News story Archives - St Ann's Hospice

St Ann’s Hospice calls on community to help after Facebook page is deleted

November 15, 2023 | 3:42pm

UPDATE

We did it! Our old Facebook page is back!

We are absolutely blown away by the support we have received from our wonderful community. We could not have done it without you!

We would like to give a special thanks to the Manchester Evening News for coming to the rescue and helping us get our page back up and running.

If you’re not already, come and join us over at www.facebook.com/stannshospice

Now it’s time to conquer the next challenge together… We’ve have set ourselves the target of reaching £1m for our new hospice appeal before Christmas.

If this week has shown us anything, it’s that we have an amazing community around us – thank you everyone.

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St Ann’s Hospice’s Facebook page has been unpublished by Meta. The page is now not visible on Facebook and the hospice has lost the ability to communicate with the almost 18,000 people following the page.

We’re now calling on our supporters and the people in our community to like the new page at www.facebook.com/stannshospiceuk

Signs of a problem first started a couple of months ago when Facebook flagged posts by St Ann’s Hospice for ‘violating community standards due to adult nudity and sexual content’.

It goes without saying that St Ann’s Hospice was not posting anything like this, and the images in question were of our amazing supporters walking and running to fundraise for us wearing shorts and vests.

The first time this happened Facebook support reassured the St Ann’s Hospice team that the content wasn’t inappropriate and not to worry. Fast forward to last week and a similar image was flagged again, but this time the page was deleted.

We would love to be given the opportunity to rectify any problems with the account, but getting in touch with Facebook now the page has been unpublished is proving impossible. It is so disappointing that we have lost this community of nearly 18,000 followers and we can’t speak to anyone at Facebook to find a way forward.

Gemma Peers, Head of Marketing and Communications

We’re now counting on our supporters to rebuild a new community on Facebook with our new page www.facebook.com/stannshospiceuk

We’re asking people to like the page, share the new page with friends and family and encourage as many people as possible to show their support.

It is so disappointing what has happened, but we must now move on and build a new page. We rely on our social media channels not only to spread the word about the incredible work being done at St Ann’s, but also to fundraise directly through Facebook fundraisers, so we can’t sit around waiting and hoping that the old page will be reinstated.

Gemma Peers, Head of Marketing and Communications

Gemma continued: “We are at a really important time of year for fundraising for the hospice, with our Light up a Life services coming up soon at the beginning of December and our Christmas appeal launching as well.

“Plus, we are at a really exciting stage for our plans to build a new hospice at Heald Green, with building work due to start in the new year. We are almost halfway to our milestone of raising £2m from our public fundraising appeal – Build it Together – to help fund this amazing new hospice for our patients and their loved ones.

“We have an amazing community of supporters who do so much for us, so we know we will have their full backing as we rebuild our Facebook page. I think we can all work together to create an even bigger and better following.”

Above: One of the images that was flagged by Facebook for ‘adult nudity and sexual content’

Together give £50,000 in latest donation to Build it Together appeal

November 7, 2023 | 12:01pm

Together have sponsored three rooms within the new building totalling £105,000, with the company donating even more money to the charity.

Cheadle-based Together has offered specialist personal and business loans for 50 years. This is the third donation that we have received from the company, which has previously sponsored a counselling room and a family breakout room for the new hospice building through their staff’s fundraising efforts.

With this new donation of £50,000, we will also be building a family overnight room in our new hospice site in Heald Green.

Emma Dixon, Director of Clinical Services at St Ann’s Hospice, says: “I want to thank Together for the incredible amount of money they have raised to go to our new hospice.

“The difference these rooms will make to our patients, our families and our staff here at the hospice is indescribable.

“The counselling room will allow for a comfortable room for patients, families and those that need our support, to meet their counsellors and to receive one-to-one support in a comfortable and safe environment.

“The family breakout area is much-needed for our hospice. Our current build has no private areas for families, meaning families are often crowded together in a bay with other patients and families, or put into a side room where there is no space at all.

“This breakout area will allow patients and families to celebrate being with each other to spend valuable time together and do normal fun activities that families would do if they were at home.

