospice to collect my wife and son, who were staying with me, but then I got the call to say that Mum’s breathing had changed and that they thought it could be soon. I had a big decision to make – to go home and get my wife and son, or go back to the hospice. I chose to go back to the hospice. Mum died an hour later.

I will never, ever forget the nurses for realising that I would like that phone call and for us to have the choice to go back. As a result, my brother and I were able to be with Mum when she died.”

£275,000The amount of money

raised by the event for benefitting

charities

CAR LOVER: Top Gear’s

Richard Hammond

MY StoRYJay Clatworthy talks about the difference Marie Curie made when his mother, Sheila, had terminal lung disease.

Jay and Paddy wanted to show their gratitude to Marie Curie. So next year, they’re taking part in the Land’s End to John o’Groats cycle challenge. to sponsor them, visit justgiving.com/SheilaClatworthy

15October 2013 People

News

the first phase of the two-year argyll and bute Delivering Choice Programme (DCP) has resulted in a number of proposed services and initiatives to improve palliative and end of life care in the geographically challenging area.

Marie Curie has been working in partnership with Argyll and Bute Community Health Partnership (CHP) and local partners since August 2012 to investigate the challenges of delivering effective palliative and end of life care, before improving existing services and implementing new ones.

Jennifer Layden, Project Manager for the Delivering Choice Programme, Argyll and Bute, said: “All the proposed

developments have been suggested and led by our stakeholders and are the result of widespread, ground-up community engagement. This means that all suggested improvements are a response to identified and specific local needs.”

The aim of the programme is to support community-based palliative and end of life care that places the patient and carer at the centre, and supports choice of place of death where this can be realistically achieved.

fivE aREaS of iMPRovEMEntSo far, five broad areas for improvement have been identified: changing attitudes towards the discussion of death, dying

online gaming platform and free bingo set to attract new donorsMarie Curie Cancer Care is set to launch an online gaming platform and a pioneering new charity bingo game later this month.

The new platform, Tickety Boo, will be the online home for the charity’s existing raffle and lottery products, as well as the new bingo game. The lottery – which has run in various forms for over 20 years – has now been renamed the Marie Curie Weekly Lottery.

Tickety Boo Project Manager Anna Marshall said: “The real innovation is the online bingo product. There is currently one other charity bingo partnership on the market, but we are the first charity to set up a bingo game ourselves.”

Marie Curie was awarded £120,000 to develop the gaming platform by the Cabinet Office through the Nesta initiative to help charities create innovative new ways of fundraising.

“We know that a large proportion of people who play online bingo don’t give regularly to charity, and they don’t respond to appeals,” said Anna. “However, they might give to a collector in the street or respond to something like Red Nose Day. We are hoping to capitalise on them doing the things they enjoy doing and the online spaces they already use. Bingo-related promotions have worked well for Marie Curie in the past.”

RESPonSibLEGaming Development Manager Adam Morecroft emphasises that the Marie Curie games are intended to raise money through responsible, low-stakes gambling. The site will not carry casino-style games. Limits on deposits and how much people can play are set at half the industry guidelines for responsible play.

“We want to reach people who like a flutter,” said Adam, “not promote hard gambling. Research shows that bingo

players are very good at setting their limits and sticking to them.”

People with a gambling problem can exclude themselves from playing or receiving marketing for the site.

SoCiaLThe average online bingo player

takes part once a week, for approximately 90 minutes and spends £2.91.

“It’s not just about playing the game,” said Adam. “It’s about chat and other social

aspects. We’ve enabled all these elements. There’s a younger group

of players who used to go to bingo with their mum or nana and want to enjoy that social experience online.”

Tickety Boo is part of a larger network of bingo games run by 888 Holdings – meaning that players on

the Marie Curie site will be taking part in the same bingo games as players on other sites.

“That means that there will always be other people playing, and there will be good prizes,” Adam said. “The games are run by experts in online bingo, which reduces the risk for the charity.

“We are hoping to test a variety of marketing approaches between now and the end of the financial year to see what produces the best return for the charity.”

and bereavement; improving support for carers; addressing transportation issues in this geographically remote region; redesigning out-of-hours services; and supporting care homes in their provision of palliative care.

As the result of stakeholder workshops in July 2013, a number of proposed services and initiatives are being developed as business cases. They include a new model for out-of-hours home care, training for carers in end of life care and the development of a volunteer-based initiative that will support carers.

tRanSPoRtation GuiDELinESOther initiatives are underway. One is to address attitudes to death, dying and bereavement through an awareness-raising campaign, including roadshows in 2014. A second is to produce best-practice guidance for transport in remote rural areas.

