The events are always so well organised, have such a fantastic atmosphere and are a pleasure to be a part of. We love knowing we are doing our bit in memory of Joan and to benefit other families who also need and benefit from the fabulous care of the Hospice.

This years Glow with the Flow was originally planned for the 19th June. As with everything this year, plans have had to change to ensure safety during the Covid 19 pandemic. Although some parts of the lockdown had been lifted that week, for safety reasons the event had already been postponed.

As that week began I started to feel like I needed to do something to mark it. After taking part in the event for 3 years running it just did not feel right to just do nothing, pandemic or not!

So, I discussed it with Billy and Bella who had not done the walk before as it was late at night. I suggested that we could go for a late walk locally, the same as we had been doing during lockdown – but this time we’d wait for dark, and take some Glow sticks and raise money for the Hospice in memory of Auntie Erin’s Mummy. They, of course, thought this was an amazing idea and agreed to it immediately! I ordered a big tube of glow sticks online, and found out my Glow tutu and face paint in readiness.

I worked a long day shift at the hospital that day, when I got home Billy and Bella were excitedly waiting for me to shower and get ready to go out again. We painted our faces, we cracked all our glow sticks, we pulled on our tutus and we waited for it to go dark.

We set off on our usual local walk around our village and Billy was shouting ‘Support Rotherham Hospice’ the whole way round! It felt so good to be doing something so positive and so worthwhile together. It was so much fun and we all loved doing it! My Dad was fortunately still awake when we passed his house and he threw some money in Billy’s collecting tin, which made him so happy.

When we got home I posted the photos and a video I made on Social Media along with a donate button. Amazingly we raised £240, we are so grateful and blown away by everyone’s generosity and support, especially at this very difficult time.

We can not recommend doing a ‘Glow from Home’ enough as it certainly made us feel like we’d made a difference, which is so important.

Here’s hoping we can all get together again for next years event – but for now, get your glow on and go local!

In fact, Nicola tells us that before arriving at the Hospice, Pam had lost lots of weight, had no appetite, and was struggling to walk. After a ten-day stay, Pam left the Hospice, back on her feet, and made such an improvement that she messaged Nicola at midnight to tell her she was raiding the fridge eating Easter Eggs, often more than one at a time!

After improving further, Pam received more chemotherapy but shortly after Easter, Pam was admitted back to the Hospital after becoming dehydrated and her health deteriorated. Pam’s family was told that cancer had spread and a decision was made that Pam would be moved to the Hospice, where she spent six weeks, surrounded daily by friends and family.

“Mum was comfortable here.” Says Nicola. “It allowed us to spend time that we needed and wanted to spend with her, without the constraints of hospital visits and limitations on the number of visitors.”

Nicola tells us that the nurses in particular stood out for their honesty, their caring nature and for making Pam’s family and friends always welcome at the Hospice.

On Wednesday 2nd August 2017, Pamela Scally passed away at the age of 53, surrounded by her family, with her daughter Nicola and husband Paul at her bedside. “It couldn’t have been more peaceful”, “the Hospice couldn’t have done any more than they did for Mum”.

In the short six months since Pam’s passing, Nicola & Lauren have held their own fundraising events for the Hospice and have raised over £6000, a staggering amount in such a short space of time. They started on their fundraising journey by collecting tea, coffee, and biscuits to replace the ones the family used whilst visiting Pam at the Hospice. In addition to this, and with Nicola being a passionate singer and performer, the pair held a Soul & Motown night in December in memory of Pam. Nicola told us: “My mum loved Soul and Motown, mum and I put on our first Motown night to raise money for charity. She inspired me to arrange another Motown night in her memory for Rotherham Hospice.”

We are extremely grateful for all the fundraising efforts that Nicola & Lauren have undertaken for the Hospice, and we couldn’t be more proud to have them representing Glow with the Flow II this year in the Rotherham community. Nicola’s passion for singing will be showcased when she takes to the stage at Glow with the Flow this year, and we hope you’ll agree with her mum Pam who said that when it comes to singing, “she’s alright”.

