Former nurse who helped raise millions for Marie Curie remains passionate about charity after 25 years

Twenty-five years ago Christine Hamilton-Stewart MBE got a call from Marie Curie asking her if she would lead a fundraising drive to build a hospice in Bradford.

At the time, the former nurse was helping to care for her sister-in-law who was dying from liver cancer.

As a result, she gained knowledge of what was available in the palliative care sector, particularly to patients who wanted to die at home. Marie Curie was the main supplier of this service.

Mrs Hamilton-Stewart, who lives in South Stainley, between Harrogate and Ripon, told the Stray Ferret:

“The fact I had trained as a nurse and had experience of caring for end-of-life patients really meant that I could help, not only my sister-in-law, but various other family members.

“So Marie Curie was looking for someone to lead a capital appeal to build this hospice in Bradford, and I chaired that appeal.”

Raising £3.5 million

And Mrs Hamilton-Stewart was clearly the right person for the job, as she helped to raise an incredible £3.5 million in just 18 months.

She recalled:

“At the time it was a surprise to everybody, including me.”

Mrs Hamilton-Stewart is now a patron and vice-president of Marie Curie and continues to dedicate her time to raising vital funds for the charity.

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In 2011 she was awarded an MBE for her services to Marie Curie. The organisation is the largest charitable funder of research into better ways to care for and support people with terminal illness and their families.

‘We don’t prepare for death’

She said:

“I’m still here. I passionately believe that all patients and their families should have the best possible care and support at the end of their life.

“In this country, we all prepare beautifully for birth, but we don’t prepare for death.

“Patients and families who get the right support, I believe, are able to cope much better with very challenging situations. Having the capacity to volunteer for all these years has made me feel useful and I do what I can to help this fantastic organisation.”

Mrs Hamilton-Stewart praised the support of the community in Harrogate and North Yorkshire.

She said:

“We were the charity partner of the Grand Depart of the Tour de France and the recipient of Chris Blundell’s [chairman and co-founder of North Yorkshire-based Provenance Inns] charity clay day some years ago.

“The money from that enabled us to upgrade day care services, which are far-reaching.”

Marie Curie nurses in North Yorkshire are based at home, with the service for the whole region managed from the base of the Bradford Hospice.

There are currently eight registered nurses and 15 healthcare assistants in the county.

During the 2020/2021 period, there were 60 patients and 334 visits, equating to approximately 3,005 hours.

It costs £20,000 to hire a Marie Curie nurse for a year.

Fundraising is therefore vital in supporting these services.

‘It’s a fantastic organisation to support’

Mrs Hamilton-Stewart said:

“People are very supportive in Harrogate. We have two exciting events coming up in the town.

“The Yorkshire Brain Game will take place at the Harrogate Majestic Hotel on September 15 and there will also be a Last Night of the Proms concert at the Royal Hall on October 7, organised by the Harrogate support group.

“The pandemic devastated community fundraising, but we are so pleased to see our volunteers leap back into action. More are always welcome – to get involved, you can visit the Marie Curie website. It’s a fantastic organisation to support.”

After 25 years, Mrs Hamilton-Stewart said she has no intention of hanging up her fundraising hat just yet.

She added:

“Having the capacity to work closely with fundraising teams and medical director Sarah Holmes, we have so many exciting plans to improve our services. I’m excited to push on with our efforts to keep the funding going.”

Fundraiser

The Marie Curie Brain Game is returning to Yorkshire for a fourth time on Thursday, January 26 and for the first time in Harrogate in the newly refurbished Majestic Hotel & Spa.

Guests will be treated to a drinks reception before enjoying a gourmet three-course dinner.

Mrs Hamilton-Stewart revealed that Downton Abbey actor Jim Carter will be the main host of the evening, with the food and drink category hosted by Leeds Michelin star Leeds chef, Michael O’Hare.

The celebrity-hosted quiz will run throughout the evening and guests will also have the opportunity to bid for exclusive lots in the live and silent auctions, and win prizes in the grand raffle.

This black-tie event invites companies from across Yorkshire to come and enjoy an evening of brain-teasing entertainment and battle it out in the ultimate corporate quiz to be crowned Yorkshire Brain Game champions.

To book one of the remaining tables, click here.