“This is a very pressing issue,” said Jennifer. “Patients at the end of life find transportation an issue. Due to the geography of the area – there are 26 inhabited islands – and irregular links, transportation within and out of Argyll and Bute can be challenging. Getting to Glasgow for an early morning appointment is difficult, time-consuming and, in some cases, not necessary.

“This issue is something that consultants and doctors need to be aware of if they are treating someone from the region and is an important part of patient and carer satisfaction.”

All the proposed developments have been suggested and

led by our stakeholders and is the result of widespread, ground-up, community engagement. They are a response to local needs.JEnnifER LaYDEn

foR MoRE infoRMationRead about the Delivering Choice Programme in argyll and bute at mariecurie.org.uk/argyllandbute

Services proposed in argyll and bute

The real innovation is the online bingo product. There

is currently one other charity bingo partnership on the market, but we are the first charity to set up a bingo game ourselves.anna MaRSHaLL

£120,000Investment from

the Cabinet Office for Marie Curie to

develop the gaming platform

REMOTE AREA: Transportation can be

an issue for patients in Argyll and Bute

ONLINE GAMING: Marie Curie hopes Tickety Boo will attract people who don’t normally donate to charity

People October 201316

Fundraising

A total of 658 runners took part in the Great North Run for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

They took on the world’s second-biggest half-marathon (13.1 miles), running from Newcastle to South Shields, across the Tyne Bridge.

Regional Events Fundraiser Marie Steele organised the Marie Curie support team, looking after runners as they finished. The weather was variable, with a cloud-burst early afternoon.

She said: “It was amazing – we had such a range of people taking part for us, from first-time runners to those taking it on for the 10th year. We gave them high-fives and a brew as they came back in, and offered them a massage from volunteers from Leeds Metropolitan University.

“We are in awe of our runners – a lot of them are doing it in memory of someone, so it’s not just a physical challenge, it’s a mental challenge.”

Keen driver Terry Dunn, 90, was the oldest participant in Marie Curie Cancer Care’s Ladies’ Driving Challenge at RAF Portreath.

The event challenged women to drive a variety of powerful and unusual vehicles – and to raise sponsorship.

Terry previously visited the airfield in 1940 to collect a patient when she was an

ambulance driver in the Motor Transport Section of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. She also used to run a garage in Truro, and was involved in motor racing speed trials hill climbs. She has driven every day for 70 years.

The Ladies’ Driving Challenge raised a total of £14,000.

Terry still has drive at the age of 90

Fundraisers get up and running

SHORE THING: Swimmers taking part in the Polkerris Beach

Pirate Swim 2013

IN THE FAST LANE: 90-year-old Terry Dunn

OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH:Marie Curie runners in Newcastle

PiRATes swiM A vAsT DisTANCeA one-mile sponsored swim across the bay from Polkerris, Cornwall, has raised an incredible £8,000.

The Polkerris Beach Pirate Swim 2013 involved a pirate-themed dash to Killivarder Rock and back to the beach. Every participant completed the swim,

while the safety crew basked in the sunshine as none of the 65 swimmers needed any support.

Community Fundraising Manager Lynda Thomas said: “The Polkerris team was so well organised, and I’m delighted that all went well and

such a great amount was raised.” The event was a collaboration

between Polkerris residents and businesses, led by Lynn Shillito.

Nearly 800 local people also enjoyed beach entertainment and competitions.

£8,000The total amount

raised by the Polkerris Beach

Pirate Swim 2013

£14,000The total amount

raised by the Ladies’ Driving

Challenge

17October 2013 People

Fundraising

Muse inspire bidder at charity auctionMarie Curie has benefitted from the sale of a limited-edition guitar signed by Devon mega-trio Muse and made by exeter’s master music maker Hugh Manson.

The guitar sold at auction for £55,000, with the proceeds split between the Progressive Supra Nuclear Palsy Association and Marie Curie.

Auction organiser and co-owner of Mansons Guitars Adrian Ashton said: “It’s actually quite difficult to take in the level of bidding and the generosity and kindness shown by the winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, who has pledged not only this incredible bid but a desire to continue working and supporting the two charities.”

Sarah Washington, Community Fundraiser for Marie Curie in Devon, said: “This is an amazing amount to receive and we were overwhelmed at the generosity of both Mansons Guitars and the final auction winner and, of course, Muse.”

