Skanda Vale Hospice

15/10/2026

Sister Ally, our Spiritual Care and Wellbeing Lead, was invited to speak at this year’s College of Health Care Chaplains conference. The theme was With the End in Mind, which is also the title of Dr Kathryn Mannix's book, and Kathryn, a palliative care doctor, gave one of the keynotes.

Kathryn told the story of a woman who wrote to her after her mother died. For eight years she couldn’t sleep properly. She kept hearing the loud, uneven breathing of her mother’s last hours and believed her mother had been suffering. Nobody had told her that this is a normal part of dying. As a person becomes less conscious, they can no longer swallow, and air passing over a little fluid in the throat makes a rattling sound. It isn’t painful or distressing for them. After reading Kathryn’s book, the woman slept soundly for the first time in years.

Kathryn’s wider point was that dying used to be familiar. In the 1920s, most people were born at home and died at home. Families cared for their own, women especially, and nearly everyone had sat at a bedside and seen what dying looks like. Talking about it wasn’t morbid; it was part of life. Today very few of us have had that experience, and not knowing what to expect is a large part of what makes it frightening.

Sister Ally spoke about her experiences of caring at Skanda Vale Hospice, and how our patients show us the way. She described bucket-list outings, meeting elephants, and finding creative ways around mobility problems to reach the beach, get into the sea, and even take a boat to Caldey Island. Above all, she spoke about being there when it counts: being present, meeting people where they are, and helping them find a sense of peace and acceptance before they die.

It was a joy to spend time with so many people who do this work and are so generous with what they’ve learned. Sharing what we know about dying helps all of us, not only those who work in care. If you’ve been with someone at the end of their life, talking about it with the people close to you could make it a little less daunting for them, and perhaps for you too.

07/10/2026

Finding joy in the everyday...

Hospice care can bring joy, meaning and connection even in the most difficult times. Outings, from meeting the elephants at the monastery to afternoons on local beaches, remind people that hospice care is about living fully, not just preparing for the end.

These moments can bring families calm, wonder and togetherness at a time when life can feel overwhelming. They help create memories that bring comfort long after, showing the value of hospice support delivered in the community.

In the words of our Lead Nurse: “We only get one opportunity to get end-of-life care right. When it’s done well, it shapes how families grieve and remember. Hospice care should never be left to chance or seen as an add-on or optional extra.”

05/10/2026

It's Hospice Care week and this year's theme: Don't leave hospice care to chance - is something we feel strongly about.

As Hospice UK have said:
'When someone is seriously ill or dying, hospice care can change everything. It eases pain. It creates precious moments. It supports families through the hardest days of their lives. But right now, too many people are missing out. Today, nearly 1 in 3 people who need palliative care miss out on the support they need. That isn't right. Where you live shouldn't dictate whether you get end-of-life care. This Hospice Care Week, we're speaking up with a vital message. Don't leave hospice care to chance.'

Hospice care eases the pain of death and dying, so people can focus...

29/09/2026

Patients and volunteers brave the waves at Penbryn...

Sarah-Jane had been hatching a plan for a trip to the sea since before August arrived at the hospice on Tuesday, and August, who swims all year round, didn't need asking twice.

We chose Penbryn over Llangrannog, hoping it would be quieter, and it was, mostly because the wild waves had put everyone else off. But having come this far, we went in anyway. It turned out to be less a swim than a test of who could stay on their feet the longest, and there was a lot of laughter every time the sea won.

We came out cold and buzzing, and settled back on the sand with homemade brownies and a hot cup of tea, our towels weighed down with pebbles against the wind.

As the sign on the way down to the beach says, 'A little sand between the toes always takes away the woes'.

24/09/2026

If you were at our summer fete, you'll remember Samba DOC. Halfway through their set they turned to the crowd and handed over the drums – children, grandparents, volunteers and people who swore they had no rhythm all playing together. It was one of the most joyful moments of our summer.

This Sunday there's another chance to pick up a drum, in Swansea.

THE SAMBA SESSION
• Sunday 27 September, Swansea Amphitheatre
• 3–4.30pm: have a go at samba drumming with One Heart Drummers
• 5.30pm: Samba Doc join them for performances and community drumming

Swansea is the final stop on Samba Doc's weekend tour: three days, seven towns and eight other samba bands, all raising money for Skanda Vale Hospice and the Stroke Association.

Come and find them on Sunday (you'll hear them before you see them).

