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St David's Hospice: Drop-In Therapy Centre in Bangor re-opens

Read the latest news from St David's Hospice in Llandudno

Zainab Noor

Zainab Noor, InYourArea Community

— 4 min read
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St David's Hospice: Drop-In Therapy Centre in Bangor re-opens

RIBBON CUTTING: Tudur Owen and Elin Fflur after cutting the ribbon

Submitted by Chelsea Chamberlain from St David's Hospice, Llandudno

On Wednesday, January 18, St David’s Hospice proudly re-opened Hafan Dewi Sant in Bangor. Previously known as Hafan Menai, the Day Therapy Centre has had a complete transformation and is now being used as a Drop-In Therapy Centre.

The opening saw trustees, patrons, governance committee members, volunteers, staff, patients, and their families come together to celebrate the new chapter that will redefine how the Hospice helps those in our communities.

St David’s Hospice chief executive, Trystan Pritchard, welcomed new and old faces to the official opening. He described the difficult decision to close the Day Therapy Unit during the pandemic and the challenges the hospice faced during that time. Fortunately, the closure enabled the Hospice to redesign the way the therapy centre works, to meet the ever-changing needs of the patients. Trystan also thanked chairman of Gwynedd Council, Councillor Elwyn Jones, for his very kind donation of £500 from the Chairman’s Fund.

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The hospice was fortunate enough to be supported at the opening by St David’s Hospice patrons Tudur Owen and Elin Fflur. To officially celebrate the major milestone, Tudur and Elin opened the event with a formal ribbon cutting ceremony. Tudur was then invited to say a few words and began by thanking the Hospice for allowing him and Elin to be a part of the journey to improve hospice care in North Wales.

Adding that it ‘is a privilege to be a part of such an important development’ and described the warmth that he felt as he walked in, saying that it very much felt like home. Excited guests were then invited to look around the newly refurbished building and talk to the clinical staff about the services they provide there.

NEW LOOK: The newly refurbished Hafan Dewi Sant in Bangor

The purpose of Hafan Dewi Sant is to provide holistic care and support, prioritising comfort and improving quality of life for the patients. The Drop-In Centre is available for anyone with a life limiting illness to attend for an informal chat, guidance and support such as; symptom management, peer support, emotional support, spiritual support, psychological support and social support.

The services extended to carers and significant others by listening to their concerns and anxieties and by providing a counselling service. You are also able to be referred for Complimentary Therapy Clinics for some TLC during a difficult time. If you know someone who is living with the effects of a recent diagnosis who lives locally, visit Hafan Dewi Sant for a coffee, they can help.There is no need to book an appointment, you can simply ‘drop-in’ when it’s convenient for you.

Hafan Dewi Sant is located on the grounds of Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor and is currently open Tuesday-Thursday from 10am-4pm.

St David's Hospice Lottery Weekly Draw

Draw date: January 21

First prize of £1000 069511 Benllech

Second prize of £100 092185 Caernarfon

Plus 80 prizes £5 for full details click here.

To join the Lottery call 01492 877999.

Partnership raises over £11,000 for local Hospice

CHARITY PARTNERSHIP: James Wilde with Tracey and Chris from Run Wales

In 2022, St David’s Hospice was lucky enough to be in partnership with Run Wales for another year as part of the Four Castle Series.

The Four Castle Series is a very popular challenge for those wanting to push themselves, explore the beauty of North Wales and raise money for their local hospice. The series takes runners to four iconic castles in North Wales and is made up of the toughest half marathons in the area, including Snowdonia half marathon, Caernarfon half marathon, Bangor half marathon and Conwy half marathon.

Participants can choose to run all four races or individually, with anyone choosing to participate in aid of the Hospice, receiving free entry to the races on condition they meet the required minimum sponsorship.

Last year 18 runners took on the Four Castles Series, some running one race, some two races, whilst others took on all four! 2022 saw the most money raised in a year during Run Wales’s partnership with the Hospice. A phenomenal £11,446.62 was raised through sponsorship to help improve hospice care in North Wales.

Run Wales CEO, Chris Yorke said: "Run Wales recognises the importance of the specialist care and support that St David's Hospice provides, being a vital part of our healthcare system within our local community.

"We hope the money raised is able to help fund the specialist support and equipment needed for people and their families during end-of-life care. St David’s Hospice enables people to spend the end of their lives in a supportive and caring environment with their family and loved ones around them.

“Taking part in a RunWales event in support of the Hospice helps to raise much needed funds and gives participants the motivation to challenge themselves both physically and mentally, have fun, and achieve personal goals.”

St David’s Hospice head of supporter care, James Wilde said, "Thank you to the Run Wales team, our dedicated marshals and of course all of our supporters who ran for us for helping to raise this amazing total.

"It's great to see so many Hospice Hero t-shirts crossing the finishing line at every race. We’re looking forward to being part of the series in 2023!"

If you would like to become a Hospice Hero and run part or all of the Four Castles Series in support of St David’s Hospice, please contact Rhian Jacobs on Rhian.jacobs@stdavidshospice.org.ukor 01492 553159.

You can sign up to this years Four Castle series by clicking here.

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