Issue 13 March 2015 www.ayrshirehospice.org

Keeping our community informed

By Tracey Corrigan, Assistant Fundraising Manager

We are delighted to announce that the world famous dog “Kai” will be returning to Ayrshire on Sunday 14th June to lead our annual Waggy Tail Walk! After hitting global headlines in January of this year when he was abandoned with his suitcase at Ayr Railway Station, Kai has settled in well with his new owner Ian Russell and is delighted to be lending his support to this year’s walk.

On a recent visit to the hospice with Kai, Ian said “We are delighted to have been asked to help support the Ayrshire Hospice and it is very fitting that the event we support is the Waggy Tail Walk! Kai is very excited to come back to Ayr to take part in what I’m sure will be a great event”.

So if you want to make sure Kai gets a warm Ayrshire welcome on Sunday 14th June, sign up to our Waggy Tail Walk now! There’s two different three mile routes to choose from - one along the banks of the River Ayr, starting from Ayr College Car Park and the other within Eglinton Country Park, Kilwinning. And don’t

worry, Kai will be making an appearance at both parks! VIP’s (Very Important Pooches) are invited to be sponsored and come along with their owners to take part in the walk to raise money for the hospice. You can join either walk anytime between 10am - 12 noon and there will be treats for everyone along the way and a goody bag for the VIP’s at the end.

Tracey Corrigan, Assistant Fundraising Manager at the hospice said “To have Kai come along and support our other VIP’s is great. We really appreciate Ian and Kai taking the time out to come and visit the hospice and see the work that we do. It is lovely to see Kai doing so well after his

recent experience and we are thrilled that he is able to help support the Ayrshire Hospice”

Get along to this fun filled, family-friendly, sponsored doggy walk - you’d be barking mad to miss it! There is no registration fee but we would be grateful if each family could raise a minimum sponsorship of £20. Our grateful thanks to this year’s sponsors, Lawersbridge Boarding and Day Kennels and Hollow Park Veterinary Surgery for their continued support.

To find out more or to sign up to take part contact our events team on 01292 288488 or email: events@ayrshirehospice.org

Support Kai on his Waggy Tail Walk

Kai leads the way

Can’t make it? Don’t worry - you can sponsor Kai by texting WAGT15 £10 (or your desired donation) to

70070 or visit www.justgiving.com/AyrshireHospice

2 | General news

By Mandy Yule, Chief Executive

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) has published the results of their recent unannounced inspection of the hospice, awarding us awarded two “excellent” grades and three “very good”.

The unannounced inspection which took place on the 8th and 9th October, measured the hospice against five quality themes; information, care and support, environment, staffing, management and leadership. As part of their two day visit, inspectors spoke with patients, carers, employed and voluntary staff, inspected the hospice environment and reviewed a range of documentation and practices.

We welcome the findings and the recognition of the very high standard of care that we provide to patients with life-limiting illness across Ayrshire and Arran. I am particularly pleased to hear of the very positive feedback given to the inspectors by our patients, and the “excellent” grading awarded to our motivated, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and caring staff and for the excellent quality of our information.

Speaking of the report, Susan Brimelow, Chief Inspector, said: “We found a caring and dedicated team of staff who were focused on providing a very high standard of care, treatment and support to patients at Ayrshire Hospice. Patients complimented staff on their kindness, helpfulness and compassionate approach and spoke highly of the quality of care received. We saw evidence that patient feedback was acted upon, and all areas inspected were clean and tidy. However, the hospice must improve its risk assessment audit systems and record keeping. This inspection resulted in one requirement and nine recommendations.”

We are constantly striving for excellence and welcome Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s observations on where we could do even better. We have been able to respond immediately to the one requirement set by HIS and are proactively considering the other recommendations. I am confident that the continued development of our recently introduced electronic patient record system will assist with improvements to record keeping and we remain committed to further improving and developing our risk assessment and audit systems to assure the safe, effective and patient-centred care we provide to our patients and their families.

Key highlights from the report include;

• The service provides a very high standard of care, treatment and support to the patients and relatives visiting the service.

• The service is well known and links with other local resources within the NHS as well as other charitable providers.

• There is a dedicated and caring team of staff who are focused on providing care and comfort to all patients and relatives.

• Ayrshire Hospice continues to offer a high quality service which is appreciated and commended by patients and relatives.

The full inspection report and an improvement action plan developed by the Ayrshire Hospice to address the identified issues is available to view at: http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/our_work/inspecting_and_regulating_care/independent_healthcare/providers_and_services/ayrshire_hospice.aspx

HIS report

By Dr John Elliott, Chairman

In the last issue of The Article we told you about the review of our organisational strategy for 2015-18 and that we have taken the opportunity to take a fresh look at our vision, purpose, values and commitments.

We have taken time to consult both internally and externally and have received helpful feedback which has been considered in developing our strategy further. Thank you to everyone who has participated in the consultation.

The finalised strategy will be presented to the Ayrshire Hospice Board in March for approval, with the strategy being launched in May 2015. We look forward to sharing the contents of our new strategic plan in our next issue of The Article.

Strategic plan 2015-18

3General news |

By Mandy Yule, Chief Executive

We held our fourth annual event “Today, Tomorrow, Together” on Friday 13th February, when over 60 employed and voluntary staff were presented with long service and academic achievement awards.

We calculated that between them, our long service award winners have given almost 600 years service to the hospice - what an amazing commitment! Congratulations too, to our many academic achievement award winners, you are all stars!

Today, Tomorrow, Together

We were delighted to welcome Deacon Blue band member and University of the West of Scotland lecturer Jim Prime to the hospice recently, along with one of his 4th year students Finlay Cable.

Jim, who is the keyboard player for Deacon Blue, had a great chat with our Chief Executive Mandy Yule about how we might introduce the therapeutic power of music across hospice services to the benefit of our patients and their families, carers and staff alike. Looking forward to working together!