Whatever they raise for us helps keep our care free for patients and families across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. If you'd like to cheer them on from home, you can donate here: https://givestar.io/gs/samba-doc-tour-2026

Thank you to Samba Doc for doing this for us, to One heart drummers for hosting, and to Evans Coaches for carrying the drums across three counties.

21/09/2026

Three cheers for Kiera Jones - Soul Midwife and Brother Jakob, who took a team of 16 into the Swiss Alps and hiked 15km for the hospice. Kiera swam in a mountain lake at 5°C. Brother Jakob made sure everyone got back down again.

Between them, they've pushed us to £9,522 of our £10,000 target. Which leaves £478, and a gentle nudge and a wink from us 😘

Every pound pays for palliative care across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, free to every family who needs it.

A huge thanks to everyone who walked, and to everyone who has given so far. The page is still open if you'd like to support us:

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/swiss-lakes-challenge-2026

08/09/2026

Peter and Bayari, two of our volunteer companions at the hospice, are holding a day of kirtan in Swansea this Sunday with Anahata Svara, and raising money for the hospice.

So what exactly is a kirtan? It's a call-and-response style of devotional singing. One person sings a line, everyone sings it back, and the melody tends to be simple enough to pick up after a verse or two. The tradition comes from India, but for many in Wales the cymanfa ganu chapel hymn-singing gatherings would be the recognisable equivalent.

The words are usually in Sanskrit, but you don't need to know, read or believe anything in particular to join in. There is something uniquely uplifting about gathering together in song, and we hope this will be a lovely way to spend a Sunday ❤️

There'll be stalls, tea and cake, an open mic and free parking.

Sunday 13 September, 11am–5pm
Bishopston Community Centre, Murton Green Road, Swansea SA3 3AT
Suggested donation for the day is £10–15 on the door

Peter and Bayari have put this together themselves, from the venue to the cake, and what they raise will go towards free care for people living with life-limiting illness across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. We're very grateful to them, and we hope the hall is full.

01/09/2026

We're opening the garden on Saturday 12 September for the National Garden Scheme. 11am to 4.30pm, £3.50 for adults, children free, no need to book. A plant stall outside, and refreshments and gift stalls inside — including Newcastle Emlyn Country Market and Permawise Produce.

Our volunteer gardeners have been getting the place ready all week — Reg scything the hedge line (he won't have a strimmer near the place), Viv composting the fallen leaves, and a great many watering cans between them. They'll all be about on the day, and are happy to be asked what they're up to.

Do have a look inside while you're here. Our care is free to anyone living with a life-limiting illness, and if you've ever wondered about volunteering with us, Saturday is a good day to ask.

Skanda Vale Hospice, Saron, Llandysul, SA44 5DY
https://www.skandavalehospice.org/events/hospice-garden-open-day/

28/08/2026

£500 from the Crimson Moon Tavern 🥰

Iain and Sue Sewell came to our coffee morning yesterday, between rain showers, with a cheque for £500. It was raised over three nights of music at their tavern, the Crimson Moon in Rhydlewis, back in July: a Pink Floyd night, a set from Nick Forbes, and an open mic on the Sunday.

The Crimson Moon opens 21 days a year, and every one of them is for a charity. Their collections have gone to Wales Air Ambulance, Marie Curie, Blood Bikes Wales, the DPJ Foundation, Age Cymru, a village hall, a school's Duke of Edinburgh kit. More than £7,800 in all, raised a few hundred at a time from free-entry evenings in a courtyard under umbrellas.

Thank you to Iain and Sue, and to everyone who turned out over those three nights. Every pound goes towards free care for families across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

They're open again this weekend, Friday to Monday, in aid of the Firefighters Charity. Definitely worth the trip!

Pictured: Iain and Sue Sewell with Aquila, our Head of Operations.

22/08/2026

Have a look at these curious specimens, growing in the hospice greenhouse.

No one's quite sure whether they're Dwarf Purple Hearts or Rebel Starfighter Primes. Either way, they're heart-shaped, and they taste amazing. Grown by our team of volunteer gardeners and respite patients, they're destined for a salad next week at day hospice lunch.

There's plenty more of this sort of thing in the garden. We're opening up on Saturday 12 September, 11am to 4.30pm, as part of the National Garden Scheme. £3.50 for adults, children free, no need to book. Come along and have a nose…

https://www.skandavalehospice.org/events/hospice-garden-open-day/