The overnight room, which is Together’s third donation, will be incredible for the new building. For many patients an overnight stay with their families is really needed to allow them to spend time together as a family and spend time with their loved ones at what is quite often one of the hardest times they will experience.
Patients will now be able to stay in a comfortable and safe environment, either with family members staying with them or just down the corridor from them. The difference this room will make will be unbelievable so thank you Together Money for this incredible donation.

Emma Dixon, Director of Clinical Services

The Build it Together campaign, which launched in June 2022, has already raised more than £800,000 and we’re urging people across Greater Manchester to get involved.

Sarah Nield, Group Chief Compliance Officer at Together, said: “St Ann’s Hospice provides exceptional support to patients and their loved ones who are going through the hardest of times, and we are proud to play our part in supporting them in the creation of this new overnight room.

“Supporting a local charity is very important to us and we’re so glad to provide St Ann’s with the much-needed funds to build the counselling room, the breakout area and now the overnight room.”

The long-term project at St Ann’s Hospice will transform the end-of-life care experience for future generations of patients. To find out more information on how you can help with our Build It Together appeal, see here.

Striking a pose for the new hospice

November 3, 2023 | 1:10pm

St Ann’s Hospice are delighted to announce that £3660 was raised from our night of fashion and fun at John Lewis Cheadle.

The catwalk show featured doctors, nurses, volunteers and other members of the St Ann’s team modelling festive fashions from across John Lewis’s women’s, men’s and children’s wear ranges.

Funds raised at the event will be going towards our Build it Together campaign, which is raising the final £2 million that we need to build a much-needed new hospice in Heald Green, Stockport.

Lesley Jackson, Outpatient Clinical Services Secretary, took part as a model for the Fashion Show.

I’ve worked for 20 years at the Heald Green site, so I see every day how our current building is deteriorating and how essential it is that we get a new hospice built for our local communities. I jumped at the chance to model at the John Lewis Fashion Show – what a treat to do something different, raise vital funds and get my hair and make up done!

Lesley Jackson, Outpatient Clinical Services Secretary

The models were glammed up on the night by John Lewis’s premium makeup concessions in store, before having a drinks reception and getting dressed in their outfits for the two shows – Autumn/Winter Fashion and Party Wear.

Attendees enjoyed entertainment from the Crystal Chords Barbershop Chorus during a drinks reception and the interval, as well as hand massages provided by the St Ann’s Complementary Therapy Team and Clarins.

We’re so grateful to John Lewis Cheadle for supporting us to raise funds for our much-needed new building. We’d also like to thank our St Ann’s colleagues, Celine and Beverly at Glossy, Crystal Chords, and everyone who came to the event for their help and support in ensuring we will be here providing specialist support and care for generations. What an amazing show!

Anne-Marie Wynne, Head of Fundraising and Capital Campaign

The Build It Together campaign, which launched in June 2022, has already raised more than £800,000 and we’re urging people across Greater Manchester to get involved. To find more information on how you can help, see here.

Frogtastic Inventions: Stockport’s frog auction raising money for St Ann’s Hospice with Colin da Frog!

November 1, 2023 | 4:27pm

You could be the lucky winner of Colin da Frog and raise money for St Ann’s Hospice at the same time!

In 2021, St Ann’s Hospice had the honour of working with the fantastic team from Totally Stockport as part of the 2021 Gigantic Leap Art Trail.

St Ann’s Hospice was the beneficiary of the trail which raised over £38,000 as a result of the frog’s auction and a host of other contributions from frog-related fundraising activities in schools and businesses in Stockport.

This year, the auction proceeds of each frog who was part of this summer’s Frogtastic Inventions Trail has been assigned to a different charity, helping even more communities benefit from this summer’s frog art trail.

We are delighted to benefit once again from Totally Stockport’s generosity, with our assigned frog “Colin Da Frog”. All proceeds from the sale will go towards our hospice to help fund the services we provide for our community.

Marie Foster, Innovation & Digital Fundraiser

“Colin Da Frog”, designed by Claire Byrom, represents the invention of the calendar, with great detail that embraces the Mayan/Aztec and Mesoamerican cultures.

The design is based on the Aztec Sun Stone, also known as the Calendar Stone, a round stone slab that measures about 12 feet in diameter and weighs over 24 tons.

