Memories of Moya Cole: Elaine Sherard

Elaine Sherard has had a long history with St Ann’s dating back to when her mum, Rose helped fundraise for the creation of the hospice in the late 1960s.

During this time Rose had a few interactions with Moya Cole and always spoke highly of her.

Rose was employed by the Church of England as a secretary in Church House on Deansgate. During this time, Dr William Greer was the Bishop of Manchester, and Rose would have worked for him. Bishop Greer would go on to be heavily involved in the founding of St Ann’s Hospice.

“Bishop Greer announced that they were going to do everything they could to help Moya’s cause in founding a hospice in Greater Manchester,” Elaine said.

“My mum, along with all the staff, thought it was a great cause. It was quite innovative at the time,” she added.

Elaine’s mum would go on to volunteer her time after work to help with the hospice cause. She would send out letters to the public, and she would seek donations.

“They used to hold these big garden parties, and I remember at the time that everything was centered around raising money for St Ann’s,” Elaine said.

Rose also sang praises of Moya Cole, and said Moya would visit her team during various fundraising events and check how they were getting on.

Due to their efforts following the advocacy for a hospice in Greater Manchester initially started by Moya Cole, St Ann’s opened its doors in Heald Green in 1971.

Elaine would go on to have a deeper connection with St Ann’s as the years went on. Rose was diagnosed with cancer in the 1980s and was admitted into St Ann’s Hospice in 1986. Elaine was 30 at the time.

“My youngest son was only a few days old when mum went into St Ann’s,” Elaine said.

Elaine had been caring for her mum quite a lot during her time living with cancer but she began to struggle looking after Rose when her son was born.

“My mum’s old boss Mr Davenport rang St Ann’s and got her a bed. In my mind, back then, I just thought she was going to go in for a week, I’d recover from having the baby and then I’d bring her home again.

“I had my baby on the Saturday, I came home on the Sunday. Mum went into St Ann’s on the Monday, and she died there ten days later.

“I spent a lot of time at St Ann’s during Mum’s short stay. She was staying in a little four bed ward with other women. I would always have my baby with me and he was always passed around between the other women and nurses on the ward. He brought this lovely joy to the place.”

Elaine continued. “One morning St Ann’s rang and they told me they didn’t think mum had long left. When I came in, they offered to move her to a private room but I declined. Even though she had only just met the women on her ward, she had built a relationship with them. The other women patients held my baby while I held my mum.”

“She was given the medication she needed for pain, and she was able to slip away peacefully,” Elaine added.

Following years of fundraising efforts, Rose along with many others across Manchester were the cogs that got the wheel rolling when it came to the creation of St Ann’s Hospice.

Rose received what Elaine describes as a good death at St Ann’s Hospice due to the advocacy of Moya Cole and Bishop Dr William Greer for a hospice in Greater Manchester.