By Valerie Richmond, Support Services Director

We are delighted to report that work on our wee house is progressing well and we hope to be able to welcome the first of our families in at the beginning of April.

Situated in the gardens of the hospice and built by The Wee House Company, our new accommodation will offer a home from home for families visiting loved ones at the hospice.

We often have families who have to travel far to visit their loved ones in the hospice. Being able to offer them the comfort of some short stay accommodation in our wee house will make a huge difference. Just being able to have a shower, cook a meal and take sometime out whilst remaining close

by, will help make things just a little bit easier at what can be a very difficult time.

Big thanks to the team at The Wee House Company. It’s been great working with you!

Music to our ears

Our wee house

Our Wee House is almost ready!

Working in partnership with UWS

4 | General news

By Jackie Kennedy, Retail Business Manager

With so much exciting news from the retail team I am not sure where to start! We have launched our photographic competition for the 2016 hospice calendar (see page 16 for more details), things are really coming together for our Rags to Riches fashion show in April (see page 16) and we have a new shop!

The new shop is on Kyle Street in Ayr, directly across from Debenhams. The shop will be our Christmas shop during the months of Aug - Dec but for the rest of the year will remain open as a regular shop. We are delighted with the generosity of donations being handed in and we have some regular shoppers already established. We are also looking out for some volunteers to help with the new shop, so if you have

a few hours a week to give and would like to get involved please give us a call or pop in.

Martin Kelso started volunteering in the Kilwinning hospice shop in October 2013 as part of his silver Duke of Edinburgh - which he achieved in October last year. He is now working towards his gold award, and is happily volunteering in the shop for another year. Well done Martin - and thank you for all your hard work.

Our Cumnock shop has just undergone a refurbishment and our staff, volunteers and shoppers are thrilled with the new surroundings. Shop Manager Elaine Ross said ‘Our customers love the new look; we have received lots of positive feedback. They have said the shop feels more open, fresh and that the new railings make it easier to see what we have in stock. I couldn’t be happier with the results - the place looks great!’

Last but definitely not least, Trump Turnberry Resort has very generously gifted us lots of amazing furniture following their recent

refurbishment including mirrors, pictures, light fittings, concealed TV units, mahogany bed side cabinets, a variety of stools, Murphy Richard trouser press/iron units and three beautiful marble tables, plus so much more! Items will be on sale from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th March in the Kyle Centre, Ayr. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to snap up a Trump Turnberry bargain!

Retail round-up

By Fiona Leitch, Head of Fundraising

Happy 5th anniversary to our charity partner NATS who recently celebrated five years since the opening of their new site in Prestwick! They very kindly shared an anniversary cake with staff and patients at the hospice and presented us with a £1,100 cheque donation.

Manager Resource at Prestwick Centre and hospice business ambassador Caren Adams added ‘we are working closely with the hospice, and our teams at Prestwick are aiming to raise £18,500 - the equivalent of how

much it costs to run the hospice for just one day. The cheque for £1,100 (the proceeds from our bring and buy January sale) is an instalment towards that total which we hope to reach by the summer. We have raffled prizes, held a Christmas

jumper competition and guessed the bears birthday as well as receiving many generous donations - some staff are even on sponsored diets to keep the total rising, so no birthday cake for them!’.

Staff at NATS Prestwick voted overwhelmingly for the hospice to be their nominated charity - a strong partnership that we hope will continue for years to come.

If you would be interested in hearing more about how you could nominate the hospice as your charity of the year, please contact our Head of Fundraising, Fiona Leitch on 01292 288488 or by email fiona.leitch@ayrshirehospice.org

NATS chat

Refurbished Cumnock shop

NATS chat

5General news |

By Katie Ronald, Head of Communications

We were delighted to welcome a number of our community ambassadors to the hospice at the end of January for an update day.

Members of our Friends groups, Ladies Lunch committee and volunteer ambassadors all attended, and heard first hand from staff about the in-patient unit, Solas, voluntary services and fundraising. Resource packs were provided and our guests were taken on a tour of hospice premises.

“I have learned so much more about what the hospice gives to everyone. I will take all the info away and spread the word”

“This was a very worthwhile day”

“The most helpful part of the day was hearing in-depth about all the services available. Truly staggering”

Our community ambassadors help us to spread the word about the hospice and are invited to speak at events across Ayrshire. If you could be interested in joining our ambassadors network or alternatively, would like to invite one of our community ambassadors to speak at your event, please email communityamb@ayrshirehospice.org or call 01292 288488.

Spread the word

Have you noticed? We’ve shrunk! This issue of The Article is smaller, lighter and costs us at least 10p per issue less to post! It’s all part of our efforts to reduce costs - in fact the only thing we hope we haven’t reduced is the quality!

We’ve also been working hard to make sure our mailing list is as up to date as possible and that The Article is reaching readers who are interested in the work of the hospice. At the moment, using our new database, we are sending the newsletter to everyone who has donated to the hospice in the last two years. You can

help us keep that database up-to-date by making sure we hold the correct contact details for you. Email us at fundraising@ayrshirehospice.org or telephone us on 01292 288488 with your name, address, postcode, preferred telephone number and email address.

The Article is a great way for us to keep our supporters

up to date, to tell you about developments at the hospice, up and coming events, and of course to thank you for your support! It’s also available by email or to view on our website at www.ayrshirehospice.org. If you currently receive a hard copy of the newsletter but would like to subscribe by email please email newsletter@ayrshirehospice.org giving your name, address and postcode and email address. That way we can identify and amend your

existing record accordingly.

Alternatively, maybe you help us with distribution? Do you have a business or waiting room that you could display copies of The Article? Please get in touch. The more people that get to read The Article the better!

We’d love to hear what you think of our new look or if you have any ideas on how we might further improve our newsletter, email newsletter@ayrshirehospice.org. Happy reading!