Welcome to Yorkshire defends 2014 Tour De France following criticism

Tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire has defended the impact of the 2014 Tour De France Grand Depart, which ended in Harrogate, after MPs were told this week that the event had no lasting impact on Yorkshire tourism.

At an MPs select committee on Tuesday, Caroline Cooper Charles, chief executive of Screen Yorkshire, which champions the film and TV industry in Yorkshire, gave evidence about promoting the UK as a tourist destination.

Asked by Labour MP Clive Efford if the Grand Depart had a lasting impact on tourism in the county, she replied:

“In all honesty, I don’t think it did.

“It certainly put the spotlight on Yorkshire and people came to see the race. Probably for a short amount of time hotels were booked up and restaurants were full. In terms of long term impact no, I wouldn’t say so.”

‘Immense international hit’

Welcome to Yorkshire played a major role in bringing the event to Yorkshire.

An estimated 300,000 people lined the streets in places including Ripon, Masham and Harrogate to watch the race.

A WTY spokesperson told the Stray Ferret the Grand Depart was an “immense international hit” that helped to put Yorkshire on a global stage and “showcase its beauty to the world”.

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Legacy

The spokesperson claimed the Grand Depart attracted 4 million roadside spectators and the race was watched in 188 countries with £330m worth of media coverage.

They said tweets about the race reached 230 million people and the Tour de France Grand Départ in Yorkshire trended worldwide.

The spokesperson said key to the legacy of the Grand Depart was the annual Tour de Yorkshire races from 2015 to 2019.

They added:

“The Tour de Yorkshire has also been of huge economic benefit to the county and the tourism industry, further boosting the county’s economy and promoting spectacular Yorkshire across the globe.

“Benefits for the county during the Tour de Yorkshires have included record-breaking figures of 107.5m Twitter reach (2016), 2.6 million spectators along the route and a £98m economic impact (2018), plus a TV audience of 28 million in 190 countries (2019).

“This world-class cycling event is also so much more than a bike race – it’s about the crowds, the community engagement and that amazing Yorkshire welcome, plus it’s proved to be the perfect opportunity, year upon year, to let the world see Yorkshire’s spectacular countryside, stunning coastline, vibrant cities, pretty towns and villages, as well as its world-renowned history and heritage locations.”

MPs told 2014 Tour De France has not boosted Yorkshire tourism

Over 300,000 people lined the streets of the Harrogate district for the 2014 Tour De France Grand Depart, but MPs have been told the event has provided no lasting benefits to the region.

The Grand Depart saw riders given a royal send-off by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry at Harewood House.

Almost 200 cyclists took part, racing through Masham, Ripon and Killinghall before a sprint finish in Harrogate. It memorably saw Mark Cavendish crash off his bike on Parliament Street.

Since the event, other major cycling events have been held in the Harrogate district, including the 2019 UCI Cycling Championships, which has divided the town ever since.

At an MPs select committee on Tuesday, Caroline Cooper Charles, chief executive of Screen Yorkshire, which champions the film and TV industry in Yorkshire, gave evidence about promoting the UK as a tourist destination.

Asked by Labour MP Clive Efford if the Grand Depart had a lasting impact on tourism in the county, she replied:

“In all honesty, I don’t think it did.

“It certainly put the spotlight on Yorkshire and people came to see the race. Probably for a short amount of time hotels were booked up and restaurants were full. In terms of long term impact no, I wouldn’t say so.”

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In 2014, Gary Verity, then chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, the tourism body that played a major role in bringing the event to Yorkshire, said the event “will have a lasting impact on visitor numbers and businesses for years and years to come”.

But Ms Cooper Charles said Yorkshire as a county had failed to capitalise on the success of the event.

A Harrogate Borough Council report published in 2015 claimed £19m was spent in the district thanks to the race. A Welcome to Yorkshire report claimed £100m was spent across the county.

Ms Cooper Charles said:

“Once the bikes are gone, what’s left? It’s the roads.

“In terms of a campaign to sell the rest of Yorkshire around the Tour de Yorkshire leg, i don’t think that happened. If it happened there would have been a longer-term impact.”

The Stray Ferret asked Welcome to Yorkshire to respond but we did not receive a response by the time of publication.