At Prospect Hospice, we provide outstanding, personalised and compassionate care for everyone in Swindon, Marlborough and the surrounding areas affected by a life-limiting illness, completely free of charge. For more than 40 years, we’ve been a dedicated, non-hospital, end-of-life care service for patients and their loved ones - around the clock, every day of the year. Our mission is to ensure that anyone can access the best possible expert care whenever and wherever they need it – whether at the hospice or in their own home. As a charity, we only exist because of the generosity and support of our amazing local community.
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.
Our café sits at the heart of our hospice in Wroughton and serves a range of delicious home cooked meals to suit all tastes. Whether you're looking to catch up with friends over lunch or relax with coffee and cake, our Heart of the Hospice café has you covered.
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.
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.
Brenda Leddy says that after her son, Danny, was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 34 she and his partner, Ellie, did all they could to make his last year as normal and happy as it could be.
“He was diagnosed with cancer in January 2017, and in June that year he was told it was terminal. Ellie and he wanted to marry and he wanted to die at home, and with Prospect Hospice’s support both those things happened,” says Brenda.
“Danny spent some time in Prospect Hospice’s inpatient unit, and the staff there made sure they could get married in the registry office on 1 September and spend their first night as a married couple together in a hotel. After that, hospice staff pushed two beds together in a room in the inpatient unit so Ellie and Danny could spend a few nights together there too – they were brilliant.
“Once Danny was stabilised, he was able to go back home and Ellie and I looked after him. He did have several trips back to the hospice because they were the only ones who could sort out his pain relief properly, but we were all so glad he could be at home as he wanted.”
Danny died at home on 19 December 2017.
“It was devastating for us all. As much as I thought I’d be OK, I felt absolutely overwhelmed. You can’t understand how it feels to lose someone you’ve carried for nine months and given birth to.
“For the first year after his death I kept telling myself, you can get through this – when all the firsts pass, you’ll be okay. So the first birthday, Easter and anniversary of his death came, the first Christmas without him and anniversary of his funeral were completed. But I wasn’t okay at all – I was sinking more and more, no longer able to keep my head above water. I was drowning in sorrow. I wanted to die.
“My doctor had offered me a few half hour sessions with a counsellor but frankly that wouldn’t have scratched the surface. Then in February 2019 I met Louise from the Prospect Hospice family support team. If I’m being completely honest, I never thought for one minute that it was going to help me at all. I couldn’t have been more wrong, I’m happy to say, and although at first I didn’t know how, or even if, my life would change, change it did.
“It takes time to build a relationship, whereby you can talk truly and openly about your innermost thoughts and feelings, and that to me was the best thing about support from the hospice’s team. For the first few times, I hardly said anything, but Louise had both the time and patience to get to know a bit about me before deciding the best way to help me. We all need different things to help us through.
“Without intervention from Louise my marriage would be over. My husband is not Danny’s father, and in my grief I said some things which were difficult for him to hear, saying things like ‘it’s not your son, how would you know?’. Louise explained some issues couldn’t be solved and suggested putting them in a box, putting the lid on and leaving them there. I did this and it saved our marriage and my sanity.
“The longevity of the bereavement service is amazing but Louise found a way to make it even better by forming the ‘Mums’ Group’, a brilliant idea and a godsend. Initially Louise introduced us, then we started meeting monthly in the Heart of the Hospice café at the hospice. We then expanded to meeting in public spaces – a pub in Old Town, a garden centre café and then in each other’s homes.
“I am pleased to say this is ongoing. Being able to be ourselves, knowing we are all on the same journey is brilliant. It doesn’t matter if we feel like crying, no-one minds, no need for explanations, it’s okay. Through the group I have made friends and made one very good friend too, so that’s a bonus.
“I will be so grateful for the rest of my life that Louise and I met. I am no longer on antidepressants and I can now live with the newer version of myself, without my son. I never thought I would ever be able to say those words.
“I still have peace of mind that should I need support at a later stage I can call on the hospice bereavement team again. Our community is so, so lucky to have Prospect in our midst.”
Find out more about how you can support the work of the hospice with a regular gift here.