Spot the difference!

By Lena Baird, Occupational Therapist

Patients attending Solas day services have the opportunity to engage in a range of social and recreational activities during their weekly visit. A new addition to the timetable is the Wednesday morning crafting group where participants have had the opportunity to design and make a wide range of crafts.

Run by volunteers in conjunction with the occupational therapy department, the group have recently enjoyed making individual greetings cards, Wordles, a beautiful tree collage, Valentine’s papercraft decorations, bunting and purple candles which were sold at our recent open day.

For more information contact Lena Baird, Occupational Therapist by emailing lena.baird@ayrshirehospice.org

Crafty work

Valentine's papercraft

6 | General news

By Lyn Bateman, Senior Fundraising Officer

Thank you to our loyal ladies lunch club members who come along to Western House every month - September to June.

The club raises much needed funds for specific projects within the hospice which greatly benefit the patients in our care. Between 2012 - 2014 they have sponsored our:

• patient vehicle

• refurbishment of the Cedar lounge

• spa bathroom in Solas

• upgrade to the garden

path and water feature

Ladies lunch update

Solas spa bathroom

Garden upgradeRefurbished Cedar lounge

Patient vehicle

Lottery wedding favoursBy Fiona Borland, Senior Lottery Officer

Our lottery team recently attended the Ayrshire Wedding Show 2015 at Ayr Racecourse, showcasing our beautiful rebranded selection of wedding favours. We had a wonderful weekend and special thanks to Fiona Wilson of Fiofin Flowers who donated a beautiful flower arrangement to our stand.

Our wedding favours enter your guests into our weekly hospice lottery draw on a Friday of your choice. They are personalised and cost £2 per person. Each wedding favour is tailored to your own specifications and personalised for your special day. Wedding

favours can be used as table settings showing your guest’s name or presented as a scroll. Please see more examples on the Lottery section of our website www.ayrshirehospice.org

We will be delighted to provide you with an information pack with

samples of our paper and wording options. If you would like to request a pack or if you wish to place an order for wedding favours please call us on 01292 288488 or email lottery@ayrshirehospice.org.

All we need is a list of the guests’ names that you wish to be entered into our draw. Normally we require two to four weeks’ notice to produce the wedding favours but if you need them sooner, this can be accommodated. Please

note to take part in our lottery, you must be aged 16 years or over however if any of your guests are under 16 years of age, we can still provide a favour with their name care of a parent or guardian’s name.

A chance to win… a way to care.

Hot off the press...

the ladies lunch club have also just agreed to support the in-patient unit bathroom refurbishments.

Thank you ladies!

7General news |

By Hilary Denholm, Voluntary Services Manager

We are currently working in partnership with Learn Direct in Ayrshire to help local people get back into work by participating in the Community Work Placement Programme, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Caroline Cochrane, an existing registered volunteer from our reception team, was approved as a placement provider after she requested to carry out her Learn Direct placement with us. Under the programme, Caroline has been able to support us with a 26 week placement of 30 hours per week within our reception and voluntary services teams.

During this time Caroline has significantly developed her administration skills and experience carrying out tasks including the creation of rotas, training calendars, leaflets and posters, and carrying out audits and updates. Her confidence and reception skills have grown immensely through handling all sorts of challenging and emotional situations at the main hospice reception. She has been involved in cash handling and call handling, and even helped to mentor and train new volunteers that have joined the hospice.

Caroline said: “This has been a great experience for

me to gain practical skills in team working, to support communication, and use a variety of information and communication technologies to complete day-to-day tasks. I have also used my numeracy skills and learnt how to support distressed people within a palliative care setting as well as gaining an understanding from the voluntary services team about volunteer recruitment and co-ordination. I was also fortunate to attend the relevant training courses in Fundamental Palliative Care and Communication, Moving and Handling (medium risk), Infection Control and Food Hygiene, along with Sage and Thyme and would definitely recommend the hospice as a placement provider”.

Learn Direct ensured that Caroline was assisted with travel expenses,

job search activities and mentoring along the way. We submitted weekly paperwork and met with the Learn Direct Placement Liaison Officer, Margaret Gilchrist on a regular basis.

We worked in close partnership with both Margaret and Caroline to ensure the placement opportunity was aligned with future local job opportunities. The hospice is already dedicated to making a positive impact to individuals through volunteering opportunities, and the placement fitted in well with this ethos.

For more information please email hilary.denholm@ayrshirehospice.org or call 01292 269200 ext 480, or email Margaret.gilchrist@learndirect.com or call 01563 898107.

Working in partnership

Caroline supported our “Today, Tomorrow, Together” annual event

By Lynne Carmichael, Respite and Response Community Team Manager

Since opening in October last year, our carers’ café has gone from strength to strength.

Open every Friday between 2-4pm at 37 Racecourse Road, the café welcomes anyone caring for someone with a life-limiting illness. The person they care for does not have to have a connection with the hospice, and carers can attend as often or as little as they like.

The café offers carers the time to talk, time to be themselves and time to share. Many of our visitors have commented on the peer support they gain from one another, and how helpful being able to discuss the challenges of caring is.

As part of the café, complementary therapy and hand care sessions are available every week and in response to requests, a series of guest speakers are being invited to give short talks on issues such as fatigue and breathlessness, looking after yourself, managing stress, end of life care and managing medication.

Anyone interested in visiting the carers café can just drop in any Friday between 2-4pm or call Lynne Carmichael on 01292 288488 for further information or to arrange a visit.

Carers Café

8 | General news

By Olive Lindsay, Senior Fundraising Officer, Legacy Giving

Thank you to the partners and staff at all McSherry Halliday branches in Kilmarnock, Irvine and Troon for their continued dedication and work on behalf of the hospice.

This is now the fourth year solicitors McSherry Halliday have participated in our “Make a Will Fortnight” campaign, resulting in overall donations exceeding £15,000! What an achievement!

