“We ran ‘Tuesday Club’ every week. It was a lovely community and it felt like a family.” – Lottie Clarke
Lottie Clarke was one of the first volunteers who provided day care hospice support as part of the St Albans and City District Hospice Care Team. She remembers the community spirit of the ‘Tuesday Club’ where she provided companionship and organised day trips for the members.
Lottie says, “When I was 30, my mother was diagnosed with a brain tumour and went into a Sue Ryder hospice. It was then that I experienced first-hand the difference it can make for someone to have hospice care. My mother had a peaceful death and I was able to be by her side, which meant everything to me. She and I were very close. For her to disappear like that, was eased by her having great care at the end of her life – it made life more bearable for me. After that, I was determined to find out more about hospice care.
“In 1984, I became a volunteer for the St Albans and City District Hospice Care Team that had been established by Dr Mary Groves in 1982.
“At this time, we didn’t have a hospice building, so we ran Tuesday Club every week at Homewood Road Church in St Albans. I was part of a team of volunteers who would go and pick up patients from their homes and bring them to the Church where we would chat, eat homemade cakes and take part in craft activities, or welcome speakers to entertain everyone. My children, Helen and Tom, used to come and help in the holidays too. It was a lovely community and it felt like a little family. Dr Mary Groves used to attend and talk to the patients about how they were feeling. A physiotherapist also visited to help the members if needed.
“At Easter, Tom and Helen would make chocolate cornflake nests for everyone. And at Christmas, one of our volunteers who had been a domestic science teacher, used to bring all the ingredients for a Christmas pudding, and help all the members make one. I would bring along foliage from the garden so everyone could make a Christmas wreath.
“We had outings too. On several occasions we took everyone on a narrow boat trip along the canal from Pitstone. I also remember a day out in Aldbury in Tring and visits to St Albans Organ Museum and the Gardens of the Rose in St Albans.
“I gradually started getting more involved in fundraising. One of the members of the Tuesday Club was an artist, so we exhibited her work in the Abbey Gateway to raise money. A friend of mine grew Christmas trees and she agreed to give us a percentage of her profits. Another friend lived in a large country house and she gave a donation each Christmas when I decorated her house with foliage. I also gave talks to local groups, such as the Round Table and Rotary, to try and convince people to part with their money.
“By the time Grove House was built in 1994, I had moved to a paid job at The Alzheimer’s Society. But I often think of those happy beginnings, and how wonderful it is that Rennie Grove Peace now helps so many more people.”