LOROS Hospice

In every season, memories stay with us, but there is something comforting about having a place to pause and feel close to those we love, especially during the brighter days of summer. 💛

Our Tree of Life offers a gentle, lasting way to remember someone special. By engraving a personalised leaf, you'll create a tribute that can be revisited whenever you wish in our peaceful gardens, knowing your loved one's memory will forever be part of a much-loved and missed community.

If you've been waiting for one, we're delighted to share that our large silver Tree of Life leaves are now back in stock, alongside our existing range of personalised leaves in different colours and sizes.

Find out more at loros.co.uk/treeoflife

Graham is 65 and lives in Glenfield. Following his wife’s death, he started attending a LOROS bereavement hub where he found the friendship and support he needed to manage his grief. Here is Graham’s .

“In September 2023 I was working in Switzerland. One night at 2am I got a phone call from my daughter. I thought it was about my elderly mum, but it was my wife, Donna. She’d been tragically killed in a car crash. I was devastated, and my world turned upside down.

A few months later I was talking to someone, and they said, “They hold a bereavement hub at LOROS — why don’t you give it a go?” I said I would. She said, “Just go once. It might be for you or it might not, but you won’t know unless you go.” Over two years later, I’m still going.

I’ve met so many wonderful people suffering like me. I still remember when I first walked into the room. Everyone was sitting in a circle, and they all looked up when I walked in. I remember thinking, do I carry on or do I run away? Thank God I walked in. I was very teary and emotional. Gradually, as the weeks went by, I was less emotional and more relaxed, and the volunteers told me that was quite normal.

Now, two years down the line, there are people coming into the group in exactly the same state I was in, and we embrace them. We tell them it’s okay to be emotional and not be able to speak without crying. A few weeks down the line they are a different person, because they all feel so comfortable with each other in the same room.

When I first walked in, I thought there might be five or so people, but there were about twenty. It made me realise I am not the only person in Leicester who has lost someone. Bereavement is such a lonely experience, but seeing how other people were affected made me feel less isolated. You’re not the only one suffering, grieving and lonely. Empathising with other people who are also grieving helps you feel less alone and realise they’re in pain too.

When I first came, there were six of us who had all lost our partners within a few weeks. We seemed to gel straight away. We formed our own WhatsApp group because we got on so well. On the first Friday of the month we all go out for breakfast and have a chat. We celebrate each other’s birthdays, we buy each other Christmas presents, things like that. We go to garden centres, we go to quizzes. It’s opened up a whole new friendship circle for me.

Sometimes I’ll ask, “Are you okay, Lynn?” and she’ll say, “No, on Monday it will be two years since I lost Dave,” and we’ll have a hug. And they’ll detect it with me — “Are you okay, Graham?” — and I can say, “No, not really, I’ve had a bad week.” We’re all aware of each other and what we’re going through. It’s brought us all closer. None of us has to hide anything; we can be ourselves completely.
Whatever happens inside those four walls stays there. I’m a builder, I’m a bloke, I like a pint and I like the football, so to cry is a bit embarrassing. But not in that room — it’s fine, because other blokes cry too. Some don’t, and that’s fine because we’re all different.

Three of my group are going on the Machu Picchu trek and are raising money by doing a benefit night at the Chef and Spice restaurant. I took the flyer to the group and instantly eight people signed up, because they all want to socialise and they get comfort from each other. It’s also important to me to feel like other people are benefitting. I’ve sold lots of raffle tickets too — I’m nearly up to £1,000, so that is really great.

Listening to other people at the group made me realise we all had the same problems — with banks, making wills, probates, etc. People share their solutions, and it really puts your mind at rest. Some of the older ladies are really worried about all the paperwork, and it really helps for someone to tell you, “Don’t worry, just do one thing at a time.”

When you’re on your own, you’re doing things for the first time. When Donna was alive, she had her specific jobs. I worked six days a week, sometimes 80 hours a week. Now Donna has gone, I’ve had to learn how to cook, how to use the washing machine, the dishwasher, iron, go shopping — all sorts of things. Donna did all our online banking, so I had to learn all of that too. I’m not technically minded, so I’m quite chuffed that I’ve done all that. Learning how to do everything your partner used to do, while you’re in the midst of grief, is really hard though.

My friendship group is probably around 40–50 people now, and around 20 go to the group. We all give each other a hug and have a catch up. We have to arrive 30 minutes before the session starts so there’s time to greet everyone. It’s lovely.
I feel able to move on with my life. Donna will never be out of my heart or out of my head, but my grief is manageable now. I used to drive down the road thinking, “Why me?” “Why Donna?” but gradually I don’t think like that anymore. I’m healing.”