Thanks also to all those who have supported our work by including a gift to the hospice in their Will.

Did you know? If you do not make a Will, and have no next of kin, everything you own could go to the State. If you die without making a Will, the law decides how your possessions will be divided. This may not be in

the way you would have wished. Some people think, quite mistakenly, that if no Will is made everything goes to their wife, husband or civil partner. This is not necessarily the case. As a charity we pay no tax on property or money left to us in a legacy. In addition, a legacy could have tax benefits for your estate by reducing inheritance tax.

To find out more about legacy giving please contact Olive Lindsay on 01292 288488 or email olive.lindsay@ayrshirehospice.org

Your gift can help us make today matter.

The gift of a lifetimeBy Agnes Paton, Assistant Fundraising Manager

We have welcomed a new team into our fundraising department to look at developing and increasing income from individual giving.

For many charities, individual giving is a key source of income and it is estimated that individuals donate £9.5 billion to charity annually, around one-third of fundraising charities’ income.

The term individual giving refers to the many charitable gifts that can be made by the general public through cash, cheque, direct debit, credit or debit cards, shares, property and other assets. They can also donate through different routes including post, telephone, banks and, increasingly, online.

Headed up by Agnes Paton, the new team will be looking at a range of fundraising opportunities including committed giving campaigns, direct mail, gifts in Wills and major donor development. One of the first campaigns will be a Payroll Giving scheme which is an alternative way for people in work and on PAYE to give regularly and tax-effectively. Once established, payroll giving provides long-term,

tax effective giving as donations are automatically deducted from pay before tax is paid.

Legacies and gifts in Wills will also come under the remit of the new individual giving team. Gifts of shares, property and legacies are extremely important to us and currently help to fund the care for around one in three of our patients.

For further information on any aspect of individual giving, please contact Agnes Paton on 01292 288 488 or agnes.paton@ayrshirehospice.org

Individual giving

Pictured (l-r) are Olive Lindsay from the Ayrshire Hospice and Martha Clark from McSherry Halliday

Clockwise from top left: Kathryn Howell, Olive Lindsay and Agnes Paton

Silver Anniversary update | 9

Congratulations to Fraser Watt from Aberdeen who won the top prize of £2,500 in our Silver Draw, to Pat MacArthur from Symington who won our second prize of £1,000 and to all our other prize winners.

We were joined by Provost Helen Moonie who kindly drew the winning ten tickets. Thank you to Slaters Menswear, Seamill Hydro Hotel and Resort, Enterkine House Hotel, The Cook School Scotland, Barrhead Travel, Tropic

Pure Plant Beauty, Frankie and Benny’s and Tesco who all kindly donated prizes to our raffle. Thank you also to all of our raffle donors for making today matter and supporting our 25th anniversary raffle.

Following the success of Terramundi money pots during our 25th anniversary year, we have decided to continue offering them in 2015.

Each pot is available at no cost - all we ask is that you fill the pot best you can! The pots have the potential to hold up to £800 in £2 coins but even the smallest amounts have the potential to make a huge difference. To order your new pot or for more information, please contact Ron at the fundraising office on 01292 288488 or email ron.swanson@ayrshirehospice.org.

If you still have a 25th anniversary Terramundi pot, we would be grateful if you could return it as soon as possible so that we have these funds in time for the end of our financial year. Please return all pots to the fundraising office, 29 Miller Road, Ayr KA7 2AX or to your nearest hospice shop.

The winners of our fabulous grand online auction wedding package are now officially Mr and Mrs, enjoying a ‘beautiful and perfect day’ courtesy of the Savoy Park Hotel in Ayr’s Racecourse Road.

David Keenan and Christine McElvie had been together almost nine years when they put in a last minute bid for the star prize in our May auction and couldn’t believe their luck when they won! The couple exchanged vows in front of 40 family and friends and were over the moon with the VIP treatment they received from Savoy Park Hotel owners Roddie and Ann-Marie Henderson, their staff

and their wedding suppliers.

“Everyone was absolutely brilliant, bending over backwards to make sure our day was truly special for us,” said Christine. “We’re so grateful to the Savoy Park Hotel and all their suppliers for giving us a truly wonderful wedding day.”

The Savoy Park Hotel wedding package included a wedding cake by Sugercrumb Fairy, flowers

by Hollowpark Florists, photography by Robert Clark, DJ and Disco by Bobby Bushell Flashdance Disco, Kilt Hire from MacGregor and MacDuff, bridal car from Butterfly Cars and Mancini’s Ice Cream Factory Cart - all of whom donated their products and services free of charge to the hospice.

Roddie Henderson said: “We were delighted to support the Ayrshire Hospice in this way. The hospice provided wonderful care for my mum and so we were keen to give something back in return.

When we first had the idea, I called round our suppliers and was overwhelmed by their response to contribute to the package. We’re so pleased to have helped the hospice, while giving David and Christine a wedding day to remember.”

Silver Draw

Terramundi money pots

Online auction wedding

Mr and Mrs Keenan

By Fiona Leitch, Head of Fundraising

Our Silver Anniversary Fundraising Campaign was launched in January 2014 with the goal of raising £600,000. This was the sum required to finalise the funding for our Respite and Response Service for the first four years.

We are delighted to announce that the campaign exceeded its target, raising a wonderful £605,078.

We would like to thank everyone who supported the campaign and helped to make it such a great success.

Silver Anniversary update

10 | Past events

By Graeme Strawhorn, Senior Fundraising Officer

We recently celebrated the bard’s birthday at our annual Burns Supper at Brig o Doon Hotel, once again kindly sponsored by UTC Aerospace Systems.

It was a wonderful evening in the perfect setting in the heart of Burns country. Our speakers for the night were Sandy Strang, Annabel Goldie MSP and Ian Lyell who were most entertaining, ably kept in line by our excellent chairman, Robbie Glen.

