Keech Hospice

The Club was delighted to welcome back Sarah Phillips who has been to see us a few years before, this time to update our members upon the Keech Hospice Care Homes and their work in the Bedford and Luton areas.

Although having several presentations available, Sarah felt that a more “unofficial” address would be more welcomed by us and in that she was quite right as her chatty and refreshingly unstructured style allowed full reign to her enthusiasm and excitement about her involvement. Certainly, she spoke with emotion and very tellingly on the work of her colleagues in support of the 1800 or so individual patients that they had helped in the last year. The Hospice serves Bedfordshire and Luton although also extending into Milton Keynes. Formed from an idea and ambition in 1986, the Charity has prospered, developed, and expanded over the years to widen its activities and to a degree expanded its areas of coverage to now incorporate the Bedford Day Care Hospice with which several of our Rotarians have close connection.

Serving the area that it does, Keech Hospice prides itself on its diversity , especially important when one recognises that  some two thirds of it’s activities are carried out at patients homes rather than in the Care Centres operated by the charity,  There are also reciprocal arrangements in place with other charities offering similar services to the community, for instance the Sue Ryder home at Moggerhanger. 

Although with a special interest and involvement with children, Keech Hospice Care extends help and succour to all, obviously including the older members of  society whose needs are different to those of young families but who very much benefit from the specialised care, help and understanding of the staff and volunteers of the charity. This was touchingly illustrated by Sarah when she mentioned that they now have two “ cuddle beds”, these being extendable water beds that can accommodate two adults who can once again perhaps cuddle, hug  and touch each other in ways that are no longer generally possible for them in any other way due to infirmity and illness.  Such comfort means a lot in their predicament.

With running costs of over £7m per annum, some £19,000 per day is required to fund the work carried out and this comes from many sources, just under £2m from their Re tail shops of which they operate well over 50 and the sums left to them under Wills and similar donations. Additional to all that a wide variety of fund raising is undertaken by volunteers throughout the year.

Sarah offered to welcome our Club Members to a visit at some stage at which time we can be shown their facilities and accommodation including the refurbished therapy pool which is extremely helpful for patients of all ages.

The Club  thanked Sarah for her time and visit with warm applause, offering her a small gift as a token “thank you” presented by President Charles  

Rotarian Alan