Here at LOROS Hospice, our bereavement hubs across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland offer a safe, supportive space to talk, listen, and find guidance through grief and are open to anybody who would like to attend. Find out more about our bereavement support services: loros.co.uk/bereavementsupport

Watching England win their way into the semi-finals of the World Cup is a reminder of what can be achieved when people come together. 💛

At LOROS, we witness that everyday.

Our patients face unimaginable challenges with extraordinary courage, surrounded by families, volunteers and colleagues who never stop supporting them.

Congratulations England - we're all cheering you on! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

We are very excited to see England take on the World Cup quarter final this evening!

Our Day Hospice has been getting into the football spirit too over the last few weeks, with patients creating their own England rosettes. Here is one of our patients, Steve, showing off some of the handmade rosettes. ❤️🤍

Come on, England! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🤍

Happy 💛

Wedding bells again! 💍💐

This afternoon Mark and Natalie held a blessing ceremony in our chapel.

In a lovely ceremony surrounded by their children the couple’s relationship was blessed after nearly 13 years together.

In a celebration pulled together at top speed, even by LOROS standards, Mark arrived on our ward at 3pm on Wednesday, less than 24 hours ago!

Tracy Gaskin, who works on our ward, said “We asked Mark if there was anything we could do, and he said ‘yes, I’d like to get married’ so we did everything we could.

We have been donated a cake and a bouquet, and we have a few wedding dresses here at LOROS in various different styles. Luckily one fitted Natalie perfectly.”

The LOROS team swung into action and transformed the social area into a beautiful wedding venue, with flowers, banners and balloons.

Many, many congratulations to Natalie and Mark on this special day xx

Huge thanks to North's - Rothley for supplying the cake and Budding Floral Design for the lovely bouquet.

As the sunshine continues, our care never stops ☀️💛

At LOROS, our patients can enjoy the fresh air and peaceful surroundings from our beautiful gardens, with shaded patio areas and a welcoming gazebo providing the perfect spot to relax out of the sun if they wish.

There's even the chance of a special visitor—our friendly hospice duck sometimes waddles by to brighten everyone's day! 🦆

Thank you to everyone who supports LOROS. Your generosity helps us continue providing compassionate care and comfort for our patients and their loved ones, whatever the weather. 🌞

We had a very special CHANCE Club visit last week!🐴🐶🐰🐹🐢

We were delighted to welcome Phoenix Charity, who kindly brought along some very special visitors for our children to meet!

The children were thrilled to spend time with a wonderful range of animals, including a pony, a dog, a rabbit, guinea pigs and even tortoises.

The fantastic team from Phoenix Charity took the time to introduce each animal, explaining their personalities, what they like and dislike, and how to care for them. The children loved learning all about the animals and asking lots of questions.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was feeding lettuce leaves to the tortoises and watching them explore the garden. Who knew tortoises could be such adventurers? They certainly weren't as slow as we expected!

There were lots of opportunities for cuddles too, with the rabbit and guinea pigs proving very popular. The children also had great fun throwing a stick for the dog and were absolutely delighted to take the pony for a walk around the garden and help brush its mane.

Alongside our animal experience, the children also enjoyed our regular craft activity, creating beautiful bead keyrings to take home.

Stacy Munday, Schools and Young Persons Coordinator, said: "It was wonderful to have the animals join us. The children were so excited to meet them, especially as it was a surprise which animals would be visiting. Animals have a unique way of bringing comfort, calm and happiness, and for bereaved children they can provide gentle companionship, encourage confidence and create positive memories. Seeing the smiles on the children's faces throughout the session was truly heart-warming."

A huge thank you to everyone at Phoenix Charity for delivering such a fantastic session. The children absolutely loved every minute of it. Animal visits are something they ask for time and time again, and it was wonderful to see the excitement the animals brought to the group. 💛

The LOROS Big Day Out on 8th August - cancelled

Just to let you know, we have taken the decision to cancel our Big Day Out event in August 2026. We love the Big Day Out; showing the community our amazing hospice is so important, but, like Glastonbury, we’ve decided to take a fallow year, and come back bigger and better than ever in 2027.

Meanwhile there are lots of other events you can attend this summer to support LOROS, from bike rides and fairs, to concerts and music festivals. Visit loros.co.uk for more. As always, thank you for your support – it makes a real difference.