The Sara Lee Trust – an independent local charity providing complementary therapies, psychological and counselling support and therapeutic group activities to people in Hastings and Rother living through cancer and other life threatening illnesses, with support for their families and carers.

NewsletterThe Sara Lee Trust

Introducing the Snowflake WindowWe are delighted to announce the launch of our new fundraising campaign, the Snowflake Window, which gives you the opportunity to recognise a special person in your life by writing a message on a snowflake and making a donation to support the Trust.

Choose who or what you would like to celebrateYou can remember someone who is no longer with us, thank someone for being a great friend, mum, dad, brother or sister – the choice is yours!

Snowflake windows will be created in each of our charity shops and other participating shops in Hastings, St Leonards and Bexhill-on-Sea. Your snowflake will become part of the exciting display in the shop of your choice.

Create your own snowflake window…If you prefer, you can create your own snowflake window – a perfect opportunity for your school, shop or workplace to create a magical seasonal display whilst supporting a local charity.

The Snowflake Campaign will run from 1 December 2015 to 31 January 2016. For full details see the leaflet inside this newsletter.

Win a luxury 2 night break, a fabulous 32” TV, an Anya Hindmarch handbag and so much more in our Grand Christmas Raffle – tickets enclosed.See page 6 for more information.

Grand Christmas Raffle

THE SARA LEE TRUST presents…

The Snowflake Window

A unique way to remember someone

you love or miss, to say “thank you”

or just “you are special”

Write your message on a

snowflake

Pop into any of our shops, write your message on a snowflake and leave a donation – it’s that easy!You can also donate online and leave a virtual snowflake message – visit http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/sltf/snowflakewindowcampaign

To find out more – call 01424 420264 or visit www.saraleetrust.org Regi

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You can also take part online and leave a virtual snowflake message by visiting:https://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/ sltf/snowflakewindowcampaign

November 2015

Welcome from our Chief Executive Welcome to our 2015 Newsletter, our annual update which tells you what we have been doing

over the last year as well as our plans for 2016.

The year has flown by and, reflecting on what has been achieved, we can see that it has been a time of tremendous progress.

Over the year, for each working day, we have provided almost ten hours of essential support and care to over 600 local people living through life threatening illnesses, along with their families and carers. This equates to an increase of over 30% on the previous year.

We continue to enhance our services to ensure that we are providing support at the right time and in the right place. Key developments include:l Provision of evening care for

St Michael’s Hospice inpatients.l Increased provision of care in the

community.It’s clear however that the need for our service is still far greater than our current funding enables us to deliver.

As we move into 2016, our main aims will be to:l Continue to increase our capacity to

meet local need through additional fundraising and support.

l Improve access to our services, which will include the exciting development of a dedicated Trust Therapy Centre in Sidley, Bexhill-on-Sea.

l Develop the range of our services with the support of our now established Service User Group.

Since joining the Trust, I have been amazed by the amount of truly inspirational people who are supporting the Trust in differing ways but all of whom choose to give up their valuable time and/or money to support those in need.

We have a committed team here at the Trust whose determination to continue making a difference grows in line with the increasing demand for our services.

I would ask that whether you are a volunteer, supporter, carer, service user or team member, you help spread the word about what we do so that we can continue to increase our ability to meet local need; because every little contribution really does make a difference.

Thank you for your ongoing support and the difference you make. Dan Redsull

Message from Sally Lee, Chair of Trustees Although one cannot minimise the upset the fire has had on the

Hospice team, the Sara Lee Trust Team has suffered too.l They are currently working out of two

offices and at home.

l The room at Hastings Court, although entirely suitable and we are fortunate to have the use of, is not our room.

l Our therapists are covering Day Services at St Michael’s and the patients at Hastings Court.

l Our counsellors have different locations for seeing patients.

In spite of all this we have continued to deliver our services and will continue to do so throughout the new build. For this we have to thank our administration team, our therapists and all our volunteers for the marvellous support they have given the Trust through this difficult time.

Apart from all this we have had a very encouraging and productive year with a 30% increase in our service provision.

Please support our Snowflake Appeal for much needed funds, so that we can continue to hold a hand and make a difference for our patients.Sally Lee

Making a Difference to people with life threatening illnessSo just how can our services help? Here’s what our patients say…“The therapy groups make you feel safe and not alone, you can share as much as you wish or just be there to absorb people’s ideas… Even when people are faced with an end of life diagnosis, Sara Lee is where this can be talked about openly and given a chance to prepare/explore.”

“I really appreciate the support the

Sara Lee Trust has given me because without the help I

don’t think I would have continued living

because I was so depressed.”

“There is so much unspoken support from everyone who goes on a Natural Rhythm day because they too have been or are currently on a cancer journey. Deborah and Pam who facilitate these days guide us through the dark days to bring some peace and light to us all.”

