Our first-ever Summer Celebration Day across our Hospice shops was nothing short of a smashing success!
As the school holidays drew to a close, each of our seven shops in Tameside and Glossop truly captured the essence of summer with a variety of activities that brought our community together in the most delightful way.
From face painting and tombolas to children’s treats and games, there was something for everyone to enjoy.
Our fantastic shop managers and volunteers went above and beyond, fully immersing themselves in the fun. Many even dipped into their own pockets to purchase items like balloons and cakes, ensuring the day was extra special.
Community spirit filled our shop floors, as customers also got involved. One talented supporter even baked a stunning cake featuring our 25th anniversary logo, which went down a treat at our Reddish Lane shop!
The energy and enthusiasm of the whole experience contributed to a successful day for the shops’ takings, boosting funds towards patient care at the Hospice.
Pauline Lunt, our Head of Retail, is thrilled with the outcome, saying: “I am absolutely delighted with how our Summer Celebration Day unfolded and how warmly it was embraced by our community.
“I want to extend a massive thank you to our shop managers, volunteers, and customers who came together to make the day a success. Some of our volunteers generously came in on days they don’t normally work – they baked cakes, made crafts and manned stalls.
“Our shop managers even enlisted help from their families. The buzz in each shop was brilliant, and it was heartwarming to see so many smiles when I visited.”
With all the fun and joy shared, we’re already planning to bring the Summer Celebration Day back next year—so keep an eye out for details as summer approaches!
Michelle Knight’s journey with Willow Wood Hospice is a testament to how a fulfilling career can emerge from unexpected beginnings.
Describing her role as Relief Retail Manager as her “favourite job out of everything I’ve ever done”, Michelle found joy and purpose in a position that allowed her to explore the unique character of each of our now eight charity shops across Tameside and Glossop.
Michelle, who lives in Dukinfield, loves the variety the role brings. “All of the shops have their own identity,” she explains. “Although they are variations of the same offer, they are so different from each other. I’ve built such lovely connections with the people I’ve worked with in all of the shops and made so many friends.”
The role involves stepping in whenever a shop manager is unavailable, which means every day is different. “One day you can be cleaning windows, pricing items, and steaming clothes. Another day, you’re serving customers on the till, wiping shelves, and doing some admin. It’s also about making the shop look clean and presentable for our customers.”
What she particularly enjoyed is the opportunity to bring ideas from one shop to another, helping to improve operations across the board. “When covering all of the shops, I would see something that is working in one shop that maybe the other shops aren’t doing and mention it to the other shops, which can help improve things, which we all want to do.”
Michelle loves the variety of the Relief Retail Manager role
Michelle’s journey with Willow Wood began in 2021 when she started volunteering at our Stalybridge shop after seeing a poster about vacancies. She was already aware of the Hospice’s vital work, after a close friend received end-of-life care at Willow Wood. Volunteering twice a week, Michelle quickly became an invaluable part of the team and was encouraged by the shop manager to apply for the Relief Retail Manager position.
Since then, Michelle hasn’t looked back, working for the Hospice for nearly two years. “Willow Wood looks after its employees, and the organisation means so much to everyone involved in it,” she says. “It also means a lot to the wider public. So many people bring donations in because they have lost a loved one at Willow Wood, and they want to help us raise money by gifting their loved one’s belongings.”
The sense of community and support at Willow Wood is strong, with shop managers, volunteers and Head of Retail, Pauline Lunt, forming a close-knit team. “Pauline is brilliant. You can email her, ring her, WhatsApp her, and she is always happy to help. Because she has been a shop manager herself, there is nothing that she cannot answer.”
Michelle emphasises that you don’t need extensive retail experience to thrive as a charity shop manager. “There are no specialised skills required. You don’t have to be a computer whizz. Training can be given if you’ve not used a till before – it’s really easy to learn. What’s important is that you are ready to learn and you are a friendly face that represents the Hospice.”
Michelle has recently taken on the managerial role at our Hyde shop while manager Gemma is on maternity leave, demonstrating the opportunities for growth and development within Willow Wood. “I started as a volunteer, then became a Relief Retail Manager, and now I’m a shop manager, albeit temporarily. Pauline was a shop manager and now she’s Head of Retail, so there are definitely opportunities for development.”
Michelle currently manages our Hyde shop
The Hospice also offers regular training opportunities to help staff to continually develop their skills. “Two of my colleagues, Pauline and Julie, recently went to a retail conference, which was a great experience,” stated Michelle. “We also have regular training that’s hospice-wide, which helps connect us with colleagues in other teams and is an opportunity to develop skills we perhaps otherwise wouldn’t learn.”
