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An appeal for local people to send holiday postcards to Kettering General Hospital to support patients living with dementia has been a great success.

More than 140 postcards have been sent to the hospital’s Forget-Me-Not dementia garden appeal organiser Jayne Chambers since the appeal was launched on August 1.

“We have been overwhelmed by the response to our appeal. People have been so kind and in less than a month we have received more than 140 postcards from all over the UK – and indeed the world."

—Jayne Chambers, KGH's Forget-Me-Not Appeal organiser

The cards help to spark happy conversations with patients living with dementia about happy times in their lives.

They will be used in a display close to the dementia garden and in special albums which can be used by staff when chatting with patients.

Jayne said: “We have been overwhelmed by the response to our appeal. People have been so kind and in less than a month we have received more than 140 postcards from all over the UK – and indeed the world. 

“We have had them from unusual places like Vancouver, but also many more common holiday destinations such as Mallorca, Corfu, France, Bulgaria – and in the UK places such Cornwall, Scarborough, Skegness, Minehead, Jersey, Clacton, Hunstanton and Sheringham.

“We asked people to send some nice generic messages to our patients – and we have had lots with ‘wish you were here’, comments about the weather and the sea, eating fish and chips and places they have visited.

“People have also said things like ‘hope this brings back some happy memories of holidays from years ago’ and also some messages from children written in crayon such as ‘I am having so much fun – Love Libby’.

“I want to thank everyone who has taken the time and trouble to write us such wonderful cards – please keep them coming.”

Since its launch in March 2017 the Forget-Me-Not Appeal has raised £50,000 and attracted a huge number of supporters including individuals and families touched by dementia and local businesses.

The Appeal is building a dementia-friendly garden in a courtyard adjacent to the Lamport and Twywell wards.

Work started on the garden in October 2017 and now it has block paved walkways, raised flower beds, benches and tables, a huge seaside mural on its walls and work is progressing on a café – to be called The Galley.

There will also be an office for dementia nurse specialists – known as Admiral Nurses – a name which coincidentally fits with the garden’s seaside theme.

Postcards are still gratefully being received and can be sent to ‘KGH Dementia Garden’ c/o Jayne Chambers, Kettering General Hospital, Rothwell Road, Kettering, NN16 8UZ

Tracey and Clare add another £1,000

TWO friends have presented another £1,002 to the Forget-Me-Not Appeal – adding to an amazing £6,126 they presented to us in January.

Clare Washington, from Kettering, and Tracey Gray, from Thrapston, and some of their close friends, raised the money by organising a party night at The Plaza in Thrapston on May 5.

The previous total was raised at a similar – but bigger – event they held at the same location on December 16 in the run-up to Christmas.

Clare and Tracey want to thank their friends in Thrapston – and all of their work colleagues at Tesco in Kettering – who supported the party night in May. Also a big thank you to Dave Timlin, Tracey’s partner, for sorting out the auction prizes and helping them with the evening.
Clare said: “We held another party night and raffle in May and it was well supported with more than 130 people attending.

“We chose to support the dementia garden again because we want to support it all of the way through to its completion. The progress being made is amazing and it is going to make a big difference to patients when it is completed.”

Appeal organiser Jayne Chambers said: “Without people like Tracey and Clare – and tremendous support of the local community – we would not be where we are with the garden.

“I want to thank everyone who has supported their event and in so doing supported the appeal.”

Other ways you can help

If anyone would like to support the new café with kitchen equipment, seating, utensils, etc they can contact Jayne Chambers at Jayne.chambers@kgh.nhs.uk.

Donations can be made to the Kettering General Hospital Charity Fund (Forget-Me-Not Appeal) 01536-491569.