Make a donation:To support our work by making an online donation please visit, www.justgiving.com/sltf

Sara Lee Trust Services at St Michael’s Hospice – the impact of the fireSince the fire we have worked tirelessly to ensure that the impact on both our Hospice and community patients has been minimised.

l We increased our therapy capacity immediately after the fire to ensure that Hospice patients were provided with as much care and support as we could offer.

l Counselling and complementary therapy services are being offered to Hospice patients on the wards at Hastings Court, where Hospice inpatient services are now based.

l We are providing normal community based support through the provision of therapy services from Hastings Court and counselling from a number of local accessible locations.

l We continue to accept new referrals as normal.

l Our group therapy care, and services delivered in the home and at the Rye, Winchelsea, District & Memorial Hospital, remain unaffected and continue as normal.

l Our admin operations have been affected and we are currently working out of temporary office locations (see addresses at the back of the newsletter).

We would like to thank all those working for and supporting the Trust for their dedication and incredible efforts in what have been, and will continue to be, very challenging times.

Update from

Following the devastating fire at St Michael’s Hospice in July this year we would like to thank everyone across Hastings and Rother (and further afield) who has supported us during this difficult time. We are now moving forward with plans to re-design the affected floors of the Hospice and it is estimated that this will take up to a year from commencement of works.

All in-patients are now being cared for by Hospice staff at Hastings Court, a beautifully designed, modern care home on the Ridge in Hastings where we have been lucky to be able to rent one and a half floors. All patients also have access to all other Hospice services including spiritual, religious and pastoral care and the level of care remains at the high, specialist standard that it was within the Hospice building.

All other services are also running successfully from various locations and all admin staff are working from temporary offices, although by the time this newsletter reaches you many of the administrative staff will have been able to move back into the upper floors. Day Services, which provides support and a social environment for people with life-limiting illnesses, has been fortunate enough to reopen at the Hospice, despite the rest of the building being out of use. We were really pleased to welcome our new celebrity ambassador Mark Benton to visit Day Services soon after it opened and are looking forward to working with him in the future.

For further updates on our services please visit www.stmichaelshospice.com

St Michael’s Hospice celebrity ambassador Mark Benton visits Day Services

We would also like to thank all those who have made special donations after the fire at St Michael’s Hospice, and all those who have set up Just Giving Pages to raise funds in the memory of a loved one.

Twitter:@SaraLeeTrust

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Service User Group, Chairman’s update

My name is Helen Illger and at the beginning of May this year I received an e-mail from Kerry, the Trust Therapy Manager, saying that the Sara Lee Trust was holding an open meeting for

former and current users of their services regarding plans to develop a new therapy centre in Sidley and that this meeting would also be the first steps in plans to help to develop and improve their current services.

This meeting provided me with the opportunity I had been looking for, enabling me to give something back for all the wonderful help and care that I have received from the Sara Lee Trust. The aim of the Service User Group is to help to raise the profile of users’ needs, views and interests in the way that the Trust operates.

The objectives of the Group will be to give ideas and feedback about how the Trust’s services can be developed. These will be worked on in the Group and in other Trust staff and planning meetings. Members will also help identify ways of how the ‘task’ of running the organisation can be shared for increased ownership between staff and users of the organisation’s services.

At July’s meeting I was honoured to be chosen to Chair the Service User Group which I deem to be a great privilege. I hope we can attract more past or current users to join the Service User Group. If you are interested in joining, please contact Kerry on 01424 272 519 or by emailing kerryevans@saraleetrust.org.

Volunteering with the TrustWe rely on voluntary support across all aspects of our work including retail, fundraising, administration and therapy services. This essential support allows us to provide a high quality service to our patients and we would like to extend our grateful thanks to all our volunteers.

Kate Taylor, one of our volunteer therapists, describes her experience of volunteering for the Trust:

I started volunteering for the Sara Lee Trust fairly recently as a voluntary complementary therapist

in the community. I’ve been working at St Michael’s Hospice for the past 11.5 years as a staff nurse on the wards and have seen first hand what a difference these therapies make to our patients, helping with relaxation, reducing anxiety levels and sometimes helping to ease other symptoms.

Having qualified seven years ago as a holistic massage therapist it seemed so natural to use my skills at the Sara Lee Trust. I chose to work in the community so it would be a complete change from ward work. I really enjoy visiting my patients in their homes on a weekly basis for approximately six weeks to give them treatments tailored to their own needs. In some cases, carers are also entitled to treatments to help them cope with the stresses of the caring they are doing. Touch can be more comforting than painkillers and bandages as it can make the patient feel cared for.

