Welcome to the Spring/Summer 2023 edition of your newsletter from Overgate.
As we welcome another spring at the Hospice, the warmer weather and brighter days have brought a renewed sense of hope. The Hospice gardens have begun to come to life and each year it is always a special time as our patients start to enjoy the garden once more, taking in the beautiful views across Calderdale.
Since your last newsletter, my colleagues and I have continued to be here for local people facing the end of their life; your family, friends, neighbours and colleagues. Christmas was a particularly difficult time for many of our staff as we cared for more patients with young families than ever before. Throughout December, the whole Hospice team arranged a number of early Christmases for those families who wouldn’t see the 25
th of December together. Whilst this is always an emotional time for everyone involved, we take comfort in knowing that these families were surrounded by the very best loving care, and everything was done to ensure they made the most special memories while they could.
As we gathered the stories for this edition, so many people spoke to us about their misconceptions that Overgate is just a place that people come to die and how different the reality was once they stepped through the doors. We continue to tackle these common misconceptions about hospice care, and you’ll hear from Nikki who has started in a newly created role at the Hospice, working with our diverse community to ensure that Overgate’s special care is available to anyone in Calderdale who needs it.
As part of this, we are incredibly proud of our colleagues in Day Hospice who have recently launched the fifth Overgate HUB in the Central Halifax area. These HUBs are proving to be a lifeline in our communities and provide vital advice and support to local people, but closer to home so that people can access the care they need much more easily. In your newsletter, Geoff has shared his experience of attending these HUB sessions. You will also read about Richard who has also been attending the HUBs, and as part of this was put in touch with The Swan Song Project, a charity who work with people to write a song that they can leave for their loved ones – head to page 26 to read Richard’s story and then scan the QR code to listen to the moving song that he has created for his family.
As always, none of this would be possible without you.
Because you care, we can.
Read the Newsletter