Cardiff Blues nominated Charity 2010/11

Marie Curie Hospice, Penarth

Every year, in the UK, over 600,000 people die, many in avoidable pain and distress. Marie Curie's hospice and nursing services aim to provide more people, regardless of their personal circumstances, with the palliative care they deserve. Our hospices care for the whole person, aiming to meet all needs - physical, emotional, social and spiritual. We care for the person who is dying and for those who love them, at home, in day care, and in the hospice itself.

Penarth

The Marie Curie Hospice, Penarth opened in 1959, and moved to a new purpose-built hospice site in 1986. The hospice offers a modern approach to care set in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, with fantastic sea views from all of the wards. In-patients receive expert care 24 hours a day from a range of specialists who work as a team to help maximise quality of life. Nursing staff ratios are three times higher than in a hospital and friends and families are able to visit anytime of day without restriction. All our staff are specialists in palliative care.

What we do

The Marie Curie Hospice, Penarth, offers a range of services to people with terminal cancer and other life-limiting illnesses. The hospice actively promotes quality of life for people with cancer and other diseases and provides support for their families. Our dedicated staff provide a high level of knowledge and expertise, and our 'Well Being Programme' offers patients nurse led clinics, and rehabilitation advice, significantly improving their quality of life.

At Marie Curie Cancer Care, we recognize the importance of looking after the families and carers of our patients. We can offer support and advice for carers, including complementary therapies. Our hospice also offers a specialist bereavement service, and a social work and family therapy service. This bereavement service offers specialist support for children with a dedicated team.

Our care and expertise also stretches beyond the boundaries of the hospice itself, and we offer a community nurse service, for those patients who are unable to reach the hospice. We also offer a 24 hour advice line to support carers and families.

It is vital that we continue the development of the care at the Marie Curie Hospice, Penarth, so that everybody who needs our support in Penarth is able to benefit from it.

Key facts about our hospices

· All care is free of charge

· Marie Curie provides the largest number of hospice beds outside the NHS

· Nearly half of all people admitted to a hospice return home again, with the average length of stay being 14 days

The Cost

Our hospice receives funding from local NHS authorities but we have to find well over half of the daily running costs and all of the hospice development costs from charitable donations. Last year the Marie Curie Hospice, Penarth cost approximately £3.9m to run. This year, costs will increase and although we will receive around 40% of this from the NHS we still have to raise well over half of our daily running costs and we need your help and support to continue to care for as many patients as possible.

The Future

The hospice and our nursing services exist to provide people in the region with the kind of care they hope for, and deserve, when they need it most. We have made huge strides in the support and treatment of cancer patients but we still only reach 1 in 4 people who urgently need our help.

How you can help

Any donation is always very welcome and necessary to help keep the services provided. Examples of what different amounts can help with are as follows:

Average cost per hour for a home nurse £20

Average Cost to run the hospice per day £10,000

Cost per person per day £267

Cost per person per average stay £3204

(12 days)

How your support can make a difference

It's hard to summarise how appropriate care and support at the end of life can make such a huge difference. Below are just some of the impressions of the patients we have cared for in the last few months:

"The care my mother received was wonderful; I didn't know there was a place like this"

"You are all wonderful; nothing is too much trouble for anyone"

"I didn't know you could get so much support from a hospice, I've seen doctors, nurses, complimentary therapists and others who have all been so good and kind"

Raising Money

How far would you go for the Marie Curie Hospice, Penarth?

Following Cardiff Blues Chief Executive Robert Norster's recent charitable endeavors as part of the Kilimanjaro Climb, another Cardiff Blues employee, Martyn Bicknell, is joining 35 other local people on a 7 day trek in China to raise money for the Marie Curie Hospice.

All the money raised from the Great Wall of China Trek will help the Marie Curie Hospice Penarth continue to provide specialist care for people with cancer and life-limiting illnesses completely free of charge.

Martyn is doing the walk as part of a team, with three friends, Team BBJ. Please support the trek and raise much needed funds for the Penarth hospice by donating now at http://www.justgiving.com/Marie-Curie-BBJ

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it's the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So dig deep and donate now!

Many, many thanks from Cardiff Blues and Team BBJ for all your support.

Check out the following video which shows its not just a walk in the park!! http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/trekforpenarth

For more information about raising money for the charity contact Karen Jones, Community Fundraising Manager on 02920 426068or email Karen.jones@mariecurie.org.uk