“I wanted to thank Winchester Hospice for everything they did during such a difficult time for me and my family”
John was many things. He was a family man, always making sure his wife, his three children and eight grandchildren were cared for and always being there for them whenever they needed him.
He was a man with a sweet tooth. His granddaughter Beth recalls a particular story: “When we all went on a walk during a holiday in the Peak District, grandad rounded up all the grandchildren and led them away to the nearest ice cream shop. This was a surprise for my grandma who turned around to see we had all disappeared!”
Whenever the community called for help, John was always happy to answer, offering to help the local church or to be the driver for the local care home. He was also a well-known face for many years at the Littleton Fete, manning the balls and buckets stall often assisted by his grandchildren. “The community were absolutely gutted when he had to give it up,” remembers Beth.
John was loved by his community, his family and even local wildlife. Wherever he was, a robin wasn’t too far away gaining him the nickname ‘The robin whisperer’. To Beth, though, he was so much more. “He wasn’t just my grandad, he was my best friend and a great influence”.
Beth presenting the funds she raised on her O2 climb
John came to the hospice in January 2025 and one of his wishes was that he didn’t want his grandchildren to see him so unwell. He wanted them to remember him as the joyful, happy grandad they all loved. This meant that Beth didn’t get to visit her grandad, but she did hear wonderful tales of how well he was being cared for by the staff. The one thing that stuck with her the most was “ ...that they always cared about the little things. They made sure my family ate whilst they were there, by coming around with refreshments and generally asking how they all were.” After five days at the hospice, John sadly passed away.
Beth went on to attend some of the bereavement sessions put on by the hospice, to help her come to terms with the loss of her grandad. “It was a nice space with a nice mix of ages where I could feel like I wasn’t alone in what I was going through”, remembers Beth. “It made me realise how grief can affect people differently.”
Beth was so inspired by the care provided to her and her Grandad at the hospice, that she decided she wanted to take part in a big fundraising challenge to help raise some money to support the work they do: “I wanted to thank Winchester Hospice for everything they did during such a difficult time for me and my family,” says Beth.
“My Grandad always told me to step outside my comfort zone,” and those are the words Beth has chosen to live by. She lived by them when she got a tattoo of a robin to remember John and she did it again when she challenged her fear of heights and climbed the O2 for the hospice. Beth raised an impressive £497.50 and described the experience as “... emotional, but it’s an experience I will never forget”.
This time around, Beth is swapping walking up and over a building for something more horizontal as she and her family fully deck themselves out in purple to take in the charity’s Purple Night Walk in September.
“I’m hoping this becomes a yearly thing for us,” she says. When asked what drew her to the event, she said: “I saw it on a Facebook page, I like the idea of everyone all walking together as part of a team to all help out as one”. For Beth, the sense of the community, once helped by her Grandad, walking together to help others is a huge motivation for her choosing to take part in the Purple Night Walk.
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