Dr Steve Burns' story
25 Year Anniversary Stories
This year – 2021 – marks 25 years since Rotherham Hospice opened its building on Broom Road. But the story doesn’t start there.
The idea of bringing hospice care to Rotherham dates back almost a decade before the building, it brings with it fundraising, competitions for the logo, and even a charity football game that included Sir Alex Ferguson. Steve Burns was there at that pivotal moment as the first chair of the fundraising committee.
“Patients used to go to St Luke’s in Sheffield. This was the 80s, so a lot of people didn’t have cars. A journey could take a couple of hours to visit a loved one.” Steve says, explaining how the idea for a Hospice in Rotherham came about.
Steve, who worked as a GP for many years, was out with a friend after work one night when the conversation got around to hospice care.
Following that discussion they heard about a committee being set up by Ralph Weston, Chaplain at the Hospital, to raise money for palliative care in Rotherham. They met and Ralph was elected the overall Chairman with Steve being the first Fundraising Chairman of the new committee.
After a few months, and several coffee mornings and sponsored walks later, the group had raised around £2000, and decided to create a charity. Having no experience in creating charities, the fundraisers turned to Solicitor John Woffenden and very soon afterwards The Rotherham Hospice Trust was born.
“We wanted to keep the aims clear; providing care and support for those suffering from a life-threatening illness.” Steve explains. And so originally there was no specific aim for a hospice building. The aim was to raise £1,000,000 to provide palliative care to the people of Rotherham.
Rotherham Hospice was now a charity, and a launch was set. Business leaders, local councillors, GPs, Hospital Doctors, Community Staff, and the media were all invited and the leader of the council Sir Jack Layden approved a grant of £2000 for the launch.
As time went on, more and more was raised through sponsored events, through BBQs, coffee mornings, and even through a football match between Rotherham United All Stars and a Celebrity All Stars team that included stars like Sir Alex Ferguson, and the Chuckle Brothers, and even made its way into The Sun newspaper.
The Hospice was well and truly on its way to the wonderful building on Broom Road; the services that would soon develop such as our community team providing care in homes across Rotherham; our 14-bed inpatient unit; our Day Hospice; and our Sunbeams Child Bereavement Support Group.
The fundraising that has taken place over the years, from midnight memory walks to conquering the 3 Peaks and jumping out of planes, the support from the people of Rotherham, can all date back not just to the opening of the building in 1996, but to that very first fundraising group back in the 1980s.
How can you help?
There are many ways you can support us, whether it be through holding an event, playing in our lottery, volunteering, or donating!