Generous Joshua makes birthday pledgeJoshua Green, the grandson of Hampstead Hospice Development Board member Jeanie Rosefield, has made an extremely kind gesture to the hospice. He asked friends to donate toys instead of asking for gifts to celebrate his sixth birthday. These toys will be used by children who visit our child bereavement counsellor. He also kindly donated his week’s pocket money of £2.

£55,000The winning bid for the signed guitar – half of which went

to Marie Curie

Marie Curie’s new Havant and emsworth Fundraising Group has launched at a local emsworth garden owned by two of the group’s members.

Chaired by local resident Julie Robinson, the group was joined by Community Fundraiser Wendy Savage at the garden owned by Lucy Watson and Mike Rogers. Lucy and Mike open their garden for charity through the National Gardens

New fundraising group for Havant and emsworth

Scheme, which supports Marie Curie.Wendy said: “Fundraising groups play a

vital role in helping us deliver more care in the local community. It is heartwarming to know that so many people want to get involved and help us continue our work, and we are very grateful.”

The group’s first fundraising event will be a collection at Superdrug in Havant on Saturday 19 and 20 October.

eDF energy employee Lois Armstrong has raised more than £5,000 by shaving her head for Marie Curie.

Lois, who works for the company in Barnwood, decided to support the charity after her cousin died of cancer earlier this year.

“Having witnessed the effects of both the treatment and the disease on my cousin’s appearance, I wanted to do something meaningful,” said Lois. “I’ve had long hair since I was 16. So I took the decision to shave it off to provide a physical reminder for myself, my family and colleagues of the mark cancer leaves on our loved ones.”

Lucy Caslon, Senior Corporate Account Manager at Marie Curie, attended the event where Lois works: “I’m so touched that someone would make such a personal sacrifice to raise funds for us. The money raised by Lois means that Marie Curie Nurses can

provide more free care to people with terminal illnesses in their own homes and in the charity’s nine hospices.”

Since EDF Energy’s charity partnership with Marie Curie began in May, it has raised more than £68,000 through employee fundraising activities.

Hair today, gone tomorrow for LoisGARDEN CLUB: Members of the Havant and Emsworth

Fundraising Group

A CLOSE SHAVE: Lois before the head

shave (below centre), and (above) after the shave

l Alternative rock band Muse have sold over 18 million albums worldwide. They have won a collection of top music awards, including five MTV Europe Music Awards and two Brit Awards.

People October 201318

Inbox

sign uP for an overseas trekI would like to remind all Marie Curie staff that they are still eligible for a 50 per cent discount on registration fees for all our overseas events.

If you’re looking for the adventure of a lifetime, while supporting Marie Curie, do go online and check out our amazing range of treks and cycles – see mariecurie.org.uk/overseas

Events recently added to our website include our first-ever Niagara Falls-to-

New York City Cycle, in September 2015, and our Brazil Trek in April 2015, as well as the Grand Canyon 2014.

The events are really popular with Marie Curie colleagues, and they are a great opportunity to gain experience that will be useful to you if you are thinking of applying to be a Marie Curie Rep in future.

To qualify for your staff discount, you need to make a paper application (don’t book online) – just call me on 020 7091 4111 for more details.Janine goddardSenior Fundraising Product Manager

thinking ahead to sPringI know it seems very early days yet – but I’m asking all Marie Curie People readers to start thinking about the Great Daffodil Appeal 2014.

We are now looking for people to take on three vital volunteer roles for next March’s big fundraising drive.

We need collection organisers to set up

You won’t have failed to notice the barrage of news stories

during 2013 – from the changes to the commissioning landscape, after the introduction of Clinical Commissioning groups, to the panning that healthcare professionals have been given about poor standards of patient care. this was highlighted further by publications such as the Francis Report and Cavendish Review.

We are all well aware that the commissioning environment is undergoing significant change, and therefore it’s vital that we position ourselves as the number one in delivering end of life care. We are soon set to see both public and private sector organisations bidding for the delivery of care in England. Commissioners are looking for organisations to provide the same high-quality care, for the same price or less.

We are a charity and it’s important for us to remember this – not that I think we forget – but also to remind ourselves

and run a public collection in their town; box co-ordinators to drop off and collect daffodil boxes and collecting tins; and project co-ordinators to help us plan and organise the appeal across their local area.

The project co-ordinator role is an excellent opportunity to get experience of running a big national campaign in a local setting.

So please consider giving it a go – you’ll be making a real difference for patients and families.

