Les Bourgs an ‘extraordinary place’ - patron Lt-Governor
Les Bourgs Hospice is an extraordinary place, patron Lt-Governor Lt General Richard Cripwell has said on his first official tour of the hospice and its charity shop.
The hospice has been supporting Guernsey families by providing free palliative care for 30 years.
The Lt-Governor was given a tour last week of the St Andrew’s site
Les Bourgs Hospice CEO Rob Jones said Lt General Cripwell’s visit was a delight.
‘It gives a real buzz to the team, both the staff and the volunteers, to have the patron come today,’ he added.
Mr Jones added that Lt General Cripwell acting as the hospice's patron was perfect due to the royal connections Les Bourgs has had for a long time.
Lt General Cripwell said he enjoyed looking around the site.
‘I’ve been the patron for a few months now, what Les Bourgs does is very important and the shop is extraordinarily impressive,’ he said.
He added that death was not just an event, but a process, and places like Les Bourgs helped to manage that process for the best possible benefit for everybody involved.
The hospice has seven bedrooms and is at full capacity most of the time.
‘This is an extraordinary place. Palliative care is an essential part of the provision and health in Guernsey and Les Bourgs does that wonderfully well,’ said Lt General Cripwell.
He also visited the hospice shop at Les Varioufs in St Martin’s.
It sells around 80,000 items a year, including children’s clothes and toys.
‘The charity shop is incredibly important, it’s one of the main sources of income, it’s the one source of income that we can rely on every year,’ said Mr Jones.
Les Bourgs works to make sure it can supply high-quality, second- hand goods at prices which are affordable.
‘It’s an essential part of keeping this whole operation going, to see the totality of it, from seeing someone bring something into the shop, seeing it turned around and sold, to see the proceeds from that sale directly supporting this wonderful place,’ said Lt General Cripwell.
The combination of providing medical care, emotional support, social support and sometimes spiritual support was important for families at what was a difficult time.
‘When you have all those things come together it’s a bit like having a big hug around the whole family. They can focus on what’s happening and we can take care of everything else,’ said Mr Jones.
