In President Anne’s absence Francis Whitbread had my first experience of the “hot seat” in his capacity as 1st Vice President. He remarked that it did at least absolve him from his usual duty when on the top table of serving coffee to the others there!
Our speaker was Grace Nalty, who told us about the work of East Anglia Children’s Hospices (“EACH”), for whom she is one of the regional fundraisers. The framework for EACH was developed by Sue Potter, a former military nurse, based on her experiences in the Far East. EACH opened its first hospice in 1989 and subsequently absorbed two others in Norfolk and Suffolk.
A purpose-built hospice was opened in Ipswich in 2012 and EACH is currently running an appeal to build a new hospice outside Norwich.
It’s services extend over the East Anglia region, covering Essex and parts of Bedfordshire as well as Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Currently almost 400 children are being helped over an area of over 5,000 square miles. Hydrotherapy is one of the biggest services provided; art and music therapy are also important and bereavement support is provided on a long-term basis. The majority of EACH’s funding comes from private donations, an important part of which comes from their charity shops.
Also at the meeting was Colin Ince from the Rotary Club of St Helens, who gave us a brief summary of the Shoebox Scheme his club developed some years ago to help underprivileged children in Eastern Europe, originally in Romania.