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.
After an absence of two years Prospect Hospice is thrilled to announce that its flagship fundraising event, the Starlight Walk, is returning to the streets of Swindon on 11 June with the theme ‘going back to the 80s.’
The 1980s theme was chosen for the Starlight Walk that was due to take place in 2020 to mark the hospice’s 40th anniversary (it was founded in 1980), but the pandemic meant that it was postponed then and also last year.
Sheryl Crouch, head of income at Prospect Hospice, said: “We’ve missed putting on our iconic Starlight Walk, which we’ve been holding since 2007. Now that restrictions have eased and people are mixing again we feel the time is right to hold it safely again this year.
“It’s a popular and well supported event which raises much needed funds for our work and we are excited to be able to run it again. We hope our supporters will come out in their numbers and make this an extra special Starlight Walk.
“When we announced the 80s theme in 2020 there was a lot of excitement among our supporters and people who have signed up to take part in it this year are telling us they are digging out their brightest fashion accessories to match the era! So, if you enjoy dressing up it’s a great excuse, but don’t worry it’s not compulsory.
“The walk is open to everyone and we see a great mixture of people taking part. For many people it’s also an opportunity to remember loved ones who were cared for by the hospice. The event this year is even more crucial for our fundraising income, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. Everyone who takes part will be helping the hospice to care for people who need us at the end of their lives.”
Among the supporters taking part is Lisa Fry, of Swindon, who will be walking with her friends who make up ‘Carole’s Cheerleaders’ in memory of their friend and colleague Carole Henshaw.
Carole, a teaching assistant at Haydonleigh Primary School, Swindon, was cared for by Prospect Hospice after being diagnosed with cancer in October 2020 and died within eight weeks.
Carole’s Cheerleaders (pictured below) fundraised for the hospice last year by organising their own walk and, in the spirit of the Starlight Walk, were dressed in brightly coloured tutus, leg warmers and had their faces painted, and raised more than £1,700.
Lisa participated in the Starlight Walk a few years ago and said: “It’s good fun and there’s a great atmosphere among everyone who does it. It’s just so nice to do it with your friends and also be part of the bigger crowd, plus if you enjoy dressing up it’s a great excuse!
“When we did our own walk last year we got cheers from people who saw us. I think Carole would have been smiling down on us; it’s something she would have loved to have done.
“We were so pleased to do it and raise funds for Prospect Hospice so it could help other people like Carole. The hospice gives wonderful care to people and support for their families and while it is delivered free of charge to anyone in our community that needs it, it does cost £7.5million each year to run the services, so it’s really important to fundraise.”
The Starlight Walk is on Saturday 11 June at 8pm starting and finishing at Swindon Town Football Club. People can walk 10km or 15km and along the route there is a remembrance area for walkers to stop and have a moment of reflection for those loved ones who are not able to join them this year.
If you think you can support the hospice and would like to take part, you can find out more information and book your place here
There is an early bird rate of £12 for places booked before 31 March, after which entry is £15. Everyone who enters receives a T-shirt to wear on the night and a medal when they cross the finishing line.
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