Maybole Pipe Band and Ron Swanson provided superb musical entertainment and Margaret Cook and Cameron Kerr delivered memorable recitations made famous by the bard. We are delighted to announce that we raised £16,500 on the night.

Burns Supper

Burns Supper 2015

By Ron Swanson, Assistant Fundraising Manager and Ian Stirling, Chaplain

We would like to thank all those who attended our Light up a Life service on Sunday 7th December 2014.

It was lovely to see so many families at the event and to share in remembering loved ones at what can be a very poignant time of year.

Thank you to Dunaskin Doon Band, Hospice Voices and all those who volunteered and helped to make the event a special and memorable evening - despite the wintry weather conditions!

Special thanks also to The Co-operative Food who generously donated the delicious mulled wine and mince pies.

We still have some donations to be counted however we hope to have raised over £7,500 from our 2014 Light up a Life appeal. Thank you for making today matter and giving your support.

Light up a life! Christmas cardsBy Lyn Bateman, Senior Fundraising Officer

A huge thank you to everyone who purchased our 2014 Christmas cards or calendars.

Thank you also to the vast number of loyal supporters and volunteers who sold them on our behalf in offices, church halls, banks, businesses, hospitals, schools, supermarkets and friends and families. Thanks also go to our wonderful Friends groups for

holding all their individual sales within their local communities.

The final total raised from Christmas cards and calendar sales will be published in the next

newsletter.

11Past events |

By Amanda Harris, Fundraising Officer

We launched a new fundraising campaign at the start of 2015 called Fit Feb. Whether it was walking, swimming, cycling or playing a favourite sport, we invited participants to do something to get fit in February, whilst raising funds or sponsorship for the hospice.

KA Leisure North Ayrshire, Bannatyne Health Club, Curves and Lifestyle Fitness, all climbed on board and were very creative in helping their members to support the campaign.

Curves Kilmarnock held a sponsored circuit with each participant doing a minimum of one hour. Five coaches at Curves also took additional classes throughout February and asked for donations rather than taking a fee.

Mhairi Tindall, a fitness instructor also held a dance-a-thon alongside other fitness instructors and gave participants the opportunity to try Zumba Gold, Just Jhoom and Fitsteps.

Individuals also signed up to Fit Feb including Sara Warden and her dad who did a 22 mile cycle from Kilwinning Abbey to Burns Cottage in Ayr in aid of the hospice.

Thanks everyone for getting Fit in Feb!

If you fancy keeping the fitness focus going, did you know that you could run a marathon or half-marathon in aid of the hospice?

The Great Women’s 10K will take place on Sunday 17th May while the Edinburgh

Marathon Festival will take place on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st May. Why not run these marathons in aid of the hospice? Once signed up, we can provide you with sponsor forms, t-shirts, vests, posters, banners and balloons to promote the fundraising. For more information on how you can run a marathon and make today matter, please contact Amanda on 01292 288488 or email amanda.harris@ayrshirehospice.org.

Or if hill climbing is more your thing, one of our avid community fundraisers, Eddy Gemmell is also organising two expeditions in aid of the hospice. Eddy will be climbing Goatfell on Saturday 30th May and Ben Nevis on Sunday 21st June. If you would like to join Eddy on either of these events, please contact Eddy on 07869 929748 or email eddy.gemmell@btinternet.com.

Fit Feb

Bannatyne Health Club Lifestyle Fitness Kilmarnock

KA Leisure North AyrshireCurves Kilmarnock

12 | Past events

By Amanda Harris, Fundraising Officer

We are delighted to announce that Go Purple 2014 raised over £15,400 thanks to all the individuals, schools and organisations from across Ayrshire that joined in a generous effort to Go Purple and raise vital funds for the hospice.

People baked purple cakes, held "wear it purple" days, wore purple wigs, held purple ice cream making contests and enjoyed purple themed afternoon

teas! A couple of purple sheep even got in on the act and our brave Senior Management Team even got "gunged" in purple and raised gunge loads of

cash for a good cause.

Of course it’s never too early to start thinking about this year's Go Purple day which will be held on Friday 9th October 2015. We are delighted to announce that Brownings the Bakers have pledged their sponsorship to Go Purple for the second year running and we are greatly indebted for their fantastic support.

We would love as many of you to Go Purple with us again this year and it’s never too early to start planning.

For more information or to discuss your fundraising activity, please contact Amanda Harris on 01292 288488 or email amanda.harris@ayrshirehospice.org

Save the date!

Go purple!

Winter FairBy Tracey Corrigan, Assistant Fundraising Manager

We are delighted to announce that our Winter Fair on Saturday 14 November 2014 raised in excess of £10,000!

There was a wide range of stalls from Christmas crafts, handbags and teddy bears to jewellery and delicious home baking. Santa was very busy taking letters from the children to make sure he delivered all the correct toys on Christmas eve. The stars of the Palace Theatre Aladdin panto

even came along, to show their support too. A great day was had by all and a big thank you goes to everyone who came along and supported us.

This year's Winter Fair will be held on Saturday 14th November and stalls are

now available to book. If you would like a stall at this year's

fair you can register online at www.ayrshirehospice.

org or call Claire on 01292 288 488 or email retail@

ayrshirehospice.org for an application form. We look

forward to hearing from you.

13Past events | 13Coming up |

By Graeme Strawhorn, Senior Fundraising Officer

Calling all honest men and bonie lassies!

Back by popular demand our Land o' Burns Starlight Walk will take place on Saturday 16th May with a 10pm start from Ayr Racecourse and we would be delighted if you could join us!

There are three routes to choose from, 4, 9 or 13 miles so there’s a route to suit the whole family! The atmosphere is always fantastic. We’ve got some great entertainment lined up to get you in the party spirit beforehand and then along the route to make you smile on each passing mile! Why not get into the spirit and come in fancy dress too?!

