LOROS Hospice

For many people facing a terminal illness, there really is no place like home. Being surrounded by the people, memories and familiar comforts they love can mean everything.

That’s why our care doesn’t stop at the doors of our hospice. Nearly 40% of our patients are able to go home again, where they can continue to be supported by our specialist community nurses.

For Nick's family and his mum, that care at home brought comfort and reassurance at an incredibly difficult time.

Nick said: LOROS became involved in Mum’s care around the middle of 2025. As Mum deteriorated, they were coming out every day to care for her. They were unbelievably friendly and the level of care was fantastic. It was almost like having another family member caring for her. It felt like genuine love.

We got to know the same faces and that brought a real sense of comfort. Mum felt comfortable with them and so did the rest of us. Right from the beginning, we knew she was being looked after."

Ready for a sweet challenge? 🍰

A brand-new edition of the much-loved LOROS quiz has arrived, and this time we’re serving up cakes, puddings and desserts! 🧁🍮

Whether you’re partial to a Victoria sponge, can’t resist a sticky toffee pudding, or know your tiramisu from your trifle, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Now in its 25th year, the LOROS quiz continues to be a firm favourite with supporters. Our last Weights and Measurements quiz raised an amazing £2,396, taking the total raised by our quizzes to an incredible £108,038 for local hospice care!

Some questions may be a piece of cake, while others could leave you in a bit of an Eton Mess. Either way, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into!

🍰 Pick up a paper quiz sheet from any LOROS shop
🖨️ Or download and print your quiz at home

Grab a spoon, take a generous helping of quiz fun and see if you can rise to the top. Visit loros.co.uk/quiz to play

Could you help cheer on team LOROS at this year’s Run Leicester Festival? 💛

For Marianne, the encouragement she received from volunteers along the route helped her through an incredibly emotional Run Leicester Half Marathon.

Just two weeks earlier, her dad, Derrick, had died at LOROS after being cared for on our inpatient ward.

Marianne said: “With the support of my husband, two very lovely friends, and the volunteers shouting encouragement along the route, I was able to complete it.”

This year, Marianne is returning to Run Leicester with her husband and friends – but this time, they’ll be taking part to support LOROS and give back for the care her dad and family received.

Marianne said: “It is such a great event to take part in, and now it means even more to me.”

As Marianne’s story shows, you don’t have to run to make a difference at Run Leicester. We need volunteers to join us on the day, helping us support and cheer on the incredible people taking on the challenge for LOROS.

Whether you’re encouraging runners when they need it most or helping create that special race-day atmosphere, you could be part of someone’s Run Leicester story.

Could you spare a few hours and volunteer with us at Run Leicester on Sunday 11th October? If so, please register your interest to volunteer at loros.co.uk/RLvolunteers

While many of us enjoy a bank holiday Monday, spare a thought for the incredible people who continue to work around the clock at LOROS. 💛

Many of our team are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, making sure the patients on our ward are cared for and as comfortable as possible.

Hospice care doesn’t stop for bank holidays. Today, and every day, our dedicated teams are here for our patients and their families when they need us most.

To everyone working at LOROS today – thank you for all that you do. 💛

Meet Michelle Clark, Matron at LOROS. When Michelle joined LOROS almost three years ago, she knew she’d found somewhere special, struck by the warmth of the hospice and the incredible staff that work there. As Matron, Michelle oversees all of LOROS' inpatient services, including the Ward, Enablement Team, Chaplaincy, Complementary Therapy, Infection Prevention and Tissue Viability.

This year Michelle is stepping well out of her comfort zone and will be taking on the Run Leicester Festival Half Marathon on Sunday 11th October to raise money for LOROS, inspired by the patients, families and staff she encounters each day. Here is Michelle’s .

"I instantly thought LOROS would be a lovely place to work. It isn't without its difficulties because of the nature of what we do, but I love the feeling when you come in and everyone is so kind. We always find a way to make things work for our patients.

Anything to do with our inpatients comes under me. My role is making sure everyone is well cared for. Every day is different. One day it might be taking donations for the ward, another it could be patient issues or supporting staff. It's all about making sure our patients receive the very best care.

If you work in a hospice of this size, it gives you the opportunity to get involved in so many different things. It's a close-knit environment and we're all incredibly proud to be part of LOROS.

Before joining LOROS, I spent seven years as a Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist and Team Leader at Derby Hospital, following time as Deputy Manager in a nursing home. Earlier in my career, I spent 12 years in Saudi Arabia, where I helped to establish a community home healthcare service from the ground up. We started with nothing and created a service that provided palliative care for people who'd never had access to anything like it before. I met amazing people and worked alongside nurses from so many different backgrounds. It taught me so much about culture, about listening to individuals, understanding the care they wanted and being truly inclusive.

