First Day

First visit to St. Christopher’s hospice was quite good, the place is welcoming and is a calm place. They have made the place a clean and bright place making it seem happy and positive. The layout of the place is well thought out and is spacious giving the patients room to be by themselves or to be in a big group. The garden is also a good place to do so as well. The people that work there are very nice and open to talk, they understand that it may be quite a lot to take on. I’m looking forward to meeting the patients, talking to them and hearing some of their stories. But I think I need to be careful with what I say and be a little bit more sensitive to their situation.

First Impressions

My first impression of St Christopher’s was how professional it all looked. It didn’t look like a place you would expect to have wards in. It looked so open and bright, even walking around the community parts gave me the same impression. There were lovely pieces of artwork on the walls done by patients, and the rooms we passed seemed so inviting. The gardens were beautiful and all looked so relaxing in the sunshine with lovely green trees and ponds filled with koi fish and small fountains. All of the staff we passed were very friendly and welcomed us with smiling faces. The point that we realised we were in a hospice properly was when we were told on the small tour of the community areas that downstairs in the basement was the morgue and viewing rooms. We weren’t allowed to view the wards, which I found perfectly understandable.
After this, we went to view the area that we were going to be working in during the coming weeks. It was a small pavilion through the garden. We were told about the other projects that were going on with other schools, and how it affected the patients. After this we got to have a good look around at the spaces we were going to work in. It really made me look forwards to working there.

Hello Hospice

Our first visit to the hospice was different to what I expected. It was a lot quieter and peaceful than I imagined and the staffs were friendly and outgoing. Walking through the St Christopher’s made me realise the length they go to to keep it well presented (even down to the wall colours). We were lucky enough to see it refurbished and I could see that the patients are encouraged to get involved as a community, for example there were art work made by the hospice hung everywhere. The atmosphere was tranquil and the gardens were immaculate and were complimented by the sun. Beautiful koi fish greeted you when entering the garden which led to the art pavilion where we will be based throughout this project. Inside the hut we met some members of the art team and spoke about what they do. Listening to them inspired me as a student and someone interested in community work. From what they were saying I could see the work they do provides a lot for the hospice, physically and mentally. I enjoyed this trip and am excited to get stuck in!

Our First Visit to St Christopher's Hospice