Now and Then, do you remember?
2020 will mark 40 years since Alice House Hospice was founded by local mum of four, Alice Bendle.
Alice House Hospice would not be what it is today if it hadn’t been for the vision and determination of Alice. In 1969, the 59-year-old was undergoing a routine hospital operation when doctors told her she may die.
Luckily for us all she recovered but the experience left her passionate about making sure that anybody facing a life-limiting illness would never be alone or in pain. Over the coming years Alice argued her case to town leaders, business owners and residents, harnessed support and raised funds.
Alice Bendle died in 1993 in the Hospice and her daughter, Lorna, who is now Vice Chair of the charity’s Board of Trustees, believes her mother would be very proud of how the Hospice has developed. “When I speak to the patients they tell me everything they could ever want is there for them, often before they need it, and most importantly no one at the Hospice defines them by their illness but as the wonderful individuals that they are. They say they feel like a person and that enables them to live again and that is what she believed was a very important part of the work we are here to do.”
Throughout 2020 we will be celebrating the amazing world of hospice care but we would like your help too.
We would love to see any photographs you might have of the hospice when it was situated in Hutton Avenue, maybe you have worked or volunteered in the past and would like to share your experience, or maybe you worked alongside Alice Bendle in getting the hospice movement started in Hartlepool and east Durham.
Whatever your involvement, memories or story we would love to hear from you. Please contact enquiries@alicehousehospice.co.uk or call Rebecca on 01429 855581