The nature of hospice work means you're with people at one of the most difficult times of their lives, but I actually get a buzz from speaking to patients and families. If I'm having a difficult day, I'll go onto the ward and spend some time talking to them. It's uplifting because, despite everything they're going through, they're so positive about LOROS and the care they receive.

I'll always remember seeing what our staff pull together for patients. Getting the cuddle beds was fantastic and then seeing families enjoying cinema nights together using them. To be able to provide that kind of care is incredible. Healthcare isn't an easy place to work, so it really helps to be proud of what you do.

Seeing some of our other nurses at LOROS take on the Run Leicester Festival has inspired me to do the same. I hate running but I realised I need to look after my own health now I’m in my mid-50s, so I started doing park runs and eventually managed to run 5k.

I knew I wanted to raise money for LOROS. I won’t throw myself out of a plane because I’m terrified of heights, but seeing other nurses take on running challenges made me think, I can do this!

Training for the half marathon is not easy. I’m up to seven miles at the moment. I still find it hard and quite daunting but knowing people have sponsored me keeps me going. I must do this because people have supported me, and I want to support LOROS services.

I see first-hand the impact limited funding has on patient care. I see the waiting lists. I see the beds we can’t open because we don’t have the funding or staffing. It’s heartbreaking to know there are people who need us, but we don’t always have the capacity to help everyone.

I keep reminding myself why I’m doing it. I can’t think of anything more worthwhile to support. If there’s something you’ve always wanted to do, why not do it and fundraise for LOROS? Whether it’s a run, a parachute jump or something completely different, every challenge helps us continue providing our care.”

There is still time to sign up to run for LOROS in the Run Leicester Festival. Visit loros.co.uk/runleicester to secure your place 🎽

Happy 💛

Last night Channel 4 News broadcast a report on the hospice funding gap – the gulf between the amount of funding hospices receive from government and the costs of delivering hospice care. Nationally this is 63% but for LOROS it is currently 70%.

That means that we receive 30% of our care costs from government but the remaining 70% are met through fundraising, donations and our charity shops.

That means that you, our wonderful supporters, are shouldering the load when government should be supporting hospice care like any other essential service.

Camilla Barrow, LOROS CEO said: “The financial gap facing hospices is very real and its impact isn’t simply felt on a balance sheet.

“At LOROS we currently have seven hospice beds closed. We operate a waiting list and, painfully, that means some people will not receive the care they need within the timeframe they have left. But this isn’t only about beds. It is about the care we provide beyond our hospice walls. It is counselling, complementary therapy, spiritual care and support for families. It is the breadth of specialist hospice care that helps people not simply to die with dignity, but to live as well as possible.

“We need to protect all of it. Our communities are extraordinary in the way they support their local hospices, but they are carrying far too much of the financial burden for services that are an essential part of our health and care system.

“We need a sustainable, long-term central government funding solution for hospice and palliative care that is fit for the needs of our population.

“Hospice care isn’t a luxury. And access to it shouldn’t depend on whether there happens to be enough charitable income to fund it.”

We’re incredibly proud that the LOROS CHANCE Club is a finalist in the BBC Leicester Make a Difference Awards – and stories like Abi’s show just how much that the support of the CHANCE Club can mean to families.

After experiencing the loss of her grandma, brother and mother-in-law, Abi’s sons Jacob, 13, and Jonah, 7, found a safe and understanding space at CHANCE Club.

Abi said: "One of the things that makes the CHANCE Club so special is that the children understand each other. They have experienced similar losses, so they know what it feels like in a way that others sometimes can't. The friendships, support and understanding that Jacob and Jonah have found there have helped them enormously.

Every time the boys go to the CHANCE Club they come home smiling. They love all the activities, games and everything the team organises for them. Seeing them laugh, build friendships and simply enjoy being children means more to me than words can ever express. Knowing they have somewhere they feel safe, supported and understood has made such a difference—not only to them, but to me as their mum. "

This International Dog Day, we’re celebrating the four-legged visitors who bring a little bit of home into our Hospice. 🐾💛

When someone is seriously ill, the comfort of seeing a much-loved pet can mean more than words can say. That’s why well-behaved dogs are welcome to visit their loved ones at LOROS – bringing companionship, reassurance and some very special moments for patients and their families.

For Charlotte, having her dog Winnie by her side when visiting her dad made a difficult time that little bit easier.

“I lost my Dad on June 3rd this year and he had a stay in LOROS. I brought my dog Winnie to see him everyday and it was so lovely to see how happy it made him and how much the nurses loved Winnie too. It also gave me the confidence to come in knowing Winnie was by my side."

Today, we’re celebrating and all of the wonderful dogs who offer comfort and familiar faces when they’re needed most. 💛