“They wrapped their arms around us when our energy was spent.”

News and Blog

Angela Donnelly has been part of our friendly reception team for nearly 5 years. With her colleagues, Angela works hard to ensure all our visitors are given a warm welcome and are well looked after during their time with us.

Next week we will be celebrating 40 years of St Catherine’s. To mark this significant time in the history of our hospice, Angela has written a poem depicting her thoughts, emotions, and personal and professional experiences of our care.

12 years I’ve known St Catherine’s
12 years of love and care-
My darling John was very ill,
Thank goodness they were there.
He needed lots of pain relief-
Into a ward he went.
They wrapped their arms around us,
When our energy was spent.
His wish was then to die at home-
And so they made the call…
His smile when he arrived there
Was priceless to us all.
I needed lots of counselling
St Cath’s were there again-
They picked me up and helped me
To navigate the pain.
Giving back is easy-We’ve done the Midnight Walk!
The lottery I’ve joined now-
Plus the ‘Buddy Scheme’ to talk.
I now work at St Catherine’s-
It’s values I embrace.
To give someone the same care,
When end of life they face.
St Cath’s, you will be moving
To a building that is new-
But we will take you, Heart and Soul
In everything we do.