Strathcarron Stories Podcast

14: Strathcarron Snowdrop Cafés: Finding connection through grief

What does it mean to have a place where you don’t need to explain your grief - where it’s simply understood? In this episode of Strathcarron Stories, we visit one of our local Snowdrop Cafés in Denny. Like all the local cafe's these are welcoming community spaces for people experiencing grief, loneliness and loss. Run by local volunteers and supported by our Compassionate Communities team, these groups offer something simple but powerful: connection, conversation and friendship. You’ll hear from several people who attend the café, as they share what this space means to them. From finding comfort after loss, to rebuilding confidence, routines and relationships. Their stories show how small moments of kindness, shared cups of tea and familiar faces can make a big difference. This episode is about community, compassion and the quiet strength that comes from not having to face things alone.   For more information on where your local Snowdrop cafe is, or even to set up your own visit: Where is my local Strathcarron Snowdrop Cafe? [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/community-snowdrop-cafes]   Thank you to Jayne Lamond and everyone from the Denny Snowdrop Cafe for welcoming us in and having such lovely conversations.  ====== By sharing people stories, we help to raise awareness of Strathcarron's services and impact, as well as to reduce the fear of Hospices and encourage more conversations about death and dying. Hosted by Ailsa (from Communications), Ross (from IT) and Katy (from Comms) sees us out and about, speaking to our own staff, as well as people living with life limiting conditions and the families they support. We're nurses, doctors, social workers. We're volunteers, cleaners, cooks & therapists. We're fundraisers, administrators, accountants & physiotherapists. We will share their stories. We also aim to ask and answer your questions. The conversations we’ll have with our teams will be around their roles, impact and how each person supports people with life limiting conditions. We will also speak to volunteers, local organisations, fundraisers, schools - a whole host of people connected to the Hospice too. If you have any questions re hospice or palliative care, Strathcarron Hospice, or would like to be on the Podcast, or have a story to tell, please get in touch via our email Podcast@StrathcarronHospice.net.

13: A conversation between best friends Donna Ashworth and Lynn Guthrie

In this moving episode of Strathcarron Stories, Ailsa and Katy welcome poet Donna Ashworth and her lifelong friend Lynn Guthrie for their first-ever interview together. These friends share a deeply personal and uplifting conversation about love, grief, and the care Lynn’s mum received during her final days at Strathcarron Hospice’s Inpatient Unit.   Donna’s first-ever grief poem, “When You Say Goodbye to a Parent,” was written from the emotions Donna had from visiting Lynn’s mum at Strathcarron - a moment that shaped her creative journey. Lynn reflects on how the compassion shown to her, her mum, and her young son in Strathcarron Hospice transformed  their experience of loss, inspiring her to retrain as a grief coach supporting others through bereavement.  Together, they laugh, cry, and celebrate the power of friendship and hospice are. Donna also performs two of her most special poems in this heartfelt conversation about living, loving, letting go and living with grief.   For more information on Donna Ashworth's community and beautiful poems and to purchase her books: (4) Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/donnaashworthwords]  Lynn runs the The Empathic Therapist Counselling | Home | Stirling | Online Sessions in UK [https://theempathictherapist.co.uk/] grief couselling.   Thank you Donna and Lynn ====== By sharing people stories, we help to raise awareness of Strathcarron's services and impact, as well as to reduce the fear of Hospices and encourage more conversations about death and dying. Hosted by Ailsa (from Communications), Ross (from IT) and Katy (from Comms) sees us out and about, speaking to our own staff, as well as people living with life limiting conditions and the families they support. We're nurses, doctors, social workers. We're volunteers, cleaners, cooks & therapists. We're fundraisers, administrators, accountants & physiotherapists. We will share their stories. We also aim to ask and answer your questions. The conversations we’ll have with our teams will be around their roles, impact and how each person supports people with life limiting conditions. We will also speak to volunteers, local organisations, fundraisers, schools - a whole host of people connected to the Hospice too. If you have any questions re hospice or palliative care, Strathcarron Hospice, or would like to be on the Podcast, or have a story to tell, please get in touch via our email Podcast@StrathcarronHospice.net.