I feel so lucky to be able to do this and make a small difference to people at a very difficult time in their lives, and I’ve had such great support from everyone at the Sara Lee Trust being made to feel part of their team as soon as I started.

To find out how you can volunteer with the Trust, please call 01424 272 519, or pop into any of our charity shops

A big thank you to MAry & EvIE MIdglEy who took part in the Big Brighton Fun Run and raised over £270! Find us at:

facebook.com/SaraLeeTrust

Little Common School raises funds in memory of Paul DurrantLittle Common School were recently devastated by the loss of their Network Manager, Paul durrant, who died of cancer at the end of August.

Headteacher Linda Appleby (pictured above with some of the children) said ”Paul was such a hero to our pupils. He came into classrooms and fixed all our IT problems as well as being the DJ for our regular PTA children’s discos. He was fun-loving and really enjoyed working directly with the children, so we wanted to have a whole school event to remember him.

Paul was very impressed and grateful for the fantastic support he received from the Sara Lee Trust during his illness and we are raising funds for them through a whole school skipathon. We think Paul would have loved it!”.

630 pupils and 70 staff joined together to skip in memory of Paul, with everyone asking friends and family for sponsorship. The event raised a massive £767 for the Sara Lee Trust.

What does a treatment feel like?This poem was written by Tamar following treatment with reflexologist, Debbie Jones.

It captures a very powerful and holistic experience of the therapy.

The Power of Healing A Power of great profundityCame over me today.So powerful and effective was its forceI am still reelingA fishing line flying freely through the water.And I am smiling, just smiling,With joyful contentmentAnd a lightness in my being.The forceful surge camePushing, pushing, my left foot shot backward.Travelling on and upwards,My left then my right leg.Still progressing through my body, into my solar plexus,The cresting wave gathered and gainedMomentum, moment by moment.Now a huge tsunami waveIt takes my arching lower backOnward and upwardly surging forthI am blanked of all thought,I am overpoweredI am safely held.What brightness and light!What healing Power,I feel it all overIridescent, viola blue.The strings of my body play softly, clearlyTo its gentle tune.Still. I am safe.Held secure in the sweet harmonies.Serenely surfed,Aquamarine energisedLittle mermaidAll is well.My hair let downMy body let looseI feel freedSpaces are in my togetherness.Breath of calm.The sea-change shift is palpable.I stand positive, posture straight.My headMy whole well being held high.Aquamarine acquiesceContented calm contentment.Pure purple haze

Thanks to dENITA CooPEr who took part in the Thames Path Challenge and raised over £2,000!

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1Buy Tickets for our Christmas Raffle – amazing prizes to be won!

With this newsletter, you will find two books of 5 raffle tickets. The tickets are £1 each. We really hope that you will be able to support us by buying some.

Remember, you have to be in it to win it!

1st prize: 2 nights dinner, bed & breakfast for two in a deluxe sea view room at Keats Green Hotel, Shanklin, Isle of Wight, arriving Fri 15 April – departing Sun 17 April 2016, includes the car ferry from either Portsmouth or Southampton kindly donated by Keats Green Hotel

2nd prize: Panasonic Viera TX32C300B, 32” HD Ready LED TV kindly donated by Trinity Electrical

3rd prize: Stunning Anya Hindmarch handbag kindly donated by Anya Hindmarch

4th prize: Luxury Hamper

5th prize: £80 voucher for Trattoria Italiano Restaurant in Bexhill-on-Sea

Plus lots more wonderful prizes!

To enter the draw, please buy the tickets – or encourage friends and family to buy them – return the completed slips with payment made payable to THE SARA LEE TRUST in the enclosed envelope (please add a stamp) or pop into one of our charity shops to pick up a ticket!

The draw will take place at our Christmas Fair on SaTURDay 12 DECEMbER – see our events calendar on the back page for more details.

2Donate to our Charity Shops

you can deliver items to any of our charity shops, or to our new donation Centre which is easy to access and has free parking – so donating couldn’t be simpler!

The Sara Lee Trust Donation Centre,Unit 10, Beeching Park Industrial Estate, Wainwright Road, Bexhill-on-Sea, TN39 3URemail:donationcentre@saraleetrust.org

Opening times:Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am–1pmOr we can collect – call 01424 272358

How you can support us

We would like to thank all our cyclists in the Pru rIdE loNdoN-SurrEy 100 – CHArlIE BEdford-fordE, JoNATHAN fluxMAN, ToM HoPkINS (above left) and ToM NIxoN (above right) who completed the challenging 100 mile cycle and collectively have raised just under £3,000 to date with funds still being received. We thank them all for their spectacular support of the Trust.

3Take up a challenge!