With our shop takings surpassing £1 million in the last financial year, it’s an exciting time to join Willow Wood as we expand our operations. “We are giving people more than just a jumble sale experience; we want them to have a nice shopping experience even in this current financial climate,” Michelle says. “The new Glossop shop looks fantastic and almost nothing like a charity shop as we know it. The direction we want to move in is that all of our shops have that same look and feel about them.”
For Michelle, the role of a charity shop manager is more than just a job – it’s about making a difference. “Every day is different in every shop, and I have met so many different people. You feel like you are making a difference to the bigger picture of supporting the Hospice. There’s quite a buzz in the shops, and they can be a hive of activity, but there is a really nice atmosphere.”
If you’re looking for a rewarding role with a strong sense of community, Michelle highly recommends applying to become a charity shop manager at Willow Wood. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to be part of something special.”
We are truly grateful to Clarity Travel Management for donating £1,000 worth of gardening equipment to the Hospice.
Staff from the global business travel agency – which has a head office in Manchester – recently volunteered their time with us and were blown away by our stunning gardens.
Steve Riley, Executive Director of Operations, lives in Stalybridge and has family members who have needed the Hospice’s vital services.
After receiving a positive impression and a warm welcome when he visited Willow Wood, Steve and his colleagues wanted to do something to help make a difference.
As well as gifting us brooms, shears, watering cans and an array of other tools for our gardeners to use, the firm has also pledged to donate scaffolding planks and wooden pallets, and support the Hospice in the future.
Our Head Gardener, Sophie Cordingley, said: “We really appreciate the fantastic donation and the generosity of Clarity Travel Management – we cannot thank them enough.
“This high-quality equipment will make such a difference and we will start putting it to good use immediately. It will make everything so much easier for us as a garden team.”
We’re excited to introduce you to Joanne Lees, who is our new Partnership Development Lead at Willow Wood Hospice.
Born and bred in Ashton-under-Lyne, mum-of-three Joanne feels like she has “come home” and is fulfilling a long-standing ambition to make a difference working for a charity.
Her family have always supported charities since her eldest son Andrew, 38, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at 22 months old.
As well as working for public services such as Tameside Council and Derby NHS Primary Care Team, Joanne has a vast array of experience working for corporate businesses – from Russell Hobbs to JD Sports and Sofology, part of the DFS Group.
As she begins a new chapter at the Hospice, Joanne is keen for every business in Tameside and Glossop to know all about Willow Wood, the extent of the services we provide, and our need to raise at least £3.3 million every year to continue operating.
She’s formulating exciting opportunities for businesses of all sizes to partner with the Hospice, for the benefit of both organisations.
“We’re developing packages for businesses which I think will be amazing,” she explained. “When you’re a busy business and you want to help a charity, you haven’t always got time to fundraise so our flexible packages will be ideal. No matter what size a business is, they will be able to participate.
“Away from the corporate model, if businesses just want to turn up to our network meetings and participate in that or pick the Hospice as their Charity of Choice, that’s fine as our packages are tailored towards what they want to do.
“We’re looking to introduce packages for our corporate volunteering offer too, so that we can maximise the benefits for both the Hospice and businesses.
“Each business tends to have at least one person who is the driving force behind supporting charities and I want Willow Wood to be at the forefront of their minds.”
If your business would like to partner with the Hospice, Joanne will be happy to provide you with more information – just drop her a line at joanne.lees@willowwood.org.uk or call 0161 330 7788.
We’re excited to see the connections she will develop.
Willow Wood Hospice is appealing for skilled and experienced people to join its Board of Trustees.
The Hospice, based in Ashton-under-Lyne, provides specialist and compassionate care for people from Tameside and Glossop with any life-limiting illness and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Willow Wood needs at least £3.3 million every year to run and, with approximately 21 per cent of that amount coming from the Government, relies heavily on the generous support of the local community to continue providing its vital services.
Trustees are crucial to the work of Willow Wood. With their support, scrutiny and challenge, the Hospice is able to grow and operate effectively.
The role of a trustee can be demanding but ultimately very rewarding, as their contribution helps to make positive changes to people’s lives and will shape the future of Willow Wood for years to come.
The Hospice is seeking trustees from a variety of backgrounds, including those with clinical experience, faith leaders, local government officials, and business professionals, among others.
Martin Willescroft, Honorary President and Trustee at Willow Wood Hospice, said: “What matters most is your enthusiasm and commitment to the Hospice. This role goes beyond attending meetings – it’s about being an active, hands-on participant in our mission.
“You will be involved in both governance responsibilities and proactive initiatives, helping our teams to bring comfort, kindness, and support to people with life-limiting illnesses during the most challenging times. By joining us, you will truly become part of something extraordinary.”
Joanne Ormston (pictured), a qualified Chartered Accountant and Managing Partner of a local law firm, has been a Willow Wood trustee since January 2021. She joined the Board for two main reasons.