12: Live interviews from our Annual Palliative Care Conference

🎤The new Strathcarron Stories Podcast is out now🎤 Education is a founding principal of the Hospice Movement and Strathcarron Hospice’s Annual Conference draws experts from around the world to speak and learn about the latest developments and learnings in palliative care in end of life care.    Our team at Strathcarron is passionate about learning and best practice and this episode we chat to guest speakers and attendees live at the Conference (in September), as well as our Head of Education, Dr Sally Boa. We are very grateful to all our attendees who we interviewed on the Podcast live on the day, as well as the prestigious speakers: * Dr Ben Hudson, Consultant hepatologist, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital * Dr Nat Quail, Registrar in Infectious Disease and Microbiology in the West of Scotland * Dr Kathryn Mannix, Author and former consultant and expert in palliative care * Professor Max Watson, Palliative Care Consultant, Omagh, NI We hope you enjoy listening. (Picture 1: L to R: Angela Harkdins, Dr Sally Boa. Picture 2: L to R: Professor Max Watson, Dr Nat Quail, Dr Kathryn Mannix, Dr Ben Hudson)   Further Information: - If you are interested in signing up for 2025: Strathcarron Palliative Care Conference [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/news/strathcarron-hospice-conference-2024] -  Find your nearest Snowdrop cafe, for friendship, support and a  cup of tea and a blether: Where is my local Strathcarron Snowdrop Cafe? [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/our-snowdrop-cafes] For further information on Project Echo: Project Echo | Strathcarron Hospice [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/project-echo-information]  For further information on Quality End of Life Care for All (QUELCA): QELCA at Strathcarron | Strathcarron Hospice [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/qelca] ====== By sharing people stories, we help to raise awareness of Strathcarron's services and impact, as well as to reduce the fear of Hospices and encourage more conversations about death and dying. Hosted by Ailsa (from Communications) and Ross (from IT) sees us out and about, speaking to our own staff, as well as people living with life limiting conditions and the families they support. We're nurses, doctors, social workers. We're volunteers, cleaners, cooks & therapists. We're fundraisers, administrators, accountants & physiotherapists. We will share their stories. We also aim to ask and answer your questions. The conversations we’ll have with our teams will be around their roles, impact and how each person supports people with life limiting conditions. We will also speak to volunteers, local organisations, fundraisers, schools - a whole host of people connected to the Hospice too. If you have any questions re hospice or palliative care, Strathcarron Hospice, or would like to be on the Podcast, or have a story to tell, please get in touch via our email Podcast@StrathcarronHospice.net. 🎤The new Strathcarron Stories Podcast is out now🎤   Strathcarron Hospice’s Annual Conference draws experts from around the world to speak and learn about the latest developments and learnings in palliative care in end of life care.     Our team at Strathcarron is passionate about learning and best practice and this episode we chat to guest speakers and attendees live at the Conference (in September), as well as our Head of Education, Dr Sally Boa. We are very grateful to all our attendees who we interviewed on the Podcast live on the day, as well as the prestigious speakers: * Dr Ben Hudson, Consultant hepatologist, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital * Dr Nat Quail, Registrar in Infectious Disease and Microbiology in the West of Scotland * Dr Kathryn Mannix, Author and former consultant and expert in palliative care * Professor Max Watson, Palliative Care Consultant, Omagh, NI We hope you enjoy listening.     (Picture 1: L to R: Angela Harkdins, Dr Sally Boa. Picture 2: L to R: Professor Max Watson, Dr Nat Quail, Dr Kathryn Mannix, Dr Ben Hudson)   Further Information: - If you are interested in signing up for 2025: Strathcarron Palliative Care Conference [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/news/strathcarron-hospice-conference-2024] -  Find your nearest Snowdrop cafe, for friendship, support and a  cup of tea and a blether: Where is my local Strathcarron Snowdrop Cafe? [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/our-snowdrop-cafes] For further information on Project Echo: Project Echo | Strathcarron Hospice [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/project-echo-information]  For further information on Quality End of Life Care for All (QUELCA): QELCA at Strathcarron | Strathcarron Hospice [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/qelca] ====== By sharing people stories, we help to raise awareness of Strathcarron's services and impact, as well as to reduce the fear of Hospices and encourage more conversations about death and dying. Hosted by Ailsa (from Communications) and Ross (from IT) sees us out and about, speaking to our own staff, as well as people living with life limiting conditions and the families they support. We're nurses, doctors, social workers. We're volunteers, cleaners, cooks & therapists. We're fundraisers, administrators, accountants & physiotherapists. We will share their stories. We also aim to ask and answer your questions. The conversations we’ll have with our teams will be around their roles, impact and how each person supports people with life limiting conditions. We will also speak to volunteers, local organisations, fundraisers, schools - a whole host of people connected to the Hospice too. If you have any questions re hospice or palliative care, Strathcarron Hospice, or would like to be on the Podcast, or have a story to tell, please get in touch via our email Podcast@StrathcarronHospice.net.

