“My Uncle Ted was a very friendly and sociable man. Everybody liked him because he was a real gentleman, and he would ‘wow’ people that he met with his knowledge and intelligence!”
“Uncle Ted first came to know St Clare Hospice after he lost his wife, my Auntie Lucy. It’s now approaching the 24th anniversary of her death, this September. She was only 68 when she died, and Uncle Ted was 71.”
“They never had any children of their own, but were such a devoted couple. Uncle Ted was so devastated when his Lucy died; we always thought that things could have turned out bad for my Uncle.”
“However, with the support of St Clare, almost 24 years ago, Uncle Ted was able to pick his life up again.”
“All that time ago, there was no Inpatient Unit at St Clare. Auntie Lucy died at home, with my Uncle nursing her himself. Yet, after she passed, Uncle Ted was offered bereavement counselling from St Clare – and it changed his life.”
“St Clare really helped my Uncle Ted to rebuild his life after he lost Lucy. They offered him support almost right after she died, and we don’t think he ever looked back after that.”
“Uncle Ted taught himself how to cook, and really looked after himself. He really did rebuild his life. He would go and spend a lot of time at his caravan, and walk along the river in Nazeing. As a very active man, he’d still walk down to Tesco with a rucksack on his back to go and get his shopping – right up until he was 91! He travelled the world, visiting South Africa and Scotland, and Malta twice a year. He became a good chef, and was proud of it – although he never gloated!”
“My Uncle was such a character, but it was with the support of St Clare that he was able to pick his life up. Although he must have felt very lonely at times, missing Lucy dearly, he was very upbeat and positive. He never complained.”
“When my Uncle eventually died, we found out what a difference St Clare had truly made to him. We found in his Will that Uncle Ted wanted to leave a £100,000 Legacy to the charity who had helped him to build a new life after losing his wife.”
“We knew Uncle Ted supported St Clare, playing the Lottery for about 20 years – right up until he died. He also supported lots of other charities, and was generally very aware of the world outside of his own life. Yet, it was so important to him to support his local hospice that had helped him so much, 24 years before he died.”
“We didn’t know what was in Uncle Ted’s Will, but when we found out, we weren’t at all surprised. We knew he would remember St Clare.”
“We were so excited when we came to the hospice to donate the money – as if it were our own! Our family were so pleased at what Uncle Ted had done.”
“Uncle Ted knew that £100,000 would be a sum of money that could really help the charity. He never forgot the support he received, and he wanted St Clare to be able to continue its work for other people. He had seen and experienced what St Clare could do for people, so he was very happy to support the hospice.”
“Leaving a Legacy for St Clare was Edward’s way of saying thank you to St Clare, for all they did for him. He managed to rebuild his life after losing Lucy, and it must have been with St Clare’s help.”
“He was so grateful, and such a generous person – always looking to help others.”
“We too, know first-hand just how vital the work of the hospice is. We have known many people who have been supported by St Clare over the years, including my mum who received counselling after my Dad died. In fact, many of the people who we knew, who died at St Clare, are on the Memory Tree.”
“It was only fitting that we decided to get a leaf made for Uncle Ted on the Memory Tree, too. At first, we didn’t realise that you could have a leaf for someone, even if they hadn’t died at St Clare. We were so pleased we were able to get one for Uncle Ted.”
“When we first saw the Memory Tree leaf with Uncle Ted’s name on it, it felt very good. We were so pleased, because it is like him looking over the hospice that he supported.”
“St Clare is very local to us, and we do come to the hospice to visit at various times in our lives. It’s just so nice to have a physical thing we can see and remember him by when we visit. Although we really do miss him, having Uncle Ted on the Memory Tree is our way of honouring his memory. People are not forgotten on the Memory Tree.”
“We would encourage anyone who needs the support of their local hospice to go ahead and get it. The support is there to use. So many people think that they won’t bother with bereavement counselling, but getting help is such a defining situation. It really does set you up for your life after you lose a loved one.”
– Margaret and John