Magician Richard Jones visits Farleigh Hospice as a new Patron

The Britain’s Got Talent winner recently visited the charity to find out more about the hospice care that it provides, free of charge, to people affected by life-limiting illnesses and bereavement across mid-Essex.

On Tuesday 16th August, he met with Farleigh’s Chief Executive, Alison Stevens, at the charity’s hospice building in Broomfield, Chelmsford and was taken on a tour by Fundraising Manager, Debbie de Boltz.

Richard spent time in the hospice’s specialist Inpatient Unit, where he talked to the care team about their work and entertained them and a patient with some amazing magic. Healthcare Assistant, Janis Fitzpatrick, was mystified by his mind-reading talents and Adult Bereavement Team Leader, Dominic Marshall, enjoyed some of his clever card tricks.

Other highlights of the tour included the gallery of vibrant pictures created by the ‘Yo-Yo’ children’s bereavement support project, the charity’s memory garden and the hospice sanctuary.

Richard is looking forward to spending more time at the hospice and supporting some of the charity’s fundraising events as Farleigh celebrates its 40th birthday.

He added, “Visiting Farleigh Hospice was a truly inspiring experience! The welcome I received from the kind staff was magical and it was great to see the wonderful facilities - I was lucky to meet a patient who was very pleased with his peaceful room looking out into the garden.

“Supporting people and their families at times where they are most vulnerable is such an important role and I'm happy to see the impact that Farleigh is having. I'm very proud to have been asked to be a Patron and hope to get involved as much as possible.”

For more information on the care and support provided by Farleigh Hospice, visit www.farleighhospice.org