To find out more about these roles and how to get involved, visit the volunteering pages on our website.

Thank you for supporting us.sophie kinsmanHead of Fundraising Volunteering

PS If you were a collection organiser or box coordinator for the Great Daffodil Appeal 2013, your community fundraiser will be in touch with you soon about plans for 2014.

Write to us Do you have a comment about the charity or one of our articles, or a suggestion for a story? Write to us at mariecuriepeople@mariecurie.org.uk. Comments and letters may be edited.

Here is a selection of the top tweets from the past few weeks. Follow us on @mariecurieuk or tweet using #mariecurieuk

Followers on Facebook are speaking out about the valuable support from Marie Curie. Follow us at facebook.com/MarieCurieUK

Hair shaved off to raise funds for @mariecurieuk. Thank you to the guys at Bannatynes Cardiff @DuncanBannatyne pic.twitter.com/F1fQkrUDGC

Receiving a call off @mariecurieuk just for them to say thanks for the support and donations over the years. Nice touch of them

@mariecurieuk honoured to be involved in tonight’s event at Gibside in the North east. A truly wonderful experience!

We are very proud to say that we have raised more than £68,042 to date for our charity partner @MarieCurieUK

Carol Lightfoot I don’t know how my family would have coped if it hadn’t been for the Marie Curie nurses when we were all burnt out. They stepped in… BLESS THEM ALL…

susan Birchall My stepdad died 6 and a half wks ago. Marie Curie was fantastic with him. My sons have done a sponsored bike ride, which was 127 miles. They raised about £825.

alison Mahraj Having just lost my mum, words can’t express how wonderful Marie Curie nurses are. Gave my mum the dignity and care she deserved in her final days. Thanks Marie Curie x

Mandy edwards Must agree that Marie Curie Nurses are made of care & compassion for both the patient & their families. Well done to you all xx

toP tWeets

faCeBook friends

Inbox is Marie Curie People’s forum for your letters and emails. If you’ve a brilliant idea or a question about our work – or if something is bugging you – email mariecuriepeople@mariecurie.org.ukinbox

Amy Voisey@amynormski

Wedding favours for @mariecurieuk in memory of my precious Nana Campbell. Perfect. ❤ Pic.twitter.com/ulcOugder3

Lou Moore@LouMoore_

Jamie Stephens@Jamie_stephens1

Jump The Q@JumpTheQband

EDF Energy @edfenergy

It’s important to remember we are a charity, but ultimately we want to provide the best service to as many patients as we can.

Looking for improvements while celebrating quality careCaroline Hamblett, Director of Services, drops by this month to give us an overview of some of the challenges we’re facing within the healthcare sector, and why improvements being made in Caring Services are important to the charity’s future

Caring serviCes

AWARD-WINNERS: Aisyah Scott, Phyllis McKirdy and Nadine Archibald

(p3) that we celebrated our three winners during the Peacock Awards ceremony.

I’d like to say a huge congratulations to them: Aisyah Scott, Phyllis McKirdy and Nadine Archibald. We had nearly 50 nominations highlighting staff delivering exceptional care and going above and beyond their roles to give our patients the best possible care. The awards demonstrated to me that we have staff delivering exceptional care every day, and that really is something to celebrate.

that ultimately we want to provide the best service possible to as many patients as we can. This is why we are constantly looking at ways to improve the way we provide our services.

As I mentioned, 2013 has thrown up many publicised cases of poor care, which is why celebrating exceptional care is even more important. That’s exactly what we wanted to do with the introduction of the Marie Curie Peacock Awards. You will see in this month’s Marie Curie People

TREKKERS IN ACTION: You could be on the next Brazil Trek

19October 2013 People

Noticeboard

sudokuto play: Complete the grid so that every row, column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. There is no guessing or maths involved – just use logic.

