Southport Guides Taking on Star Trekk Event for Queenscourt Hospice

The popular sponsored night walk will take place on Friday 6th May around the Southport Waterfront and surrounding areas, and the Guides, aged 10 to 14, will be led by their long-term leader Lynn Deacon, whose parents Ann and Ed were both cared for by Queenscourt before they sadly passed away exactly six months apart in 2020.

“We found out my Dad was terminally ill on a Tuesday afternoon in June 2019 and by the Thursday morning, we were all sat in Queenscourt,” Lynn recalls.

“We were in absolute shock and I remember a nurse sitting me down and saying, ‘We will look after you all now’ and that really stuck with me.

“Queenscourt certainly looked after all of us and it wasn’t just the medical care. They really want to understand and get to know their patients personally and asked my Dad tons of questions about who he was, his family, his favourite food, favourite TV programme, about his career… My Dad described Queenscourt as more like a second home than a treatment facility.”

In January 2020, Lynn’s mother Ann was also diagnosed terminally ill.

As well as supporting the family during such a difficult and overwhelming time, Queenscourt ensured that the couple would be together whilst they were being cared for.

“What was really surreal was as my Mum was brought into the hospice as an emergency, it was a day my Dad was due in for a planned admission too,” Lynn explains. Lynn added, “My Mum and Dad ended up in Queenscourt together for a couple of nights. The hospice moved things around and found the biggest space possible to put their beds together. They were the last nights my parents spent next to each other.”

During her final few weeks, Lynn’s mother was unable to talk but communicated through writing and really appreciated the care that she received at Queenscourt.

“She was a nurse during her career, a very good nurse, with high standards” Lynn says. “Though she was not able to talk at that point, Mum did write that the nurses at Queenscourt couldn’t do enough for her. She also said, ‘They’re very funny,’ and, ‘I wish I could speak to them.’

“With the support of the team at Queenscourt, my Mum rallied a little and that gave us just enough time for family and friendsto see and spend time with her and we were able to be there for Mum as much as possible.”

While Lynn is fundraising to say ‘Thank You’ to Queenscourt, her Girl Guides are also taking on the challenge to serve their local community. The Guides have six core programme themes – one of them is called ‘Take Action’, helping the community, and another theme is ‘Be Well’, which is about looking after their physical and mental health.

“All of the girls have heard about Queenscourt”, said Lynn, “Two of our Guides taking part have also had contact with Queenscourt through the care given to their Great-Grandparents and they have always remembered this. They have also helped the hospice this year themselves by making comfort bags for patients and their families.

“Another Guide’s Great-Grandparent was looked after by the ‘kind and caring’ Queenscourt nurses just last year.”

Writing on their Just Giving fundraising page the 14th Southport Guides say: “We have chosen to support Queenscourt Hospice by taking part in this year’s Star Trekk walk because as Guides we have promised to serve our community.

We were surprised to hear that less than 20 per cent of the money needed to run Queenscourt comes from the government and therefore the hospice really needs donations and people to fundraise for them, so that they can carry on their work.”

For Queenscourt, the effects of Coronavirus have meant that many in-person fundraising events have had to be cancelled.

Every single penny really does count, and by supporting Star Trekk, one of Queenscourt’s key fundraising events, you will be helping #teamqueenscourt to continue providing exceptional palliative care for local people across West Lancashire, Formby and Southport, when they need it the most.

“Star Trekk will be a challenge for us all” Lynn added, “but we are determined to complete it together and have fun along the way! Please support us to achieve this goal by making a donation, so that Queenscourt can continue to provide compassionate care.”