A timeline of Dorothy House

"I joined the original committee that started Dorothy House and was involved for about ten years. It is now the hospice that was originally a dream. Now 95, I would like to say thank you to all the people that have made it what it is today."

"We were introduced to Prue and Dorothy House in 1979 when Sue was being treated for terminal cancer. They helped her get well enough to achieve her wish to die peacefully in our home. Then in 2024 Dorothy House supported Lucy, our daughter. Again the care our family received was full of affection and celebration of life, for which we will be eternally grateful, and wish to continue for many years to come."

"In 1989, when palliative care was in its infancy, I was asked if I would be interested in joining the Dorothy House team as a physician. I spent five years there; those formative years hold wonderful, happy memories for me. To think that Prue's vision and passion has created such an influential and important organisation is just wonderful. I have so much to thank Dorothy House for in so many ways. Here's to the next fifty years."

"It was more than 20 years ago, and I still remember the kindness of Dawn, who would collect Jenny every Friday morning to drive her to Dorothy House for arts and crafts.As Jenny's condition deteriorated and she was confined to bed, the Nurse Specialists were always just a call away. Jenny finally succumbed to her illness in February 2010, peacefully and surrounded by family."

"My step-granddad and my grandpa were both supported by Dorothy House in 2014 and died within weeks of each other. The Hospice continued to be a safe haven for my family and supported my grandmothers with such kindness and compassion. Last year my beautiful cousin Bex died at the Hospice - she left this world in complete peace, surrounded by love and comfort."

"Our daughter Lisa was 31 years old when she was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer. After the initial shock she turned into a warrior, determined to leave a legacy for her girls. She won award after award for her fundraising, wrote a book and started Lisa's Army charity. She passed away on 17August 2019. The care and help we had from Dorothy House was amazing, the support and kindness they showed Lisa in her final hours will stay with us forever."

"I was diagnosed with stage 4 endometrial cancer in 2019, and the care offered to both me and my mum was so special. I am lucky enough to be in remission – I now volunteer in a Dorothy House shop as my way of saying thank you. My cancer has a very strong chance of recurring, but if it does I know that Dorothy House will be there, and for that I'm truly grateful."

"We were introduced to Prue and Dorothy House in 1979 when Sue was being treated for terminal cancer. They helped her get well enough to achieve her wish to die peacefully in our home. Then in 2024 Dorothy House supported Lucy, our daughter. Again the care our family received was full of affection and celebration of life, for which we will be eternally grateful, and wish to continue for many years to come."

"You never know when you're going to be that person, we never thought we would be… so don't wait until you are that person. If you can give that help, it's so important..."

"What Dorothy House has done is given me my life back, and I can go out and take part in activities that I wasn't able to consider at the start of this year. It isn't what I believed it to be – it is a place more for life than for death."

"I've got stage four cancer, which has been going on since 2019. There's part of me which knows I might need Dorothy House in the future. It's comforting to know that if I do get sicker, something like this is around for me and my kids."

"Hospices are a lifeline. I know that now. It takes more than one pair of hands, we all need to do this together. I know that if Dorothy House was not here for me, I would have given up."