Find out about the range of end-of-life care services that we offer to patients and their families. These delivered free of charge and are designed to provide compassionate, personalised support during every stage of a life-limiting illness in every kind of care setting, to anyone who needs it.
We couldn’t do what we do without considerable support from our local community. Find out all the different ways in which you can support Prospect Hospice, including fundraising, volunteering and purchasing from our shops. All contributions are greatly appreciated and enables us to deliver care that is free of charge to our patients and their families.
Prospect Hospice is the leading provider of education and training for end-of-life care in Swindon and north Wiltshire. Working closely with you, our colleagues within partner organisations, we want to ensure that the very best care is available to everyone facing the end of life. This is why we provide education and development opportunities, all of which aim to encourage learning and build confidence in end of life care and support.
Whether shopping with us in person or online, or donating your pre-loved goods, we thank you for supporting us through our shops where you help to raise around £2million a year for Prospect Hospice.
We pride ourselves on being a great place to work and we're always looking for outstanding people to join our team at the hospice across all areas of the charity.
It was the worst time of Alison Moore’s life – her beloved mother, Valerie, was terminally ill – but Prospect Hospice was there to look after and support them.
Valerie had Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Alison and her brother had been given the devastating news that she had just three months to live.
Valerie was living on her own, so she moved to stay with Alison’s brother and his wife. After being seen by a local GP she went into Prospect Hospice for care.
“Mum stayed in Prospect Hospice for a few weeks and everyone was truly, truly amazing in how they looked after her,” said Alison. “It was a very important time for us because mum was nearing the end of her life and we were able to spend time with her while she was being cared for so well.
“We could visit mum at any time, day or night, and we never felt like we were in the way. Everyone made sure mum had everything she wanted including the catering team. If mum fancied something to eat even if it wasn’t on the menu and it wasn’t meal times, they would find something for her.
“We could ask the nurses anything. They were honest and upfront about mum’s condition and that made the situation a lot easier for us to cope with.”
Valerie was moved to a local nursing home where Prospect Hospice staff visited her daily until she died three days later, in June 1999, aged 67.
After Valerie died, the practical and emotional support Alison and her daughter, Kara, then 13, received from the hospice’s family support team was invaluable as they struggled to cope with their loss.
Alison said: “I was only 33 when mum died and it was hard to get my head around the fact she was no longer there.
“If I had a wobble about something the family support team were there for me to turn to and if they didn’t know the answer to a question they would find out.
“Kara and I both had bereavement support from the team. Kara talked to them about how she was feeling and afterwards she was in a much better place.
“The bereavement team explained the process of grieving and that was the first time I understood that there is no timescale with grief. The support I received has put me in good stead in helping and being able to empathise with others who are bereaved.”
Alison became a volunteer in the charity’s shop in Havelock Street, Swindon, and now works at the charity’s distribution centre in Wroughton.
Alison added: “Becoming a volunteer with Prospect Hospice was a way of me paying back to the hospice for everything they had done for mum, Kara and me. Experiencing the care they give inspires me in my job to do the best I can to help others.
“We owe it to our community to raise the funds so the hospice is there for everyone who needs its specialist care at the end of their lives, as my mum did.”
Because of you, we were there for Valerie and her family when they needed us. Without you, we wont be there for others like them. To support the work of Prospect Hospice, click the donate button below.