11/06/2026
Marilyn Relf spent nearly four decades at Sobell House, helping to shape the hospice’s bereavement service at a time when little formal support existed for families coping with loss.
“When I started, the hospice was very different. It was a small inpatient unit and there was no real Day Centre yet, just the beginnings of one. There were only two community nurses, and very limited social work support. What stood out quickly was that families formed close relationships with staff while their loved one was being cared for – and then, after the death, they would come back and quite literally knock on the door.
The nurses didn’t have the time to support them properly, and they felt awful about that. People were arriving distressed, needing help, and there was no structure in place to respond. That was the starting point for what came next…”
Keep reading: bit.ly/marilynsobellstory2026
