LOROS turns 40 – “but we’re not celebrating”

This September marks LOROS’ 40th birthday — forty years of love, care, dignity, and comfort. Forty years of walking alongside patients and families through some of life’s most tender and difficult moments.

And, if we may say it with pride, forty years of exceptional end-of-life care in a world where delivering it isn’t always easy.

Back then hospice care was new and pioneering in its methods, and LOROS looked very different to a traditional hospital setting.

Ann Wells, who joined the nursing team a few months in, and still works on the inpatient ward now, said: “I came to LOROS from the renal unit at the General. LOROS was completely different, you couldn’t have had anything more different. Everywhere had carpets and it was more like a home than a hospital. There was even a hospice cat – Smudge, who slept on the patients’ beds. The feeling here was amazing, very friendly, very positive.”

Another LOROS nurse, Jacky McBlain, who has worked at LOROS since 1990, remembers the patients were always at the heart of everything.

Jacky said: “We were nursing how we were trained to. So, if you needed to take two hours doing a bed bath because that was the pace the patient wanted, then you did that. You had the time to do that. Coming from working at a busy hospital, it was wonderful to be part of.”

But despite reaching this incredible milestone, we are not celebrating.

LOROS is currently facing one of the most challenging periods in our history. A sharp rise in running costs, a significant drop in legacy gifts, and an ever-growing demand for our services have left us with a £2 million shortfall this year.

This means we’ve already had to reduce some of the vital services we provide to patients and their families — something we never wanted to do and heartbreaking for nurses like Ann and Jacky who have given so much to patient care.

“It’s very sad but I still think we make a huge difference. The people we care for – they wouldn’t get that level of care anywhere else. What we offer is special and unique,” said Jacky.

Ann agrees, adding: “I love the job, I love the place. The families feel cared for as well and that’s really important too.”

“Lots of things have changed but the ethos at LOROS is the same. Our good care helps to make death a little easier.”

How you can help

Every donation, every raffle ticket, every act of generosity helps us continue providing the care that so many depend on.

Enter our Birthday Raffle
Buy a ticket for just £1 and you could win £10,000 – your present could help our future.
loros.co.uk/raffle

Become a Regular Giver

Monthly giving provides us with peace of mind and helps us plan ahead.

To everyone who has already shown their support — thank you. You are the reason LOROS has been here for 40 years. With your help, we’ll be here for many more.

P.S Thank you to everyone who has donated items for our shops – we’re hugely grateful for your support. We kindly ask if you could temporarily pause donations while we work through the many generous contributions we’ve recently received. Thank you for your understanding.