Guaranteed places available…There are a number of exciting events that you can get involved in to challenge yourself and raise funds for the Trust such as the Hastings Half Marathon, the London and Brighton Marathons, and the Pru Ride London-Surrey 100 cycle for which we have a limited number of guaranteed annual places – see full details under the events calendar on the back page. Or organise your own fundraising challenge or event to raise funds…

4 Become a Business Partner

We are delighted that both PCM Estate Agents and Astbury Windows ltd have become corporate partners of the Trust. Both organisations make monthly donations to the Trust and this provides essential regular income.

“We at PCM are really pleased to be supporting The Sara Lee Trust – who provide incredible support to people at what must be a scary and frightening time for them. Cancer and serious illness touch so many people, we wanted to do something to help.” Blake Mitchell, Director.

Lee Astbury, Managing Director of Astbury Windows Ltd says “I wanted to support the Trust as they provided care for my Dad, before he died and also gave my mum some much needed respite. I feel it’s important to give something back.”To find out how your business can support the Trust, email mariagonet@saraleetrust.org or call 01424 420264.

How you can support us

The Sara Lee Trust Fundraising GroupThis volunteer based group organises a fabulous programme of events throughout the year to raise vital funds for our work. We would like to thank all the members for their support and dedication to the Trust.To find out how you can get involved please email mariagonet@saraleetrust.org

Our grateful thanks go to our fantastic team of London Marathon runners - JoE and NEIl BATES, AINSlEy goodWIN, TIM HodgSoN, BIJAN dANESH-NARuI and MATTHEW NEIgHBourCollectively they have raised over £9,000 which is absolutely fantastic and funds are still being received! We thank them all for their commitment, hard work and support of the Trust. Pictured here – Father and son Neil and Joe Bates, at the finish.

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Fundraising Event Planner Sat 12 December 2015 CHrISTMAS fAIr for All THE fAMIlySt John The Evangelist Church, Pevensey rd, St leonards-on-Sea, 10.30am–2.30pmGreat shopping, fundraising stalls, Santa’s grotto, delicious homemade refreshments – soup, mulled wine, mince pies and home baked goods – fun for all the family.Please come along to support us.Children’s Christmas themed fancy dress competition judging at 1pmgrand Christmas raffle will be drawn at 2.15pm

Thu 17 March 2016 QuIz ANd CurryThe Chilli Tree restaurant, 1 king offa Way, Bexhill-on-Sea, TN40 2uAA Sara Lee Trust Fundraising Group Event7.00 for 7.15pm. Tickets: £15 – include a welcome drink and delicious buffet meal (teams of 4 or 6)

RUN FOR THE TRUSTSun 20 March 2016 HASTINgS HAlf MArATHoN Planning to run the Hastings Half? If so, please consider raising funds for the Trust. To book your place visit www.hastings-half.co.ukSun 17 april 2016 BrIgHToN MArATHoN With a stunning backdrop of the sea, the Brighton Marathon finishes on the seafront with 150,000 spectators and an unbeatable atmosphere. General entries for this event are currently closed – but YOU CAN apply for a guaranteed place with The Sara Lee Trust for runners who can commit to raising £500.Sun 24 april 2016 loNdoN MArATHoN Take part in this iconic event with a guaranteed place with The Sara Lee Trust, for runners who can commit to raising £1,750.

CyCLE FOR THE TRUSTSun 31 July 2016 Pru rIdE loNdoN–SurrEy 100 CyClEThe event starts in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, then follows a 100-mile route on closed roads through the capital and into Surrey’s stunning countryside. With leg-testing climbs and a route made famous by the world’s best cyclists at the London 2012 Olympics, it’s a truly spectacular event for all involved.

The official ballot is currently open (and closes on Jan 8, 2016) and we would encourage anyone wishing to take part and support the Trust to apply for a ballot place in the first instance. You can also apply for a guaranteed Golden Bond Place via The Sara Lee Trust. All we ask is that you commit to raising £500, can complete the cycle within 9 hours and are able to ride safely within a large group of cyclists. Our places are limited – so apply soon to avoid disappointment!

for our CHAllENgE EvENTS WE CAN SuPPorT you WITH oNlINE fuNdrAISINg, CrEATE PErSoNAlISEd SPoNSorSHIP forMS ANd ProvIdE A SArA lEE TruST T-SHIrT or vEST.

For more information on any of our events, call 01424 420264 or email mariagonet@saraleetrust.org or visit our website at www.saraleetrust.org

The Sara Lee Trust temporary office addresses:Patient Services: General:The Sara Lee Trust The Sara Lee Trust1 Sedlescombe Road North Jackson HallSt Leonards-on-Sea Portland PlaceTN37 7DA Hastings TN34 1QNTel: 01424 272519

Tel: 01424 420264Registered Charity No: 1055048

Make a donation:To support our work by making an online donation please visit, www.justgiving.com/sltf