You can register online at www.ayrshirehospice.org, pop into the office at 29 Miller Road or call us on 01292 288488. The registration fee is £20 for adults and £10 for under 16’s (who must be accompanied by an adult) and includes your t-shirt, half

way snacks, a medal, well deserved tea and a bacon roll at the end.

We are delighted to have the following supporters: Healthy Working Lives, Suck It Up Buttercup, Tesco, Ayrshire Post and The Cook School Scotland.

If you would prefer not to walk, but would still like to help, we need lots of stewards on the night to help with registration, medals, and stewarding along the route. If you can spare a few hours please call us on 01292 288488 or e-mail events@ayrshirehospice.org

Some of our fantastic walkers from last year!

Vintage Vixens

Land o' Burns Starlight Walk

14 | Coming up

By Mary Drummond and Justine Cullen, Senior Fundraising Officers

An evening of glitz and glamour!

We are delighted to announce that our Summer Ball will once again be held in a grand marquee in the grounds at Lochgreen House Hotel, Troon, the beautiful flagship venue of the Costley & Costley group. The date for your diary is Saturday 30th May.

On arrival you will be welcomed to a drinks reception before being served a sumptuous three course dinner prepared by

Costley & Costley’s award winning chefs. Music to dance the night away will come from the fabulous musicians of Glasgow’s Soul Band Counselled Out. There may even be a few surprises too!

For further information or to book a table call our events team on 01292 288488 or e-mail events@ayrshirehospice.org. Tickets are £85 each and tables seat up to 12 guests.

Guests in the grand marquee

Dancing the night away!

Summer Ball

15Coming up |

By Graeme Strawhorn, Senior Fundraising Officer

It’ll be time to look out the lycra on Saturday 20th June 2015 for our annual Arran Cycle.

Last year we had over 80 cyclists and we hope you can ‘get on yer bike’ in 2015 for the hospice. Registration fee is £25 which includes ferry fees, cycle support and vehicles, lunch, snacks and drinks throughout the cycle. We also ask that you take a sponsor form and raise a minimum sponsorship of £100. There are two routes to

choose from - 35 miles and

56 miles. Please note both cycle routes around Arran have their ups and downs and adequate training should be considered beforehand.

For further information or to register contact Graeme Strawhorn on 01292 288488 or email events@ayrshirehospice.org

Last year’s Arran Cycle team

Get on yer bike!

The Royal Troon experience with golfing legend Colin Montgomerie OBEBy Ron Swanson, Assistant Fundraising Manager

Royal Troon Golf Club is holding a golf event on Sunday 5th July, in aid of the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation and the hospice.

This special day will begin with a shotgun start at 10am where you can play in ladies, gents or mixed teams. A welcome pack will be given on the course at this time and competition prizes for the day will be unveiled. There will then be an opportunity to enjoy a bacon roll and coffee before playing a round of golf on the Royal Troon Championship Course and playing the Postage Stamp

(8th hole) with golfing legend Colin Montgomerie OBE.

Afterwards there will be a drinks reception in the smoke room before enjoying dinner in the Club House dining room overlooking the 18th Green. There will also be an auction, raffle, prize giving ceremony and a photo opportunity with Colin Montgomerie.

£1,200 for a team of four and proceeds will be donated to the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation and the Ayrshire Hospice.

For further information, please contact Royal Troon on 01292 311555 or email admin@royaltroon.com

Royal Troon’s Championship Course

16 | Coming up

By Claire Stuart-Paulin, Senior Fundraising Officer

Calling all budding, amateur photographers! We are running a photographic competition to find stunning images from across North, South and East Ayrshire for our 2016 calendar. Inspired by the title ‘Mother Nature at work in Ayrshire’, the calendar theme is open to individual interpretation but entries must feature an Ayrshire landscape, landmark or building with some kind of weather clearly featuring in the picture.

Traditionally the hospice calendar has been produced with kind assistance from a small number of talented local photographers who have offered their images free of charge. This year, we have decided to change things around a bit, introducing a fun, competitive element! We know there are lots and lots of amateur photographic societies, student photographers and camera enthusiasts across the whole of Ayrshire and we’d encourage them all to get involved.

Twelve calendar photographs will be chosen by a judging panel of representatives from the hospice then put

to the public vote for the overall winner - the winning photograph will then feature on the front cover of the calendar. A big thank you to Vennal Cameras in Ayr for supporting the competition and offering a very generous £200 voucher to the overall winner. In addition, three photographs will be chosen to be printed as part of the popular range of hospice Christmas cards.

The hospice calendar has been running for eight years and sells over 2,000 copies each year, raising over £9,000 for the hospice. Claire adds “We’ve heard that our supporters send the hospice calendar to all four corners

of the globe - to friends and families abroad who love seeing pictures of Ayrshire. So, if you want your work to be showcased across the world, get involved now and don’t be camera shy!”

The closing date is Friday 24th April 2015 and the competition is only open to amateur photographers. Images must be in colour, of a high quality, high resolution (300dpi) and in landscape format. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.ayrshirehospice.org or you can call Claire on 01292 288488 or email claire.stuartpaulin@ayrshirehospice.org if you require more information.

We can’t wait to see what talented photographers we have in Ayrshire!

Point, press and click!

We are in the process of planning our next overseas trek and have a few ideas at the moment!

From Husky dog sledding

in Lapland to challenge events in China or the Sahara Desert, if you are interested in any of these options or have any other ideas,

please contact Tracey Corrigan or Graeme Strawhorn on 01292 288488 or events@ayrshirehospice.org

Overseas trek

17Coming up |

Bella’s Bawl 3By Amanda Harris, Fundraising Officer

This year, BB3 will take place over two days, with live music from nine different bands!

