Winter Gathering is a reminder of what makes our jobs so special

Last week, North Devon Hospice welcomed patients and family members to The Long House for a special Winter Gathering. Mandy, complementary therapies co-ordinator, explains why it was such a special afternoon…

Throughout 2023, it has been a real pleasure to see The Long House return to being a hive of activity for our patients and families down in Holsworthy.

While during Covid, we sadly had to stop offering face-to-face services to keep everyone safe, this year, we have worked hard to rebuild our programme and welcome members of the local community needing our support back to our beautiful outreach centre.

Last week, we held a special Winter Gathering to mark the festive season and give our patients a chance to get together before the Christmas break.

Before they arrived, the Long House team and I spent the morning getting ready for the festivities. This included putting up our gorgeous Christmas Tree and other decorations, setting up tables and chairs in our welcoming Bradbury Room and preparing a deliciously hearty meal of warm winter stew, hot apple sponge, and homemade mince pies for our guests to enjoy.

At around 1pm, our patients and their loved ones began to arrive and were delighted to be seeing each other at this special time of year.

While some were regulars who have been attending one-to-one sessions and support groups throughout the year, others were visiting us for the first time – a wonderful way for them to receive an introduction to life at the hospice.

As everyone took their seats, the soft hum of chatter filled the air and made the atmosphere even warmer.

Lunch was served and as always, our guests remarked on how delicious the food was – a credit to our brilliant Catering Team who always pull out all the stops for occasions like this.

But what made the meal even more special was that one of our lovely patients and her husband had brought a selection of gifts to be given out to others at our Winter Gathering – an incredibly thoughtful and selfless gesture.

As the presents were shared, there were plenty of smiles and laughter as each table tried to guess what they’d received (minus the bottle-shaped gifts, of course!).

After everyone had finished their lunch and a final cuppa, the team and I said our goodbyes and wished our guests a pleasant and peaceful Christmas.

Just as they were leaving, one of our newer couples pulled me aside to say what a lovely time they’d had and to thank us for the work we do helping people like them through their toughest times not just at Christmas but all year round.

For me, it’s little moments like this that make our jobs here at the hospice so very special.

To be part of a support system that is vital for so many across our community is a real privilege and one that your generosity makes possible.

Thank you and I wish you a very merry Christmas.