kate gaynorkate gaynor is Marie Curie’s regional events Manager for the north of england (see page 13). she has worked for the charity for nine years, seven of them in her present job. Q: What are the three most important aspects of your job? 1) The ability to problem-solve under pressure, 2) calmness and composure in the face of adversity, and 3) physical and mental stamina.Q: describe your typical day? The thing I love most about my job is that there isn’t a typical day. But today I’ll be checking the final details for this weekend’s Scafell Pike Five Peaks Challenge, and catching up on some paperwork now that the Walk Ten whirlwind has passed.Q: What do you do when you’re not at work? I can be found working out in a gym class, mid-week late-night shopping with my mum, or out and about with my friends – we’re off to Alton Towers next week. I also teach a weekly zumba class and I go ballroom dancing.Q: When was the last time you laughed? About 60 seconds ago in the office. My team are hilarious and totally crack me up. They’re great at doing impressions. Q: if you were an animal what would you be? I’d be a red squirrel. Q: What makes you happy? Sunshine, fresh air and hanging out with the people I love. I’m also a sucker for genuine displays of human kindness – I get to see more than my fair share of this in my job.Q: What makes you sad? Selfishness, cruelty and missed opportunities.Q: What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to run my own tearoom.Q. What’s your favourite pudding? It sounds like a cliché, but my grandma’s apple pie is the best in the world. I think it’s because she uses lard in the pastry. You can put on weight just looking at it.Q: What was your favourite childhood tv programme? She-Ra: Princess of Power.Q: tell us a fascinating fact about yourself. I’m not that fascinating, but I summited Mount Kilimanjaro a few years ago. Q: Which five people, alive or dead, would you like to invite to dinner? Tim Curry, Frank Sinatra, Robert Downey Jr, Sue Perkins and Tom Cruise.

60 SECONDS WITH...

Create and solve yourSudoku puzzles for FREE.Play Sudoku and win prizes at:

prizesudoku.comThe Sudoku Source of “Marie Curie People”.

Marie Curie People sudoku sponsored by:

Community Fundraiser Gemma Dyer in the North East team

gave birth to beautiful Ava Mary Dyer on 24 July at 10.50am. Ava weighed in at 6lbs 9ozs. Gemma says that Ava is keeping her and Dad James up at night, but the smiles are worth it.

Arlene Nugent, Senior Healthcare Assistant for the Southern Healthcare

Trust in Northern Ireland, married Damian Kelly in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Ballygawley, Co Tyrone, on 12 April.

Find the solutions on page 12.

����

����������

����

������

����

������� ��

����

� � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � �� � � � � � � �� � � � � � � �� � � � � � �� � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � �

����

����������

����

������

����

������� ��

����

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � �� � � � � � �� � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � �� � � � � � � �

Write to us Do you have a birth, wedding, civil partnership, retirement or long service to celebrate? Write to us at mariecuriepeople@mariecurie.org.uk

hospice treasures seamus heaney’s wordsthe Marie Curie hospice, Belfast, has a precious

memento of the nobel Prize-winning poet seamus heaney, who died recently.

Heaney wrote an original poem that was inscribed on a sculpture, The Listening Lady, at the hospice as part of a major refurbishment, back in 2007. It reads:

Still yourself, take time, be at rest. Enter the circle, unalone, a guest.

At the time, Seamus Heaney said: “I was honoured to be invited to provide a short poem inscribed where the Listening Lady sits. My words were inspired by the word ‘hospice’, which comes from

the Latin hospes, meaning both ‘a host’ and ‘a guest’. The words allude

to that deeply lodged ethic of two-way trust that is fundamental to Marie Curie Cancer Care.”

Seamus Heaney was born in 1939, near Castledawson, 30 miles to the north-west of Belfast.

Community Fundraiser Cara Henderson gave birth to Cody Allan

Henderson, who weighed in at 6lb 6oz on 1 September. Cody was 10 days early. Mum, Dad (Mike) and baby are all well.

Angela Aldred, Regular Giving

Manager with Marie Curie for over 17 years, married her partner, Peter Windsor, in a civil service at Swinfen Hall Hotel, Lichfield, Staffordshire on 12 July. The happy couple enjoyed a two-week honeymoon in Barbados.

SCULPTURE: The Listening Lady

Marie Curie Nurses cared for Brian – with Val at his bedside – during his final days. Half of all our nursing care is funded by gifts in Wills.

Marie Curie is offering all its employees the opportunity to make a simple Will, free of charge, throughout October.

To take advantage of the special offer, call 0800 716 146 or talk to your regional Legacy Advisor.

Char

ity

reg

no. 2

0799

4 (E

ngla

nd &

Wal

es),

SC03

8731

(Sco

tland

) S3

15k

MarieCurieUK @mariecurieuk

Free Will offer to all staff in October

Marie Curie Cancer Care provides high quality nursing, totally free, to give people with terminal illnesses the choice of dying at home, supported by their families.

S315bk_Legacies Monthly Campaign MCP_Ad4.indd 1 19/09/2013 13:25

Charity reg no. 207994 (E

ngland & W

ales), SC

038731 (Scotland) S

383