The event will take place on Friday 1st May 2015, 7.30pm till late and Saturday 2nd May, 3pm till late at the Ambassador Indoor Bowling Centre Prestwick.

For further details please visit the Bella’s Bawl Facebook page, or contact Amanda Harris in the fundraising office on 01292 288488 or email amanda.harris@ayrshirehospice.org

By Amanda Harris, Fundraising Officer

Ignite Promotions have kindly donated four tickets and a sports auction prize to the hospice for their much anticipated lunch with legendary boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard!

The lunch takes place on Saturday 15th March at the Fenwick Hotel. Drinks reception, professional photo opportunity, delicious three course lunch, sports auction, raffle and a Q&A with Sugar Ray Leonard. Black tie or tartan dress code. If you would like to purchase the donated tickets at £95 each, and help raise money for the hospice please contact Amanda Harris on amanda.harris@ayrshirehospice.org or call 01292 288488.

Additional tickets can also be purchased by calling Ignite Promotions on 07715 683448.

Lunch with a Legend

Blingo @

Enterkine House Hotel are generously holding a Blingo evening in aid of the hospice on Friday 5th June.

Arrive for a glass of chilled fizz followed by a two course gourmet menu accompanied by a glass of house red, white or rose wine. There will be a variety of bingo games throughout the evening, as well as some fantastic music and dancing!

All proceeds will go towards the hospice. Individual tickets cost £37.50 per person or you can purchase a table - contact Enterkine House on 01292 520580 for more information.

18 | Coming up

By Lyn Bateman, Senior Fundraising Officer

Throughout June we’ll be encouraging everyone to take part in Tea @ 3, and we are delighted to announce that our own Tea @ 3 launch event will be held on Tuesday 2nd June at Lochgreen House Hotel, Troon.

Arrive at 1pm, relax and be spoiled in the luxurious atmosphere and enjoy the beautiful surroundings as you indulge in a truly memorable afternoon. You will be welcomed with a

glass of bubbly and musical entertainment followed by a scrumptious afternoon tea served at 2pm and a walk through fashion show by Belle, Prestwick. There will also be a chance to do some

retail therapy at our lovely stalls before and after the afternoon tea. Tickets cost £26 and are available from the fundraising office.

On Sunday 14th June from 1-5pm, hospice supporter Ron Berretti has kindly offered the hospice the use of his beautiful garden in Bellevale Avenue, Ayr for the second consecutive year. Ron will be hosting a garden party in memory of his beloved wife, Liz. Afternoon tea will be served in the marquee from 1pm with live entertainment from the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra, Irvine and Dreghorn Brass Band and Addiction. There will also be face painting, a raffle and various stalls selling a selection of goodies to suit everyone.

You can also support the hospice by raising funds at your own Tea @ 3 party for

friends or colleagues. We can give you lots of ideas - A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party; a Teddy Bear’s Picnic, ask colleagues for a donation at their tea break; run a Tea Dance at your local club; a garden party; or even a G&’T’ party! We can help print tickets and posters for you too.

For tickets for any of the above events or for further information please contact Lyn on 01292 288488 or email lyn.bateman@ayrshirehospice.org

By Amanda Harris, Fundraising Officer

Calling all brides, grooms, bridesmaids, best men, mother or father of the bride or groom, wedding guests, past, present and future.

This is an opportunity not to be missed - you thought you would never wear that beautiful wedding dress or outfit again, but yes you can!

You could relive your very special wedding day all over again.

Avid hospice fundraiser

Jim Gilchrist is holding a Wedding Ball on 7th November 2015 at the Carlton Hotel, Prestwick. Guests can attend for the full day from 2pm with drink and canapés on arrival, two course meal, or attend as an evening guest with buffet and wedding cake

included. Entertainment, photographer, and raffle prizes. Look out your frock!

Contact Jim on 07849 013296 or email jim_gilchrist@hotmail.com

Wedding Ball - save the date

Last year’s garden party

Tea t 3

19Coming up |

Diary datesJan 2015 - Jan 2016 Terramundi pot appeal

Sun 1st Mar Annual ladies’ lunch Brig o’ Doon House Hotel, Alloway

Fri 27th Mar Cardhu Gifts and Interiors Shopping Night Cardhu Gifts and Interiors, Troon. 6.30pm

Sat 28th Mar Hospice Friends Groups ALDI Saltcoats/Irvine/Kilmarnock/Ayr collection

Sat 28th Mar Kilwinning Friends Group Coffee Morning, Erskine Hall, Kilwinning, 10.30-12. Tickets £2.50

Sun 29th Mar Auchinleck Friends Group Easter Raffle

Sun 18th Apr Darts Exhibition Taylors Hotel, Kilwinning

Sun 26th Apr Fashion Show Aviator Suite, Prestwick Airport

Fri 1st & Sat 2nd May Bella’s Bawl Indoor Bowling Centre, Prestwick. (Friday 7pm; Saturday 2.30pm)

Sat 9th May Murder in the Wild West, Murder Mystery Evening

Mauchline Scout Hall. Tickets £22.50. Contact Graeme Strawhorn on 01292 288488 or email events@ayrshirehospice.org Yee haa!

