I’m still in shock I managed to stagger around Dove House’s 12-mile pub to pub walk last summer so all being well this 7½ mile city centre walk will actually be more like a walk in the park...at night! Encounters with some of the nocturnal natives might be a challenge but there will be safety in numbers and all the protection luminosity offers.

I’m doing this of course in memory of my dad, Robin who was looked after by the team at Dove House so well in 2020...and things were extra difficult to do well in 2020.

On the walk last summer, I met a fundraiser taking part in the memory of her mum who one of the first people to be admitted back in the 1980s. Whilst this is a loyal commitment of much greater duration than mine, I can totally see why the feeling endures over time. From a time of great sadness, it is a surprisingly positive and affirming decision to take part in fundraising.

Whilst our contact with a hospice may be intense and significant, it is transient whereas the work continues for years and decades to come, with a constant stream of new issues coming down the tracks, just as in the past few months.

The bottom line for all UK hospices is that the vast majority of funding has to be hard earned through activities like this with “ordinary people” giving what they can. You may or may not know Dove House or even the area, but you might know what people say about the hospice local to you. You might even be a bit uneasy about the whole “hospice thing” and what actually does and doesn’t happen there. That’s ok as it makes deciding to donate extra special...AND HERE'S THE THING…

…people that donate to Dove House aren’t ordinary at all.

They are, and YOU ARE…EXTRAORDINARY!

You will be supporting adults of all ages and backgrounds who probably never thought they might need a hospice one day. They will almost certainly have fewer days ahead of them, and need to make sure that this remaining precious time is just that bit better than it might have been.

You can see that as you are an extraordinarily insightful and caring human being!

Every penny makes every minute in these difficult days so very valuable and cherished, not feared.

THANK YOU for giving what you can,

Richard X