“I was keen to do some volunteering work generally to offer some time and expertise in something where I felt I could make a difference,” Joanne said.
“I needed something to fit in with my current work commitments and young family so I thought that being involved in meetings when needed, given this was how I spent my days anyway, would be a useful way to help.
“I decided that a Hospice was where I wanted to offer my help as my mum sadly passed away from cancer in 2020 and the care she received from a local Hospice made such a difference to her quality of life and offered much-needed help to my dad who was her carer in the final weeks.
“My mum helped in any way she could during her illness, taking part in clinical trials and any research needed to help others in the future, so I wanted to continue that sentiment in her memory in a way I knew I could.
“Willow Wood is a local Hospice to me and offers such care and assistance to those families that need help that I knew this is where I wanted to offer my time and help to continue the great work they do.”
Joanne enjoys seeing local people benefit from the Hospice’s existence and recommends becoming a trustee to others thinking about getting involved.
“I enjoy hearing stories of how patients both in the Hospice and at home have benefitted from the care that the Hospice provides and knowing that I have been a very small part of that brings me a lot of happiness and a sense of ‘giving something back’ which is important,” she explained.
“I enjoy working with the other trustees – it’s very much a team approach and we all listen and respect the view of everyone involved as every person brings a different skill set and approach.
“I also enjoy chatting to the vast number of volunteers in and around the Hospice offering their time and expertise, it reminds me of what can be achieved if people work together with the success of the Hospice at heart.
“I believe that anyone who decides they want to join as a trustee would be happy with their decision. The Hospice needs as much help as possible and no matter what you can offer, even if in a small way, will be key in us being able to continue with the work being done and the difference it makes to people when they need help the most.”
Our Medical Director, Dr Mary Ann Mahadevan, recently travelled to Sri Lanka where she learned more about the work of Jaffna Hospice.
Accompanied by her husband Dush, who is also a doctor and whose family hail from the south-east Indian Ocean island, Mary Ann delivered an insightful and engaging presentation to share knowledge with their staff and student nurses.
“I talked about how palliative care services are generally structured in the UK, as well as some common challenges,” she explained.
“I then talked more specifically about the services that we deliver in Tameside and Glossop and at Willow Wood. I enjoyed telling them all about our hospice and showing them pictures of our facilities and staff.”
Upon visiting the 22-bed inpatient hospice, which first opened in January 2006, she discovered how they administer palliative care with finite resources.
“It is a beautiful and well-cared-for place with lovely gardens just like Willow Wood,” Mary Ann noted. “The thing that struck me the most was the dedication of the staff to deliver the best care they could with the limited resources they had available.
“There were lots of differences between the organisations and the care that is delivered but the thing that we definitely had in common was the passion of the staff.
“Hospices in the UK are really struggling right now, but it really pales in comparison to what they are working with over there.”
Mary Ann reflected on the visit as being “really interesting, inspiring and thought provoking” from which she learned a lot.
“I think the importance of sharing knowledge and experience with others is really valuable as we can all learn from each other,” she stated.
“I learned about how palliative care is delivered in a completely different healthcare system, as well as the value of community in caring for people as they approach the end of life.”
Mary Ann hopes the experience can mark the beginning of a lasting relationship between the hospices.
“I would be really keen to support them with their education and training needs, and I hope that our experiences can help them to develop as a service. They were really keen to forge an ongoing relationship with Willow Wood and I would be very happy with that.”
Our supporters Ladysmith Shopping Centre are holding a ‘School Uniform Exchange’ to offer families free school uniform, with the option of donating to the Hospice as their charity partner this year.
The local community is encouraged to drop off any used or new school uniform items at the Hospice’s shop, based at the centre in Ashton-under-Lyne, during its opening hours of Mondays to Saturdays 9am to 4pm as soon as possible.
The ‘Uniform Exchange’ shop will be open at the former Simply Clothing store at the Ladysmith Shopping Centre on Friday 30th August and Saturday 31st August from 10am to 3pm on both days – before the new school year begins in September and staff will be on hand to assist.
Uniforms will be free to claim but people are encouraged to make a donation, however small, in support of the Hospice – which provides compassionate care to patients from the local community with any life-limiting illness.
Ladysmith says the initiative aims to ease the financial burden on families amid the cost-of-living crisis, promote sustainability and reduce textile waste.
It follows a Censuswide poll conducted for the footwear brand Wynsors, which revealed that 73 per cent of parents feel that purchasing school uniforms strains their household budget, with 37 per cent of parents admitting they need financial support for these expenses but are unable to obtain it.
“We believe that every child deserves to start the school year with confidence, and a proper uniform is an important part of that,” said Ian Pratt, a spokesperson for Ladysmith Shopping Centre.
