Daventry family say their mother would feel overwhelmed for town's hospital

Anne Smith passed away at Danetre Hospital on October 26 aged 75, just three months after being diagnosed with cancer.

She and her family were amazed by the friendly and personal care provided by the team working on Danetre’s palliative care ward.

To say thank you to them they decided to ask for donations rather than flowers at Mrs Smith’s funeral, believing they would raise something like £300. The total raised so far stands at £1,530.

All the money is going to the Friends of Danetre Hospital to spend on the palliative care ward.

Her daughter Kellie Smith said: “Mum spent a couple of days respite at Danetre, and when she needed to go into a hospital again they asked her where she wanted to go and it was Danetre. Fortunately there was a bed free for her and she spent her last 16 days there.

“The staff at Danetre were just amazing. The care Patsy and her team provided for mum was amazing. She continually praised the nurses on the ward, for their special care and attention and how nothing was too much – being in Danetre helped keep mum smiling in her final days.

“And they cared for Dad – Adge – and the rest of us as well. I don’t know if I would have got through it without the nurses. It would have been 10 times worse for mum and us without their care.

“I can’t praise them enough for what they did.

“The Friends of Danetre as well provide the touches that make everything seem nicer.

“All the patients’ beds have a colourful blanket on which brightens it up. The Friends also provided TVs for all the beds too, so people can watch something rather than just staring at the walls.”

Mrs Smith was well-known in Daventry. She and her husband ran the Conservative Club up until retirement in 2000. They were both also full-time members of the Daventry Town Bowling Club.

Kellie said: “We obviously had a lot of donations from family and friends, but also some not insignificant ones from people we don’t know as well.

“Mum would be so proud and overwhelmed by the love and support her family have been given by all friends across Daventry, and of course by extended family, but also for the generous donations that have been made by everyone, to such a worthy cause.”

The donations page at www.justgiving.com/annesmith75 will remain open until November 30.