11: Our Fundraisers with Jackie, Kevin and Linda

Strathcarron, like all other local Hospices, is funded by the communities it serves. We are incredibly grateful to our generous supporters, without their donations, we just could not carry on. It is the local people like Kevin and Linda that we are speaking to today who fund their local Hospice by undertaking on remarkable challenges to raise money. We hear why they support Strathcarron, just before they embark on the incredible challenge to cycle the Camino del Norte from San Sebastián to Oviedo, heading into the mountains of Asturias on the Camino Primitivo in Spain. They wanted to do this physically and mentally demanding challenge to raise money for the Hospice, in memory of their friend Pat. We also have a conversation with Jackie from our fundraising team. The backbone of our Hospice, this team consistently supports communities to raise money for their local Hospice charity. Jackie, is our Fundraising Manager and provides us a fantastic insight into the team and the work they do. As a charity, we need to raise £116,459 every single week to provide all specialist end of life and palliative care services. We rely on the incredible generosity of local people to raise the shortfall that the NHS don’t fund. Our Hospice services support over 400 people a week in their own homes across Forth Valley and North Lanarkshire areas. That is as many as we care for in our In-Patient Unit. Further information: Kevin and Linda’s wonderful blog: Blog – Page 3 – Where there’s a will [https://kevinandlindatravel.blog/blog/page/3/] If you would like to support Strathcarron and raise money in Memory of a loved one: In Memory Of [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/Pages/InMemoryOf/]   ====== By sharing people stories, we help to raise awareness of Strathcarron's services and impact, as well as to reduce the fear of Hospices and encourage more conversations about death and dying. Hosted by Ailsa (from Communications) and Ross (from IT) sees us out and about, speaking to our own staff, as well as people living with life limiting conditions and the families they support. We're nurses, doctors, social workers. We're volunteers, cleaners, cooks & therapists. We're fundraisers, administrators, accountants & physiotherapists. We will share their stories. We also aim to ask and answer your questions. The conversations we’ll have with our teams will be around their roles, impact and how each person supports people with life limiting conditions. We will also speak to volunteers, local organisations, fundraisers, schools - a whole host of people connected to the Hospice too. If you have any questions re hospice or palliative care, Strathcarron Hospice, or would like to be on the Podcast, or have a story to tell, please get in touch via our email Podcast@StrathcarronHospice.net.

10: In conversation with Sarah and Libby for To Absent Friends Week

The first week in November marks To Absent Friends, an annual festival of remembrance and story-telling created to give people a focal point in the year to gather together, tell stories, celebrate and reminisce about people they love who have died.   In this Strathcarron Stories Podcast episode, we are joined in conversation by the wonderful Sarah and Libby. They share a special friendship, which has deepened over the past months. Both of their husbands died in the care of Strathcarron; at home and in the Hospice in-patient unit.   This is their story of grief, told with frankness, sadness and great humour.   Sarah said, "I’m amazed that I actually laughed out loud at some of our chat and I hope that means this podcast will go some way in breaking down the barriers and misconceptions around living through grief and loss".    We are very grateful to Sarah and Libby, we thoroughly enjoyed our conversation, and hope you do too. We hope you enjoy listening.     (Picture: L to R: Sarah and Libby)   Further Information: - Strathcarron Hospice Bereavement Hub: Where you can find resources to support you in your grief: Bereavement Resources | Strathcarron Hospice [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/Pages/Category/bereavement-resources] -  Find your nearest Snowdrop cafe, for friendship, support and a  cup of tea and a blether: Where is my local Strathcarron Snowdrop Cafe? [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/our-snowdrop-cafes] - Our Support Line is available to anyone locally, living with a life limiting condition. We are here to listen Live Your Life Team | Strathcarron Hospice [https://www.strathcarronhospice.net/live-your-life-team]   ====== By sharing people stories, we help to raise awareness of Strathcarron's services and impact, as well as to reduce the fear of Hospices and encourage more conversations about death and dying. Hosted by Ailsa (from Communications) and Ross (from IT) sees us out and about, speaking to our own staff, as well as people living with life limiting conditions and the families they support. We're nurses, doctors, social workers. We're volunteers, cleaners, cooks & therapists. We're fundraisers, administrators, accountants & physiotherapists. We will share their stories. We also aim to ask and answer your questions. The conversations we’ll have with our teams will be around their roles, impact and how each person supports people with life limiting conditions. We will also speak to volunteers, local organisations, fundraisers, schools - a whole host of people connected to the Hospice too. If you have any questions re hospice or palliative care, Strathcarron Hospice, or would like to be on the Podcast, or have a story to tell, please get in touch via our email Podcast@StrathcarronHospice.net.