Dr Heather Fairhead sadly passed away on 5th August 2025 after a short illness.

Heather was a talented scientist, business woman, photographer, gardener and friend, and is greatly missed in both her professional and personal life.

Towards the end of Heather’s illness, she received amazing care from the Arthur Rank Hospice (www.arhc.org.uk). ARHC cares for over 3,800 patients each year at their Hospice in Cambridge, the Alan Hudson Centre in Wisbech and across the Fens, in patients’ own homes via the Arthur Rank Community Team. The Hospice’s outstanding care is provided free of charge to patients and their families. This care supports people to improve their quality of life and fulfil their end of their life choices.

ARHC estimates it will cost over £14 million to run the Hospice’s services in 2025/2026. Contracted services from the NHS are budgeted at £8.1 million. The rest of the budget is funded through the generosity of the community, through donations, fundraising activities, retail sales, The Education and Conference Centre and Bistro. ARHC is also facing an £829,000 reduction in funding in 2026, which will impact the Inpatient Unit at the Cambridge Hospice, potentially reducing bed capacity from 21 to 12.

Please consider donating in Heather’s memory to ARHC, to support ARHC’s invaluable work and enable them to continue to provide their outstanding end of life care.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.