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.
‘Everybody matters’: Marie Curie’s UK medical director on why she has the ‘best job in the world’When Dr Sarah Holmes was on a hospital ward round and it became clear a long-term patient was dying, a consultant said they didn’t need to see her anymore.
“Outraged” at this, Dr Holmes, who had only recently qualified, snuck away and went to see her.
It was at this moment she realised she wanted to pursue a career in palliative medicine.
Now, just over 20 years later, she is a consultant in this field and is the medical director of Marie Curie Hospice Bradford, where she has worked since 2007.
In July 2020, she became UK medical director for Marie Curie, and combines this role with her ongoing clinical work in the hospice.
‘There is loads we can do to make life better’
Dr Holmes, who is set to move to Harrogate in the coming weeks, told the Stray Ferret:
“I just really wanted to make sure that people are looked after right until the end of their lives, not just if an illness is fixable.
“Even if the illness can’t be cured, there is loads that we can do to make life better. From working at Marie Curie for so many years, I see that every day.”
Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity. It provides frontline nursing and hospice care, a free support line and a wealth of information and support on all aspects of dying, death and bereavement.
Marie Curie Bradford Hospice.
Describing the work of Marie Curie, Dr Holmes explained that the team looked after anyone with a life-limiting illness.
She explained:
“A lot of people think we just look after people with cancer, but it can be any life-limiting illness. So I see lots of people with motor neurone disease or Parkinson’s disease or lung conditions. All sorts of conditions really.
“When you tell people you work with people who have got life-limiting illnesses, they say ‘oh gosh that must be really depressing’. But actually, it’s just an amazing job. It’s the best job in the world.
“It’s all about life and living and getting the most out of life.”
Dr Holmes said there were obviously sad moments, as they were looking after people who were dying.
However, she said there was an enormous sense of satisfaction to know that you had supported a person to die peacefully and comfortably.
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She added:
“You also make a difference to the family afterwards as well. We are here to look after them and make sure they get all the support that they need.
“People are amazing. They let us into their lives at points that are really difficult. It’s just an incredible privilege what they share with us.
“I feel really lucky to be doing this job.”
Nursing service
Dr Holmes said while the Bradford hospice supported that particular population, there was a nursing service in North Yorkshire made up of qualified nurses and healthcare assistants.
She said:
“In the Harrogate area, if someone was at home and dying, one of our healthcare assistants or nurses would go and be with them overnight.
“It gives the family a chance to get some rest because sometimes it can be quite hard work looking after someone all the time at home. So it allows the family members to get some sleep and be confident that their loved one is being looked after.”
Dr Holmes said the work of Marie Curie was vital.
She said:
“I think it is really important actually. Just looking after people at the end of life is really important.
“Whatever advances we have in medical science, we are all going to die at some point. We get care from before we are born, but actually I think sometimes not everybody gets the care at the end of their life that they should get.
“We feel at Marie Curie that we have got a really important role to raise awareness of the importance of that.
“Everybody matters and everybody should be able to get the care and support that they need right up until the end.”
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. 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 a table, click here.