Each frog this year is perched on its cog, and will be kept safe for the lucky bidders who will have the chance to own a piece of Stockport’s history and a unique piece of art.

Other local charities that are benefiting from the proceeds of the auction include Stockport MIND, Stockport Community County Trust and Stockport Without Abuse.

For more information on how you can bid for Colin da Frog and donate to St Ann’s Hospice, please see the link here.

Help pedal St Ann’s Hospice to the finish line by taking on the Tour de Manc 2024

November 1, 2023 | 3:28pm

St Ann’s Hospice are calling for people to sign up to next year’s event to secure their place for the biggest Tour de Manc yet and help fund the new hospice building that is so desperately needed.

The total raised from the event this year was made up of a kind donation from Tour de Manc to the hospice, and from the dedicated riders that donated through their sponsorships.

Nearly 1700 riders took part in this year’s Tour de Manc, with St Ann’s Hospice proud to have over 45 riders take on the challenging routes to raise money for their Build It Together campaign.

The campaign is raising the final £2 million that the charity needs to build a much-needed new hospice in Heald Green, Stockport. This will replace their current Victorian building which is in urgent need of replacement as there are continual and costly repairs. The current building is no longer fit for purpose and presents a real risk to the future of St Ann’s Hospice.

The charity are aiming for next year’s Tour de Manc on the 5th May to be even bigger and are encouraging riders to sign up to take on the challenge for St Ann’s.

Registration for Tour de Manc 2024 is now open, with an early bird offer running until the end of the month with an additional £5 off Tour De Manc prices when you sign up via St Ann’s Hospice.

There are four routes that riders can take on, which will be new and improved for next year’s event. These include The Mad Manc (205km), the Classic Manc (175km), The Manc Challenge (120km) and The Northern Quarter (52km).

Team St Ann’s will be bringing the party on the day with supporters cheering on at the start and finish line. There will also be a team from St Ann’s supplying well-earned refreshments at the Bolton feed station again, which the Classic Manc and Mad Manc ride past.

We can’t thank Tour de Manc enough for having us as one of their headline charities, we are so glad we get to celebrate this year’s Tour de Manc with them as the biggest event yet. We are so excited for Tour de Manc 2024 as this will be even bigger and better! By taking part and raising money for our hospice you could help get us over the line with the money we need to build our new hospice in Heald Green.

Liz Greenwood, Capital Partnerships Fundraiser for St Ann’s

I thoroughly enjoy speaking to the riders who finish and give them their medals – it really is a joy. Although, I don’t think the best part is on the day; for me that’s handing over the money to the charities we have supported, knowing it will be put towards vital projects that will support those in need.

Tony Rubins, Co-Founder and Co-Organiser of Tour de Manc

If you’d like to claim your early bird offer and cycle for St Ann’s Hospice in next year’s Tour de Manc visit https://www.sah.org.uk/TDM or contact the fundraising team on events@sah.org.uk.

Great success with Autumn Fair as over £4,600 is raised

October 20, 2023 | 9:42pm

Our Autumn Fair took place on Saturday 30^th September to raise money for our Build it Together new hospice campaign.

This was organised by our Heald Green volunteer fundraising committee on behalf of St Ann’s Hospice for the first time, with an incredible £4,600 being raised and donated.

The day was filled with family fun with stalls, games, refreshments, a bouncy castle, and even a visit from the fire brigade and police for visitors to enjoy.

The fair was officially opened by Steve Bellis, Club President of Stockport County FC, whose mother was cared for at our Heald Green hospice.

Thank you to everyone who supported our Autumn Fair at St Ann’s Hospice Heald Green. It was a fabulous day despite the weather and everyone had a lovely time. We had so much support and it was great to see everyone back on site enjoying themselves and raising much-needed funds for our Build it Together appeal.

Julie Peters, Community Fundraiser

Harsha Shah is a member of the Autumn Fair committee and has been volunteering in our Fundraising Team over the last 18 months.

Each and every member of the Autumn Fair committee has put in 100% effort. We have been guided so well by the Fundraising Team at the hospice, in particular Greg Kelly and Julie Peters who have been encouraging and supporting us week on week.

Harsha Shah, Heald Green volunteer fundraising committee

I had previously helped at a few of the fairs so it was an easy decision to join the committee. We’ve all laughed so much on the committee as the weeks have gone by and made a great team I hope.

