St George's Ladies Group

When the Ladies Group recommenced, our first speaker, a nurse, came to talk about the charity we have chosen to support this year, which is the Rosemary Foundation.

When the Sue Ryder Home, Bordean House, closed in 1997 it left a gap in the palliative care offered in this area to the terminally ill. The Bordean staff felt this care should be continued and founded the Rosemary Foundation. At the outset the staff were not paid and in fact put money into the charity to get it started.

Usually a G.P. will advise the Foundation of anyone they feel needs this care and a nurse will go to see the patient and assess the type of care that is required. One nurse will be assigned to the patient and will continue to look after them as long as necessary. At present there are ten nurses, who now get paid, who cover a fifteen mile radius around Petersfield. They are on call twenty four hours a day and seven days a week and their services are free. Bereavement support and counselling is also provided to families. To keep administration costs to a minimum nurses work from home and their only office is a small room rented at a low cost in a solicitors’ office.

The Rosemary Foundation relies on voluntary contributions and we hope to raise a lot of money this year for this very worthwhile charity.

Margaret Deal