How your support helps

Bev's story

Bev Allen was blown away by the care shown to both her and her previous husband, Gerry Byrne, as he spent his last two months at Trinity Hospice in 1993. From afternoon tea and football chat to romantic evenings, her treasured memories have supported her through 30 years of fundraising. This is her story.

When they told us Gerry needed to go to Trinity I didn’t even know where the hospice was, and I lived in Bispham!

Gerry was so down before he went in, but the difference within two hours of him being there was remarkable.

I remember it was a very happy place; it just felt like a big group of friends and family who did so much for us.

There was a young doctor working there at the time who was a big Blackpool FC fan and would talk to Gerry about the matches he’d been to.

Gerry was in a shared room, and I remember one of the nights there wasn’t anyone else in there with him so they pushed the beds together and let me stay. The nurses even got us red roses!

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On a Sunday they would do afternoon tea with food donated by Marks & Spencer and volunteers would come round offering us cake. And I could bring our dog in when I wanted.

There were loads of ridiculous but lovely things they would do at the hospice, and those things just come back to me every now and then.

Gerry was in Trinity for more than two months in the end, which was quite a long time compared to most patients.

After he died, the Matron told me about Trinity’s bereavement group and said I should attend, in the kindest of ways. I was 32, and met two other women, Jacqui and Diana there whose husbands had both died as well. No-one knows what it’s like unless you’ve been through it and you don’t feel like you can always talk to your friends and family. They really have been invaluable to me and we’re still good friends.

It is because of the support Gerry and I received 30 years ago that I have taken part in many of Trinity’s events over the years. And it’s my memories of that wonderful place that keep me fundraising for it.

I took part in my very first Fun Run last year and it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. The atmosphere was just incredible. I wasn’t planning to do the event again, but I enjoyed the event so much I’ve signed up for this year and I can’t wait to see everyone there.

Ways you can fundraise and support the hospice

Raise sponsorship

There are lots of ways you can raise sponsorship for taking part in Beaverbrooks Blackpool 10k Fun Run, both online and off. JustGiving is I recommended platform, but you can also use Facebook Fundraiser and our paper sponsorship form.

Make a donation

We understand that not everyone wants to raise sponsorship; you may not feel comfortable asking for money or you may have fundraised for another cause. If you would still like to support Brian House, you can make a one-off donation for an amount of your choice.

Cake Sale

Put the 'fun' in fundraising

Fundraising doesn’t have to be a direct ask for money; there are lots of creative ideas to rally supporters (and in a way where they benefit too)! Think raffles, collection buckets in your workplace, bake sales and sweepstakes.

This event is kindly sponsored by Beaverbrooks Jewellers

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