Sun 10th May Sportsman’s Brunch Taylors Hotel, Kilwinning

Sat 15th May Ardrossan/Saltcoats/Stevenston Friends Group Sainsbury’s Saltcoats Collection

Sat 16th May Land o’ Burns Starlight Walk From Ayr Racecourse

Sun 17th May Great Women’s 10K Glasgow

Sat 30th May Summer Ball Lochgreen House Hotel, Troon

Sat 30th & Sun 31st May Edinburgh Marathon Festival Edinburgh

Sat 30th & Sun 31st May Goatfell Busking Expedition

Tue 2nd Jun Tea @ 3 Launch Event Lochgreen House Hotel, Troon. From 1pm

Throughout June Tea @ 3 Campaign

Fri 5th Jun Blingo Evening Enterkine House Hotel, Annbank, Ayr

Fri 12th Jun Ardrossan/Saltcoats/Stevenston Friends Group Prize Bingo Whitlees Community Centre

Sun 14th Jun Waggy Tail Walk River Ayr Walk and Eglinton Country Park, Irvine

Sun 14th Jun Tea @ 3 Garden Party Bellevale Avenue, Ayr. 1-5pm

Sat 20th Jun Ben Nevis Busking Expedition

Sat 20th Jun Arran Cycle Isle of Arran

Thu 25th Jun Parkdean Golf Day Belleisle Golf Club, Ayr

Sun 5th Jul Royal Troon Golf Day Royal Troon Golf Club

Mon 17th Aug Golf Day West Kilbride Golf Course

For more information on any of these events, please contact the Fundraising Office on 01292 288488.

20 | Thank you

Action from the Muirhead Plant indoor rugby tournament

Eddy Gemmell

Knockroon Dental Practice KAOS

Eddy and John GemmellThank you to Eddy Gemmell and his father John who have so far raised over £1,100 through busking plus writing and producing their own music. Eddy attempted two world records last year, busking at the top of Goatfell and Ben Nevis. Not one to rest on his laurels, Eddy will be climbing both Goatfell and Ben Nevis again later this year in aid of the hospice. Huge thanks to Eddy and John!

Knockroon Dental PracticeKnockroon Dental Practice were keen to raise funds for the hospice during our 25th anniversary year and were collecting the funds in a Terramundi pot. After the wonderful fundraising efforts of patients, staff and their families the money was sadly stolen during a break-in. The patients and staff were so upset that they decided to start a new collection for the hospice and presented us with a cheque for £200. A massive thank you to all the patients, staff and their families for their inspirational fundraising and turning a negative into a positive!

Muirhead PlantAs part of celebrating 20 years in business Muirhead Plant hosted another of their very successful indoor touch rugby tournaments on 2nd January with all proveeds coming to the hospice. Thank you to everyone who supported the event and raised a fantastic £7,468.17!

KAOS 50:50 ConcertThank you to the Kilmarnock Amateur and Operatic Society (KAOS) who impressively raised £3,569.67 through their 50:50 concert in November of last year and held in aid of the hospice. It is hoped that the funds raised will also be match funded enabling the support of KAOS to make an even greater impact.

21Thank you |

Fitness Instructor Mhairi Tindall held a three hour Dance-a-thon in aid of the hospice, and raised £454.

Alistair Hall and his family raised £615 in memory of Shona Sanderson. Shona’s grandchildren Kiah, 2 and Arran, 3 present a cheque to Amanda Harris.

Rikki Black and his team Golf-a-thon, have once again supported the hospice for the third year running. They raised a whopping £13,892.39 during a variety of events, including their annual Golf-a-thon and sportsman’s brunch. They’re now set to do it all over again, so watch this space!

Over 80 people took part in a 24 hour triathlon organised by Claire Houston, supported by Seamill Hydro. Participants pulled out all the stops and family and friends gave great support. An outstanding £9,454.80 was raised!

Aly Boswell held a series of evening markets at Boswell Coach House, Auchinleck Estate. Customers enjoyed evenings of food, shopping and music with the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra. Aly raised a fantastic £1,218 for us!

22 | Thank you

The Company and Senior Sections of 1st Stewarton Boys Brigade raised £200 by donating their change from the weekly tuck shop.

Heather Rudduck held a charity day and psychic evening at Ayr Railway Club. With the help from her friends, and family, Heather raised a fantastic £1,622.95.

One of our Silver Friends, Viewfield Manor Leisure Park raised £1,396.55 as part of last year's 25th anniversary appeal. Thank you Viewfield Manor!

Charity night organised by Irvine Golf Club raised £810 for the hospice.

Friends Laura McKinnon (right) and Leann Robertson, organised a very successful charity night at the Water Sports Club, Irvine.

Through their event they raised £920.34, which was later very gratefully topped up to a whopping £2,520 by Laura’s employer ACE Group.

Thank you to Margaret McDougall MSP who donated £150 to the hospice.

23Thank you |

Royal Troon Golf Club, the Ladies Golf Club of Troon and Portland Golf Club have raised £3,300 in aid of the hospice and have also donated £3,300 to their other chosen charity, the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation.

Customers of The Commercial Bar, Kilbirnie enjoyed a fun packed Halloween party, organised by staff, and raised £450 for the hospice.

Thank youThanks also to the Rusty Nail Bar in Ayr who hosted a psychic night and raised £392 for the hospice and to Tony Scott who took part in the Glasgow Great Scottish Run and raised £220 in memory of Sammy Conn. Thanks guys!

Cunninghame Housing Association (CHA) celebrated their 30th anniversary last year and held a variety of fundraising events, including a raffle and a darts competition, in aid of the hospice and raised £1,116.50. Chair John Steele (left) and Chief Executive Frank Sweeney (centre) presented the cheque to Amanda Harris.

Isobel Marshall kindly asked for donations to the hospice in lieu of presents at her 80th birthday party and raised a fantastic £390. Many happy returns Isobel!

Ayrshire Hospice35 Racecourse Road, AYR KA7 2TG. Tel: 01292 269200 Fax: 01292 294401

support@ayrshirehospice.org www.ayrshirehospice.org

Registered Charity No. SC011390

Can you help us to save money?We are working hard to update and streamline our newsletter distribution list, to ensure that only one is sent per household. We are also trying to increase the number of central distribution points where you can pick up a copy, but we do need to reduce our costs still further.

Our newsletter is also now available online and by email. If you would be happy to receive our newsletter electronically, please email newsletter@ayrshirehospice.org with your full name, address, postcode and email so we can update our records accordingly. Or you can visit www.ayrshirehospice.org.