10 January 2012
Over 100 staff and trustees of Keech Hospice Care came together at their hospices in Luton to mark the start of the charity’s 21st Birthday Year and hear some inspirational words from the charity’s founder, Dr 'Wink' White. Joined by his wife Iris (who is attributed with having the idea for a hospice in Luton), the couple also toured the buildings to meet staff and catch up on developments at the hospice.
Dr White thanked the team at the hospice for their continuing hard work. He told them about the dedication and perseverance of those who fundraised to build the hospice back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The complete story of the charity’s first 21 years is being captured in a book full of stories, anecdotes and pictures, due to be published at Easter, it is called: ‘Tears and laughter: the first 21 years of Keech Hospice Care’. He said how proud he is of what Keech has become, and how people often come up to him to tell him about the outstanding care a friend or relative has received at the charity.
But Dr White’s message was clear. He said that the hospice did not belong to the staff, to the Trustees or to those who founded it so long ago. 'The hospice belongs to the community and the community needs to 'own' Keech and to feel that they are responsible for looking after Keech to ensure it’s here for another 21 years,' he said.
Despite there being a recession, the need for hospice care isn’t diminishing – in fact it’s increasing. The hospice needs more support now than it’s ever done – especially with uncertain times in the health service and a risk that even the tiny amount the NHS does give the charity could be taken away or reduced.
'The work started in 1991 needs to go on. More people are looking to the hospice for support and so the hospice needs more money than ever. We really do need to look to the next generations for our support now and encourage people to think about who will look after them when they need it,' he added.
Senior managers also visited each of the charity’s 21 shops across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes to include them in the celebrations. The shops have been vital in keeping the charity afloat by contributing almost £1m in profit to the running costs of the adult and children’s hospice. All of them have had their windows decorated with special birthday logos donated by ACT signage.
And Heart FM’s early morning DJ, Natalie B, tweeted a message to the hospice to say that she had texted a donation to the hospice’s new birthday text number. If you would like to join Natalie and be one of the first to donate to Keech in its birthday year, you can donate £5 by texting the message KHB21£5 to 70070.
Mike Keel, Chief Executive at Keech had the last word. 'We want our 21st Birthday Year to be a brilliant year for Keech – as a team we’re going to make sure of that.'
