St Catherine's News Update

Helping Alison Return Home

After a 30-year career with Virgin, Crawley resident Alison was looking forward to enjoying retirement with her family, friends and love of travel.

When her cancer progressed and a difficult hospital stay left her feeling shaken and lacking confidence, Alison came to St Catherine's Hospice for specialist palliative care.

"To be able to come onto the Ward at St Catherine's was a huge relief," said her sister, Sara.

With expert care, effective pain relief and a calm, homely environment, Alison gradually regained confidence and independence.

"Now that I am almost pain free, I can spend time with my family and grandchildren," said Alison.

Alison's stay at St Catherine's helped her become well enough and confident enough to return home.

"Most people think you come to a hospice and that's the end, but that hasn't been our experience," said Sara. "To be able to have the confidence to go home again is great."

Today, Alison remains under the care of St Catherine's while living at home with her family.

Thanks to the support of local businesses like yours, people like Alison can access specialist care when they need it most.

Read Alison's Story

Our New Chief Executive

We're delighted to welcome Natalie Blunt as the new Chief Executive of St Catherine's Hospice. With more than 20 years’ experience working across the NHS, charity and social enterprise, she will join St Catherine’s from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, where she is currently Chief Operating Officer.

Natalie will officially commence her role at the hospice on Tuesday 5 January following an extensive handover with Giles from 17 November.

Read more about Natalie's appointment

Could You Be a Hospice Hero?

Gather your colleagues and take on St Catherine’s Corporate Superhero Abseil on Friday 19 March 2027.

This exhilarating 100ft descent from the Sandman Hotel in Crawley is the perfect way to boost team spirit, challenge yourselves, and make a real difference for local people and families facing terminal illness. Capes, masks, superhero costumes or St Catherine’s colours are all encouraged! Corporate teams can also show their team spirit by wearing their corporate colours or branded attire.

Every participant will be supported by an experienced abseil team, so all you need is a sense of adventure and a willingness to step outside your comfort zone. With only around a third of St Catherine’s funding coming from the NHS, events like this help ensure expert hospice care remains available for those who need it most.

Ready to take the leap?

Find out more and register today

Christmas Volunteering Opportunities

We are looking for corporate volunteers with access to a driver and van to support our annual Christmas Tree Collection service, taking place between Saturday 9 January and Tuesday 12 January.

By giving just one day of your time, you can help collect Christmas trees from local residents in exchange for a donation to St Catherine's. This popular community initiative helps raise vital funds while promoting environmentally friendly tree recycling.

You are welcome to bring a colleague or assistant to help. If you are unable to do so, we can arrange for a volunteer to support you on the day.

In addition, we are seeking groups of corporate volunteers throughout December to help distribute leaflets in the local area and raise awareness of the Christmas Tree Collection service. Leafleting can take place during normal working hours at times that suit your team.

If your organisation would like to get involved, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us at corporate@stch.org.uk

St Catherines Hospice

Charity

news

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