Wife raises over £1,000 in memory of husband

Edwina Earle has raised more than £1,000 for St Elizabeth Hospice and Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund after the support they gave her husband.

From a 5-a-side football tournament in Great Yarmouth and a tombola, through to a coffee and cake morning and generous donations from the local community, Edwina has raised the fantastic amount for the two organisations who supported her husband, Lewis Earle, until his death from pancreatic cancer in October 2020.

A familiar face to many in Gorleston and Great Yarmouth, Lewis came under the care of the hospice and East Coast Community Healthcare (ECCH) after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2020.

Lewis, who had worked as a street warden in Great Yarmouth for more than twenty years, initially received support from James Paget University Hospital before being referred to the services of St Elizabeth Hospice and ECCH at Beccles Hospital, where he died on 26th October 2020.

“The support from the hospice team meant the world to Lewis,” said Edwina (pictured above fundraising for the hospice). “He said he felt safe under their care, which was so important to us as a family.

“We just want to give back to the hospice and I never want to stop supporting them. If we raised £1 million it would still not be enough to show them how much we appreciate their care.

“On behalf of my family I want to thank all of our fantastic friends, as well as the local businesses and shops, who have been so generous with their support of our fundraising. It has been so brilliant to see and we look forward to continuing to raise more funds for the hospice and their fantastic work in Great Yarmouth and Waveney.”

Lewis, Edwina and their family are one of more than 2,700 patients and their families in Great Yarmouth and Waveney have been supported by the free specialist palliative care provided by the joint partnership of St Elizabeth Hospice and ECCH, since its launch in April 2019.

Typically living with conditions such as cancer, heart failure, pulmonary fibrosis and neurological disorder, these patients have received free care through the partnership’s varied, specialist palliative care provision available at Beccles Hospital, in the community and through the service’s 24-hour advice line, OneCall.

Lesley Rawlinson, Community & Partnerships Fundraiser for St Elizabeth Hospice, added: “Thank you so much to Edwina for her fantastic work in raising such a brilliant amount in support of our services in Great Yarmouth and Waveney.

“Every penny really will make a difference, as we continue to work alongside ECCH in evolving our services to support more people in the communities of Great Yarmouth and Waveney.

“We look forward to seeing Edwina’s fundraising journey continue and will support her every step of the way, she is just brilliant.”

Further information about the partnership’s services in Great Yarmouth and Waveney can found by visiting www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/how-we-can-help/hospice-care/great-yarmouth_and-waveney.