Specsavers Accrington donated items to East Lancashire Hospice Generous employees at the Accrington branch of Specsavers have given the East Lancashire Hospice a boost with a festive donation. The team dropped off a selection of unwanted Christmas gifts for the hospice - which provides care for people in Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley - to use for its ongoing fundraising efforts. Sharon Crymble, Income Generation and Marketing Lead for East Lancashire Hospice said: “We are extremely grateful to Specsavers Accrington for their generous donation of gifts to the hospice. These items will be used for the purpose of generating income at a time when we have never needed it more.”
HOSPICE workers have discussed how their jobs have changed and how they have kept going throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The three East Lancashire hospices have all continued their Hospice from Home services as well as continuing to keep in contact with those who have lost a loved one who was in hospice. At East Lancashire Hospice and Pendleside Hospice, the inpatient units have continued to operate under limited visiting access. Early on in the pandemic, people receiving inpatient care were unable to have visitors in their final days. In normal circumstances, the hospices would be full of life, with friends and family members visiting their loved ones and being at their bedside through the end of their life.
Craig Bentley Tributes have poured in for Craig Bentley of Darwen, who died at East Lancashire Hospice on January 26 at the age of 54. Craig was a beloved husband to Linda for 26 years, a loving dad to Scott, 25, and a treasured son to Mavis and the late Jim. He was also a much-loved brother to Anne and a dear brother-in-law to her late husband Barry, who sadly passed away recently. Born and bred in Darwen, Craig was a joiner by trade, and worked at Forrest Joinery and Construction Contracts in Blackburn for 20 years. A perfectionist who took a great pride in his work, he quickly climbed the ladder to become site manager.