The final resting place for patients who die at a local hospice has been refurbished thanks to a charitable donation.
The room at Fair Havens In-Patient Unit has been redecorated with a lighthouse paper mural in a nod to the organisation’s heritage. Fair Havens was named in the 1980s after a passage in the Bible, “Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens.” (Acts 27:8). A symbol of safety and security, a lighthouse could be found in the stained glass on the doors to the hospice’s original building in Chalkwell.
The project was commissioned after Pamela Houghton-Clarke, Ward Manager at Fair Havens, wanted to improve the patient’s journey even after death.
Pamela says, “Preserving the dignity and privacy of the patient after their death is so important to us. It is the last act of nursing care we can provide for them. It means so much to the staff that we have a room that is as beautiful and calming as the other rooms within the hospice.”
The lighthouse mural paper was purchased by Smile of Hope, a charity committed to helping children and young adults with life-limiting illnesses through music and arts. The charity, which has a long-standing relationship with the hospice, then put Fair Havens in touch with decorator Adam Forrestal who offered his time for free.
Steve Roebuck, Founder of Smile of Hope, says, “We are really glad that we could help in a small way and that Adam’s beautiful work will provide a peaceful place for the final part of a patient’s journey at Fair Havens.”
It took Adam seven hours to decorate the room, with the mural paper donated by Smile of Hope and paint donated by the Bromley and Basildon Brewers Decorator Centres.
Adam says, “I was grateful to be of service.”
Fair Havens provides palliative and supportive care to adults in Southend, Castle Point, and Rochford diagnosed with complex or incurable conditions and offers invaluable support to the patient’s families. All of the care is completely free of charge and can only continue thanks to the generosity of kind donations.
