Charity which runs Moggerhanger hospice to appear on BBC Lifeline Appeal

Allison Mann is service director at the hospice and hopes local people will tune in to find out more about the services they offer, and how they can help keep them running.

Allison said: “Being featured as part of the BBC Lifeline appeal gives Sue Ryder the opportunity to share more about what we do and the support we need to keep delivering our services with potentially hundreds of thousands of TV viewers.

“Not many people understand what hospices are or know about the care we give. Sue Ryder is there when it matters, providing palliative care from the very point of diagnosis, to offering expert symptom control during their treatment, right through to being at people’s bedside at the end of life, whether that be in a hospice like Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice, or in their home if that’s their wish.

“The care Sue Ryder gives does not end there either – we also offer a range of free bereavement services for those who are grieving, including an online bereavement community, free online bereavement counselling, a self-help bereavement platform and Sue Ryder Grief Kind Spaces, of which we have three in Bedfordshire.”

Allison hopes featuring on the BBC Lifeline will help Sue Ryder raise awareness of the issues people face when living with a life-limiting condition. She also hopes it will help get more people talking about these often difficult topics.

“Dying and grief are universal experiences, but too many people face them alone. Data shows that 50% of all people dying in England receive palliative, but estimates suggest up to 90% need this care each year.

“What’s more demand for Sue Ryder’s online bereavement services have never been higher – with a staggering 86% of people who have experienced grief having told us they have felt alone in their grief.

“I hope viewers who see the appeal will find out more about the support which is available to them, for free, here in Bedfordshire.”

Sue Ryder’s BBC Lifeline appeal comes at a time when hospice charities are warning how they are struggling to make ends meet amidst rising costs to deliver services.

“Currently, the government provides only about one-third of the funding that hospices like Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice need, and, like the rest of the palliative care sector, we rely on fundraising activities and voluntary donations to cover the remaining costs.

“Amazingly, our vital bereavement services, which thousands of people rely on each year, receive no funding at all.

“Sue Ryder relies on people running marathons or selling second-hand cardigans in our shops to keep our services open. This must change so we can ensure no one is left to grieve or die alone.”

Sue Ryder is encouraging people to tune into the BBC Lifeline appeal, which will be broadcast on BBC1 August 18 at 1.50pm to find out more about their services and the appeal. The appeal will also be repeated on BBC2 on August 23 at 12.50pm.

To find out more about the Sue Ryder BBC Lifeline appeal visit www.sueryder.org/lifelineappeal