We are delighted to welcome Lizzie Wells as a new Trustee on the Phyllis Tuckwell board. Lizzie started in November last year in the midst of Covid, but has been associated with Phyllis Tuckwell for over ten years, since deciding to volunteer as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Awards at school.
Lizzie came to know about Phyllis Tuckwell aged 12, when she grew up around the corner from the Hospice in Farnham. “The man who lived opposite us used to collect newspapers for the charity every week, and so a few of us would collect up newspapers for him to take to the Hospice, where Phyllis Tuckwell would recycle them in return for some income.” said Lizzie. Because Phyllis Tuckwell was a charity well-known to her, Lizzie chose to support us through the volunteering section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Since then, Lizzie studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge and then formally trained as an accountant, starting her career in London – eventually moving to Seattle, USA, where she spent time consulting for technology clients. Throughout all this, Lizzie was always keeping an eye on Phyllis Tuckwell, “I stayed in contact with Phyllis Tuckwell throughout university and my career. When I got to a point where I had a bit more time and wanted to volunteer again, I noticed the role of Trustee at Phyllis Tuckwell came up. Having applied, I was offered the role last November, and it’s been great to be back and involved again.”
As time has passed, it’s obvious to see that Phyllis Tuckwell has changed and grown in the past ten years, with the addition of a second site (Beacon Centre in Guildford) and also more Care at Home services. Lizzie was surprised to learn just how much of our care is administered at homes. “Before I became more heavily involved, I hadn’t appreciated how Care at Home is such a large part of the care we provide now, and although the IPU is fully staffed and available, supporting patients in their own homes has evolved.”
In her new position as Trustee, Lizzie is very much looking forward to getting involved in the potential building project, updating the IPU, as well as seeing how Phyllis Tuckwell continues to expand the Care at Home service. Oh and also, more face-to-face meetings, “I’m keen to meet the staff and leadership team in person after so many Zoom meetings!”
We sat down with Lizzie recently to discuss her relationship with Phyllis Tuckwell, and what exactly ‘Hospice Care’ means to her. To view the interview, click the link below.