Your support is vital, and by registering to take part in the brightest, and most colourful event in Rotherham’s calendar, you provide essential support for the Hospice supporting more families like Nicola, Lauren and especially Pam.

“If we can help the Hospice to continue to give the service we have received and continue to receive, we always will.” – Lauren.

I chose the Sheffield Half Marathon as a way of fundraising for the Hospice. I have never completed anything like a half marathon, so it was a challenge for me. I also wanted to run for my Nan to make her proud and to remember all the love and happiness she gave me.

My friend Michael also lost his Grandad in the Hospice; he too felt that the Hospice provided the best possible care and that they always showed compassion to his Grandad. They helped both his Grandad and the rest of the family through a very difficult time in their lives.

My friends Michael and Samuel (as pictured) and I felt the Sheffield Half Marathon was a challenge and something new that we wanted to be a part of. We wanted to try and push ourselves to achieve more and know that anything is possible. As a group we wanted to raise awareness of Rotherham Hospice and its amazing contribution to people’s lives.

We had an absolutely brilliant day running and it was such a privilege to run for such an amazing charity close to all our hearts!

The £20,000 win allowed Terri to develop her business to the level she dreamed of. It allowed her to buy a van to easily transport goods to enable her to reach patients easily and quickly. It allowed her to train in new therapies that she now offers as a service. It allowed her to buy uniforms. It allowed her to offer free services to the British Red Cross, to MIND, and to Cross Roads Care. It even allowed her to travel to vital conferences in Los Angeles.

It all started when Terri happened to bump into one of our wonderful volunteers collecting for the lottery and decided to join.

“I just wanted to give to the cause” Terri says. She hadn’t assumed she’d ever win it.

Four weeks later, she received a call from Paula, our Lottery Manager, to tell her she’d won the £20,00 jackpot.

“I thought it was a friend making it up, having a joke!” Terri tells me.

Terri has a whole host of new plans for the future, including raising funds to set up a community centre for homeless and vulnerable young people in the area, and teaching relaxation techniques in a safe and relaxed space. And when it comes to her lottery win here at the Hospice, Terri tells us…

“It allowed me to move forward, and allowed the business to move forward, and to give something back.”

If you would like to be in with the chance of winning big on the Local Hospice Lottery, you can sign up quickly and easily by clicking here.

The bookmarks are beautifully made, covering everything from sports to animals and wonderful tributes to the NHS. The creativity of Judith and her family will help to keep Rotherham Hospice’s services running today, tomorrow, and into the future.

We thank Judith, Ethan, Freya, Lauren, Hattie, Isaac, and Oliver for all their hard work and cannot wait to see their next set of bookmarks, because as Judith says…. “Everyone needs a bookmark!”

Kelly tells us that Emily’s walk for Rotherham Hospice was the longest she has walked without needing to be picked up or wanting her pram! An incredible achievement!
Emily heard about Glow from Home at her school and decided she wanted to support our cause and prove to everyone how unstoppable she is!

We cannot thank Emily enough, and look forward to hearing about her adventures in the future!

“It’s not been easy, attractive or plain sailing at times – but with the love and respect of so many I can honestly say I have had a very rich year”

“Whether you have picked me up, joined me on my knees, shared scampi and shandy, provided impromptu dinner and bottles of red; taken a midnight call, climbed mountains, improved my home, sent music, texts, cards, flowers, and words of wisdom, rocked up with a hug when it was most needed; got me through a hangover (or into one!) – I am and will remain eternally grateful.”

2021 will just be another year to face, armed with a massive toolkit gained with the support of so many.

“Grief is no longer crippling me; it’s simply part of my DNA & educating me on how to carry it”

What better way to positively move through the next grief chapter than to sign up to the third year running – in completing the Three Yorkshire Peaks – and in a time of sub 10 hours?

Who’s in it with Amanda?

(Story in Amanda’s own words)