“Access to school uniforms is also about equality, dignity and inclusion, ensuring every child feels positive and part of the school community.”
One of the Hospice’s longest-serving staff members has retired after 25 years of being part of the Willow Wood family.
Janet Breslin has been with the Hospice almost from the very beginning of our journey, joining in August 1999 – around a month before the Inpatient Unit (IPU) opened.
Staff and volunteers from all departments gathered to say a fond farewell and thank you on her final working day on Wednesday (31st July), which brought the curtain down on a career in nursing spanning over 45 years.
Janet started her training in 1976 in Stafford before registering as a psychiatric nurse in 1979. Two years later, she registered as a general nurse after completing her training and has stayed in that field ever since.
She has worked as a district nurse and had previous experience of working in a hospice at St Ann’s for 10 years, before taking up a role as a sister on our IPU.
Janet before the Hospice opened (left) and on the Inpatient Unit before she moved to Wellbeing (right)
“The first few weeks were getting ready for the ward opening, making sure we had all the equipment we needed and getting documentation ready,” Janet explained.
“Most of the staff had been appointed by then and we had a team building week before the IPU opened which went very well. We were blessed to have a mixed team – including people from The Christie and several other hospices with different ideas.”
Janet expanded her skillset at Willow Wood by working in several different roles, most recently as Wellbeing Team Leader.
“I worked on the IPU for over 20 years. From there, a triage role was developed, it was a one-year secondment so I worked with the specialist palliative care nurses and clinical admin team to triage all of the referrals that came into the Hospice and specialist nurses, so the role was to contact people, get a background history and find the right care for patients.
“Following that role, I joined the Wellbeing team to help with the development of services, which I have done for just over two years up to my retirement.”
Unsurprisingly, she has seen a myriad of changes at the Hospice as the services available to patients from Tameside and Glossop with any life-limiting illness have evolved.
This has included the appointment of occupational therapists and a clinical educator; the development of the complementary therapy team, medical team and dementia support; and the increase in counselling available through the family support team.
Janet with some of her colleagues in the early days of her career
Indeed, there are various achievements that Janet will look back upon with immense pride.
“I am certainly very proud to have been part of the Hospice from the very start, involved in setting up the services, and making a difference to people’s lives through my work,” she reflected.
“In 2016, I was thrilled to represent Willow Wood at an event to celebrate the work that hospices do at the Speaker’s House in the House of Commons. It was a special occasion and I met Baroness Finlay of Llandaff and Dr Sarah Wollaston MP.
“In 2017, I was very proud that myself and Wendy Irons received a Dignity in Care award for collaborative working with the palliative respite team to enable a young lady to have her wishes granted.
“Also in 2018, the Inpatient Unit was shortlisted from around 400 recommendations for the Greater Manchester Care Awards in the category ‘People’s champion’ for outstanding commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of others. It was brilliant and I felt so proud of the team for what was a big achievement.”
Janet and some of her colleagues at a Masquerade Ball
Janet hopes to volunteer in healthcare locally and stay connected with the Hospice, but there are aspects of her job she will dearly miss.
“I will miss the people who I have worked,” she said. “I have enjoyed supporting and developing staff and volunteers, and working with the student nurses in helping with their development – it was a big part of my role which I really enjoyed.
“The team I have worked with in Wellbeing are fantastic. I will certainly miss the contact with patients and making a difference to their lives which is what it’s all about. I will still stay in touch with the Hospice, Willow Wood has been a big part of my life for 25 years.”
As she begins a new chapter in her life, Janet plans to make the most of her free time – including following her beloved Manchester City Football Club at home and abroad.
“I might have the opportunity to go to more European matches now,” she said. “I’ve got some holidays already booked to places I want to see.
“I will go out for lunches with my friends and catch up with old colleagues. I’ve been thinking about getting a dog so more walks too. Last year I started going to a pottery class which I’ll continue going to.
“It will seem strange at first having time to do all these things. The fact I will no longer be in nursing will leave a void, it’s part of my identity.”
Everyone at Willow Wood thanks Janet for her long service and wishes her a happy and healthy retirement.
Janet with her Wellbeing team colleagues
She has also expressed her gratitude to the Hospice for supporting her over the years.
“Thank you to the teams that I have worked with for the support they have given me and the commitment to the work they do. I’m thankful to be blessed to have worked with some amazing people at Willow Wood and thank you to the management for believing in my abilities.
“When I went to Wellbeing, it was so new to me but Nicola [Cheetham], our Clinical Director, gave me that belief and support to be able to do that. It was a challenge that I embraced and have enjoyed.
“Thank you to all of our volunteers, I have worked with some amazing people. They support us and we support them.”
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