Hospice gives thanks to Sheila as Alderwood donates over £6K
92-year-old volunteer fundraiser Sheila, a resident at Alderwood since February, collected £300 for St Helena Hospice by asking people for donations of foreign coins left over from their holidays.
Volunteer fundraiser Sheila Gibbs was a special guest at St Helena Hospice in Colchester as a ‘thank you’ for her fundraising efforts.
The 92-year-old, a resident at Alderwood Care Home since February, collected £300 for the charity by asking people for donations of foreign coins left over from their holidays.
Former hospital worker Sheila, who worked in the X-ray department at Colchester General Hospital for over 40 years, was thanked for her donation by members of the team at St Helena’s, given a tour of the hospice and chatted to the team about their work.
The great-grandmother said: “I used to sell cakes and other little homemade things on a little stall at the hospital to raise money for charity, and I must have raised thousands of pounds over the years.
“I like to feel useful. I have cared for people my whole life and I like to think that I will always have something to offer.”
Sheila has been married to husband Phil for 70 years and the pair have three children. Phil said: “It was wonderful to see everyone make such a fuss of Sheila. She is a remarkable lady, and I am so chuffed to see her get some recognition for her years of fundraising efforts.”
St Helena Hospice has been Alderwood Care Home’s chosen charity since 2019. The home has raised and donated just over £6,500 to the hospice, which provides specialist palliative and end of life care to people with incurable illnesses in north east Essex.
Last year, Laura Birch, lifestyle coordinator at Alderwood, completed an extreme abseil at the National Lift Tower in Northampton to raise £2,590. The rest of the money was raised through raffles and quiz nights held at the care home.
Laura said: “Sheila is such a caring person, she takes an active role in our activities and when her fellow residents are a little nervous or unsure, she will hold their hands during the activity and offer them kind words of reassurance.
“Sheila likes to keep busy here at Alderwood, she loves to knit and paint and is very good at both.”
Hospice Giving Officer Tracey Hargreaves said: “We loved getting to meet Sheila and hear about all of her marvellous fundraising efforts.
“As a charity we rely heavily on the help and generosity of our fundraisers, without them we wouldn’t be here. The team at Alderwood are superstars! With their support, more local people can live and die well with compassion, dignity, and choice.”
Nikki Leaney, home manager, added: “We believe that being part of someone’s life, including the end of their life, is a privilege. Our team are specially trained in ensuring all of our residents’ lives are meaningful, fulfilling and personalised to them – right to the end of their life.
“It was wonderful seeing Sheila get the recognition that she deserves for all the selfless fundraising she has done over her lifetime.”
Rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, Alderwood Care Home is located on Essex Hall Road and provides residential, nursing, dementia, and specialist end of life care. The home is accredited by the Gold Standards Framework for compassionate end-of-life care and the team won the Palliative Care Award at the Essex Care Sector Awards: The Prospers 2024.