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The Myton Hospices has recreated a photograph from more than 40 years ago to make an urgent appeal for donations.

The charity wants to raise £240,000 which could fund the recruitment, training and salary for five registered nurses for a year, to ensure

more people in Coventry and Warwickshire can access a hospice bed in Warwick, Rugby and Coventry.

To promote the appeal, staff and volunteers got together for a photo outside Leamington Town Hall, in the spot where the charity celebrated the opening of its first hospice in 1982.

The Myton Hospices Urgent Appeal was launched outside the Town Hall in Leamington. Staff and volunteers recreated a photo from 1982 when the first hospice opened. Pictured: The Myton Hospices’ CEO, (Ruth Freeman), surrounded by Myton healthcare professionals and support staff. Credit: Mike Baker

According to the charity, more people need a hospice bed now than ever before, demand for Myton’s Inpatient Units has increased by 11 per cent in the last 12 months.

Sadly, three out of five people on the waiting list for a Hospice Bed at Myton will die before they can access one.

It is this urgent and heart-breaking situation that the hospice is aiming to tackle with their new appeal and they are calling on your support.

As the only provider of Hospice Inpatient Beds in Coventry and Warwickshire Myton is acutely aware of the need for more, but it is limited in what it can provide because of funding constraints.

The photo taken outside of Leamington Town Hall in 1982 when the Myton Hospices had just opened its first hospice and held a sponsored bed push event to raise money. Picture supplied.

Myton is a charity and provides services free of charge to patients and their loved ones.

Leamington heritage is celebrated at town history group's annual event

Myton is not the NHS and with just 20 per cent of its costs covered by statutory funding, and annual costs running at an all-time high of £14.3 million it will be relying on voluntary support to the tune of £11 million this year alone to continue providing existing services.

Ruth Freeman, chief executive officer at The Myton Hospices, said: “At The Myton Hospices, we passionately believe that every person who needs a hospice bed should have access to one and that no-one who is at the end of life should be on a waiting list.

But there just aren’t enough Hospice Beds in Coventry and Warwickshire to meet the demand.

"People who have experienced or witnessed the impact of being cared for in a hospice bed know just how important it is in controlling symptoms, such as pain and anxiety, by providing specialist, tailored support for patients and their families.

"Everyone has the right to a good death with their loved ones supported, and we need urgent help to ensure we can provide the people of Coventry and Warwickshire with the palliative and end of life care they need and deserve.”

Myton supporter, Tom Cronin, commented following the death of his wife, Katie, aged just 37: “In these situations, nothing you can do can ever make it better and the best outcome is to never need Myton.

"But Myton truly is the best place to be for everyone and I can’t imagine anywhere else doing a better job. The incredible doctors, nurses, volunteers and everyone involved took some of the pressure and angst out of the situation.

"The impact they had on me, my sons and the rest of our family is a legacy I’ll carry with me forever.”

To find out more about The Myton Hospices’ urgent appeal and to donate now, visit www.mytonhospice.org/Appeal

Myton Hospices charity makes urgent appeal for donations by recreating 1980s Leamington photo