Lisa Cartlitch, Treasurer, Heald Green volunteer fundraising committee

Dushyant Mehta is proud to have been on the Autumn Fair committee, and is very connected to the hospice, particularly after his wife Asha was cared for in Heald Green.

In my opinion St Ann’s Hospice is an organisation which all should support. The care and support that you receive is the best, they treat you as part of the family and will always be there for you when needed. The staff and management team are very supportive and understanding, they will do everything in their power to meet your needs.

Dushyant Mehta, Heald Green volunteer fundraising committee

We’re delighted to have such an enthusiastic and capable team of volunteers supporting St Ann’s. The Heald Green committee have already started making plans for summer and winter fairs in 2024, while over in Salford, the new Little Hulton volunteer committee are gearing up for their first event: the Winter Fair takes place on Friday 25^th November and is sure to repeat the success of the Autumn Fair.

We’re looking for new volunteers to support our fundraising in the community, including collection tin volunteers, committee members and St Ann’s ambassadors. To get in touch and find out more information, email fundraising@sah.org.uk.

Nurses and doctors modelling at John Lewis fashion show in aid of Build it Together appeal

October 11, 2023 | 6:06pm

We’re so excited to be partnering with John Lewis Cheadle for a Fashion Show tomorrow evening (Thursday 12^th October) in aid of our Build it Together appeal. The appeal is raising the final £2 million that we need to build a much-needed new hospice in Heald Green, Stockport.

The catwalk show will feature doctors, nurses, volunteers and other members of the St Ann’s team modelling festive fashions from across John Lewis’s women’s, men’s and children’s wear ranges.

Our fabulous models have been attending their appointments over the last week with John Lewis Cheadle’s stylists, who have specially chosen outfits for each person based on their colouring and body shape.

The models will be glammed up on the night by one of John Lewis’s premium makeup concessions in store, before having a drinks reception and getting dressed in their outfits for one of the two shows – Autumn/Winter Fashion and Partywear.

Here our models tell us about what they do at St Ann’s and being part of the John Lewis fashion show.

I started at the hospice two and a half years ago. My friend and I really enjoyed doing the Midnight Walk this year and I raised just over £300. I decided to do the fashion show because I did one aged seven and it was loads of fun! I thought this would be fun too and nice to do something with colleagues. I think one thing you learn at the hospice is that life is too short, so why not?!
I’m looking forward to having some of my friends and family come along to the fashion show to support me – I’ve told them I’m doing it so it’s too late to back out now!

Roisin, Specialty Doctor

I’ve been at St Ann’s for three years now. I have done fundraising for St Ann’s before – I raised just over £300 for illustrating windows and doors in the hospice in Christmas 2020 and we couldn’t have Christmas decorations on the ward.
I got involved in the fashion show because I thought it was a good opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone. I have also returned back from maternity leave in the last six months and thought it would be a way to boost my self-confidence after having a baby. I also really believe in celebrating real bodies of all shapes and sizes.
I’m most looking forward to getting glammed up – and a break away from my two small children for the evening (who I love immensely by the way!)

Jodie, Staff Nurse, Heald Green Inpatient Unit

I’ve worked for 20 years at the Heald Green site, so I see every day how our current building is deteriorating and how essential it is that we get a new hospice built for our local communities. I jumped at the chance to model at the John Lewis Fashion Show – what a treat to do something different, raise vital funds and get my makeup done!

Lesley, Outpatient Clinical Services Secretary

I’ve been at the hospice for 23 years, since March 2000. I was on the ward until 2016 then moved to what’s now The Being You Centre.
I ended up working for the hospice after working at a hospital as a link nurse and going on a course where I spent a week at St Ann’s. I had had several bad experiences with people dying in hospital and not having the deaths they wanted or their wishes not being fulfilled. After spending the week at St Ann’s I realised that’s where I wanted to be.
I modelled at a previous St Ann’s fashion show with Lesley and another colleague in 2015, and we loved it!
I’ve fundraised and been involved in things at St Ann’s before. I did Born Survivor a few years ago with colleagues. It’s really nice to do something for someone you work for when it’s a charity.

