My gorgeous, talented, intelligent, beautiful, funny and much adored husband Chris loved to help people when he was alive.  He died of cancer on 2nd September 2012 and I promised him that I would fundraise in his name every year for the rest of my life, to enable some of his kindness and generosity of spirit to live on.

St Christopher's Hospice provides a welcoming and supportive space for people who are trying to deal with some of the most fundamentally difficult and painful times of their life.  This is a difficult thing to do, but it is done with genuine thoughtfulness and a commitment to providing an holistic approach, acknowledging the wider impact of someone's illness on their life and that of their family and friends.

St Christopher's receives some funding from the NHS each year, but this only covers about a third of their costs, so they are really dependent upon the funding they can raise.  The services they provide are totally free to people suffering serious, life-limiting or terminal illness.  Chris partook of their art therapy classes - discovering a free form talent for painting, as well as being given the space to write some beautiful poetry and sampling a range of other artforms.  Weekly physio sessions were tailored to where he was at and what he needed health wise.  Ongoing support was provided to try and help him manage his pain levels and find a way for him to have some quality of life.  Investigations were done to see if any financial support was available to him, given he wasn't able to work after he was diagnosed, nor was he eligible for benefits. A wheelchair was lent to us once walking became more problematic, allowing us to get out and continue exploring, including an awesome Olympics adventure which meant so much to both of us.  Both Chris and I had joint and individual counselling sessions to help us navigate our way through a totally unexpected and indeed very much unwanted situation.  I continued to receive support for over a year after he died.

The brief outline of some of the support Chris and I have received from St Christopher's gives an idea of the breadth of support provided.  More intangibly though, they create a place where people are encouraged to live and be themselves, right up to the point where they are no longer alive.  They provided a comfortable space where Chris and I were able to be together for the last few days of his life, and their care ensured he was able to die without pain.

This hospice was the first of its kind anywhere in the world and is still
 regarded as a leading centre of support and research into palliative
and end of life care, with people from around the world benefitting from their training and research.  Supporting St Christopher's therefore also helps spread knowledge and improve the quality of care on these issues much more broadly.

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 - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now, any donation you can make will be gratefully received...