In her monthly column, St Teresa's Hospice director Jane Bradshaw reflects on changes to the organisation's board of trustees.

 

THIS month, our long-serving friend and supporter Alasdair MacConachie has stepped down as the chairman of our board of trustees.

Alasdair has been a fierce and an unwavering proponent of St Teresa’s Hospice and the vital work we do since we were founded, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank him for his 15 years of service as chairman.

Of course, no one gets away that easily. I’m delighted that Alasdair has agreed to stay involved as our president.

I’d also like to welcome Dr Harry Byrne as he takes over the role of chairman, and wish him good luck in his new role over the coming years. Having served as a trustee of St Teresa’s Hospice and as a respected medical professional, we’re excited that Dr Byrne has accepted this new role.

It’s now only a matter of days until our Knockout Challenge – possibly the most wild, fun and wacky event in our calendar. As usual, the day promises enough water, inflatables, foam and silly games to entertain any mature, respectable adult. It all happens on July 28, from 11am, at Darlington Rugby Club’s Blackwell Meadows ground, so come on down and watch the games, have a go at archery, or enjoy a game of ten-pin bowling.

It was lovely to see so many people turn out to support the hospice at Big Biff’s Fun Day. This event was put together by David Woodcock and his family and friends, or ‘Team Woodcock’ as they are known. David decided to organise the event as a way to say thank you for the care his family received from St Teresa’s Hospice. Thanks to the hard work of David and his team, the day – named in honour of David’s late father James Ian Woodcock, affectionately known as ‘Biff’ – raised the fantastic total of £1,926.51.

If there’s one thing worth betting on, it’s that our annual Race Day at Catterick Racecourse will be a resounding success. This year, we raised a grand total of £4,361.16. We want to express a big thank you to everyone who attended, to our volunteers who assisted on the day, to everyone who helped us sell raffle tickets, and to the staff of Catterick Racecourse.

We were impressed to hear that Carmel College Cycle Club has successfully completed their Coast to Coast ride. The group of ten students, some as young as nine, cycled from Whitehaven to Sunderland in just two days – a truly inspirational achievement from some very dedicated and compassionate young people.

Finally, it seemed impossible to think about winter time during the recent heat wave, but our Christmas Cards arrived this month. You’ll be seeing them in our shops before long, but if you want to get prepared early for the Christmas rush, give supporter services a call on 01325-254321 to request an order form.