Jo, Staff Nurse, Heald Green Being You Centre

I’ve been at St Ann’s for almost five years. I love my job for so many reasons! But, particularly because it gives me a unique and humbling opportunity to support patients and their loved ones at such a challenging season in their lives.
I don’t know why I said yes to walking in the fashion show as it’s really out of my comfort zone! I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve bene involved with hospice events like Light up a Life, and my husband has also done some fundraising for the hospice.
I’m just looking forward to having a bit of fun with my colleagues on the night!

Lucy, Senior Staff Nurse, Heald Green Inpatient Unit

Tickets for the fashion show are £15 per person and include a glass of fizz on arrival, a hand massage from the St Ann’s Complementary Therapy Team and Clarins, entertainment from the Crystal Chords Barbershop Chorus and a £5 voucher to spend at John Lewis.

They will be on sale right up to the start of tomorrow’s event at 5:30pm. To purchase a ticket, click here.

Community helps St Ann’s Hospice raise £750,000 towards new building

October 6, 2023 | 9:25pm

Thanks to the generosity of the local community, St Ann’s Hospice has raised over £750,000 towards our Build it Together appeal for a new hospice in Heald Green!

We want to be here for our community long into the future, and reaching this fantastic milestone in our appeal brings us even closer to making our new hospice a reality.

Last summer we launched the public appeal with the ambitious target of raising the final £2 million we need to future-proof hospice care for people in Greater Manchester. Our new hospice is not a ‘nice-to-have’ option; it is an absolute necessity.

Our existing Heald Green hospice has served us well, but it was never intended to be a hospice at all – it was originally a school. And at over 150 years old, and with Victorian plumbing and a roof that often needs patching up, we cannot keep making do and mending for much longer.

Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive, St Ann’s Hospice

We have been overjoyed by the response from local people, businesses, schools and community groups, who have really stepped up to help us reach this incredible milestone.

We recently held a new Autumn Fair at our Heald Green hospice, organised by a committee of fundraising volunteers, which managed to raise over £4,000 and brought us one step closer to our vision. But people in our community have been raising funds in lots of creative ways.

Our dedicated corporate supporters have been feeling sporty: Sellick Partnership facilitated the Manchester Professionals Football League (MPFL) five-aside tournament, raising more than £10,000 from that and their professional cricket league; and Sesame Bankhall Group (SBG) completed a 24-hour row-a-thon, covering 305,792 metres – the distance from their offices in Sale to the Isle of Arran – and raising money towards their target of £33,000 for a counselling room in our new hospice.

Manchester Central chose us as their Charity of the Year, and helped us to hold a huge discount flower sale following the Interflora Word Cup, which was held at the venue in September, raising over £1,700.

Local golf clubs have contributed too. Bramall Park Golf Club have been fundraising for St Ann’s for 20 years, and this year raised an amazing £19,500 towards a family room in the new hospice at their annual fundraiser.

People have been taking on all kinds of challenges – like Poynton residents Barry and Claire Hawker, who embarked on the 96-mile West Highland Way walk this summer, exceeding their fundraising target and raising over £1,200 by rallying friends and family to donate.

All of this incredible support makes a huge difference and brings our vision for a new purpose-built hospice closer to reality.

We recently took ownership of the land for our new hospice, next door to our current building in Heald Green, which means building work can start very soon.

In total, building the new hospice will cost around £24.5million. This will be money well spent. If we are to reach our target and raise the final £1.25 million we need, we will need the ongoing support from the community and local businesses to continue. We’re asking you to lend your support to break ground on the new St Ann’s.

If you could donate and help us to purchase a pallet of bricks, the materials to lay the foundations, or hire a skilled local workforce to build the new hospice, please click here or phone us on 0161 498 3631 today.

We’d love to see you at some of our upcoming fundraising events. We’re hosting a fabulous fashion show in partnership with John Lewis Cheadle on Thursday 12^th October. Tickets are just £15 and include a £5 John Lewis voucher and a hand massage from our Complementary Therapy team and Clarins. They can be purchased here.

If a company, school or community group you know or work for has not already decided on a charity to support in the year ahead, our Fundraising Team would be delighted to hear from you.

We’re so grateful for everything you have done so far, and can’t wait to break ground on our new hospice with your support soon. Let’s get digging!

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