Walking the paths at St Gemma's Hospice - Leeds

While in Manchester, Brigid and I spent the day going to see the Sisters in the Briery and also to spend the afternoon at St Gemma’s. The meeting of the Sisters will be another blog, for now I would like to write about St Gemma’s where Sr Anne C was the first social worker  and Sr Brigid was a Chaplin, among other things. 

St Gemma’s Hospice is based in Leeds and currently the largest hospice in Yorkshire, and possibly the United Kingdom. It is here that this charity based service provides expert care and support for local people with life threatening illnesses. Offering care to patients and their families with 32 beds In-Patient Unit, plus many day services including Day Hospice, Out Patient Department. 

The care is always provided free-of-charge and is open to patients of all beliefs, religions and cultures. 

This is a very essential character of the hospice, to be interfaith based, not bias in helping anyone from different cultures, walks of life. You can feel this integration of oneness as you walk around the centre. 

A little of the History from our congregational side… (with a little help)  

Originally there was a large house on the site which was the home of a local wine merchant. In 1945 it was sold to a local priest - Canon McShane - becoming priest residence and worship centre. 

In 1949 the Sisters (of the Cross and Passion) acquired the property as a Convent and began a school that continued into the 1970’s. It was during this time the Sisters withdrawal from independent schooling due to the development of state schools. This led to a decision of closure of this popular school with a refocus of resources, energy by the Sisters into greater needed areas. 

The Sisters reconsidered how the site could best be used; an exploration of local needs and a timely Radio 4 programme about care of people with terminal illness seemed to point emphatically to the need for a Hospice. A decision was made, the project gathered momentum and St Gemma’s was launched at a public meeting in Leeds Town Hall in October 1977. 

On 12 March 1978 the new 9 bed unit was dedicated and opened it’s doors to the first patients a month later on 12 April. 

1982 saw further expansion in bed space when a new building was formally opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 30 March. Princess Diana returned in 1991 to open the newly built Prout Conference Centre. There is a video I found of this event, with Reverend Mother Wilfreda taking charge! 

In 2000, a major refurbishment began to keep pace with the ever increasing challenges of caring for people from all parts of the community with advanced life threatening and progressive diseases. I was informed that half the income is given by 'funding source' while the other half needs to be fund raised, rather given by the community. This is over 2.5 million pounds each year - 5million dollars. That needs to be raised each year just to keep the place turning over. Safe to say they have an amazing team that go all out in their fundraising efforts with very creative ways, plus a reliable income from charity stores under their name. Now, this hospice is so multi faced with the complexity of covering care in terms of physical health specialist, to emotional wellbeing, mental, support for the families, facilities for 24 hour care, staff and also financial. Amazing to think a group of Sisters put the building stones on this gift to the community and still to this day continue to support and nourish it. 

In 2017, St Gemma’s was officially awarded “university Teaching Hospice’ status - the first Hospice to be formally recognised as a university teaching hospice -

At the hospice itself on the very same grounds is the educational centre. It has the facilities for lectures, information presenting, with a team of specialised people to help nurture this gift of information to pass onto the community, future nurses of care. It is an amazing facility that I feel is very enriching of our charism to educate rather than just give to the community. 

I recall the stories of how the Sisters developed a relationship with nurses and locals in Peru (I think...sorry) where they brought nurses in the care facility they were setting up over there to Leeds to be educated to a high level inorder to take this knowledge back helping their communities, their patients and passing on the next generation of nurses coming through. They did this to a high level they could hand over the hospice to the community. Which is an amazing gift to give!! 

From this history you can see it has developed greatly. Sadly today there is no Sisters present on the site anymore. It has however still got a very strong connection with the congregation with representatives on the board and apart of runnings. The convert building is still present and in-between the out and in patient centres really. It is currently in need of a little TLC, funds dependent, to make it more useable for the patients coming in as currently just the nurse offices on one part lower floor. 

Double personal guides! 

I was spoilt to have a personal tour and in depth history of the place by the women who is the Chaplin ‘Shirely’ She worked closely with Brigid so I got royal treatment by association.
Brigid was greeted with great delight from the workers who keep saying she has not changed in the ten years she has been away!! If anything she looks younger, less stressed I would believe!

The major part of the hospice is the garden. Now this is my language!! All the rooms have an outward facing access to the garden. What a beautiful gift to wake up to in moments that might seem like a challenge to have a garden alive, full of bloom and ready to awaken all your senses. The garden here has won many awards. Just a few months ago they got the gold prize again for its outstanding beauty. Every aspect of this garden is thought out from the water placement, to the flowers, construction hight, colour etc. No words can do it justice!

View from the top of garden, hard to see yet where the stones are is water. 

Another view from the path, this is the end of summer here with a little de-heading and cutting back required. 

 

This reminds me of the presents of the Sisters.
I can envision this from the school days, what a great image to see Jesus arms open wide
like He is pouring His blessing upon you as you walk by. 

 

As soon as I saw this part of the garden, I knew B had been here!!!

 

Another area of the garden, all the paths wide enough for walking, chairs or even
beds to be wheeled upon. A piece of heaven in Leeds. 

So this is hospice, Im sure this blog post does no justice for it. I feel that the community of Leeds have embraced it rather with great dedication, devotion and love passing something more onto the people within the community. Like any operation there are challenges, even the simple fact they have to fundraise so much funds each year for the centre is a shinning light of how the Lord provides. 

For me personally, it was a wonderful feeling to walk through the place with knowledge of the Sisters who had a vision, had a deep awareness of a need within the community. Courageously placing forth a template for meeting these needs and then devotion to bring it to life. Like a small seed that was planted, watered by prayer and discernment and brought to life through the use of hands which enables the Lord work to be done. 

The future vision still continues, not content with staying at the same level even more vision is taking shape.