Their care was second to none. Now I’m honouring my brother by leaving a gift to Winchester Hospice.

When Dudley Hale was first diagnosed with terminal cancer, his local options were limited. To receive the specialist care he required, he often needed to travel as far as Southampton; a difficult journey when you’re feeling particularly unwell and struggling with mobility.

Before he became ill, Dudley was an independent man who kept himself to himself. He loved gardening and music and would find joy and solace in both activities.

It was during the height of the pandemic in 2020 that he noticed a lump in his throat. Tests later revealed it was cancer and he was told he had just three months left to live.

“We were devastated,” his sister Donna shares. “What made it worse was that the only hospice care he was able to get was miles away. They were great but it just wasn’t practical for him to travel to, or for us as a family to visit regularly.”

Thankfully, in September 2021, Winchester Hospice opened its doors and almost immediately offered Dudley a place where he could be cared for close to his loved ones. “He jumped at the chance,” remembers Donna. “It was lovely for me too, knowing that he was so close to home. Visiting him was much, much easier.”

Dudley was first admitted to the hospice in September shortly after it opened to the Winchester community, and he was one of its first patients.

At the time, their award-winning garden was in the process of being transferred to its new home from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Dudley took great delight in watching it all unfold before his eyes.

“It was absolutely freezing outside but that didn’t stop him wanting to watch the progress being made,” Donna remembers. “He would take a blanket and a cup of tea outside and watch them delicately place the rocks into position.

“It was the middle of winter and the combination of soil and rain had made it quite muddy. As he came in from the garden I remember following him with a towel trying to clean up the mess behind him as he headed to his room.”

Thinking back to her brother’s time at the hospice, Donna appreciated how he was able to personalise his space so he felt comfortable in his room. “The hospice really was a home from home for Dudley. He could bring in his personal items to make the room feel like his. He could listen to his music and they also set up an easel so he could paint, which he found incredibly therapeutic.

“He had a room that overlooked the car park and he enjoyed looking out of the window, watching people coming and going. I arrived to see him one day and he ushered me over to the window with him. There was someone trying to park who was having difficulty getting into the space. It really amused him.”

Donna commends the excellent care her brother received but she also felt cared for as well. “The team was great with me too. They were always very open and honest about how he was doing, the treatment they could offer him and the care he was getting. I could call at any time for an update and they were always happy to let me know how he was doing. Nothing seemed too much trouble.”

Dudley received care at the hospice for a short time in the September before he went home. He later returned to the hospice at the end of the year where he spent his final days over Christmas before he died in January 2022.

“His final days were difficult as he could no longer speak and was sleeping a lot. They were very peaceful though and I was able to sit with him while the nurses constantly checked on him. I was able to take my time with him and I was never rushed.”

Donna herself continues to support the hospice as her way of saying thank you for the care Dudley received. “The one thing I take away with me is that he was happy at the hospice. The care he was given was second to none and I’ll always be thankful to them for that. I therefore like to support them in any way I can.

“I attended Light up a Life last Christmas and it was an amazing event. To come together with everyone in support of the hospice to remember loved ones was an emotional but meaningful experience. It meant a lot to me that I had somewhere I could go to spend some time remembering him and celebrating his life.

“I’ve seen the impact of their care with Dudley and I know how much he appreciated being looked after so well. He left a donation to the hospice in his Will to thank the team for the care they gave him and I’m going to do the same. It meant so much to me that he was looked after so well and I just hope the little bit I can give will make a difference to another family who needs them.”