Search

  • Visit & Contact
  • The Mill
  • Online Shop
  • Log In
  • My Account
  • Log Out

Your local charity in Lancashire

Patrons: Sir Bill Beaumont, Sir Duncan Nichol, Dr Lynne Livesey, Dr St John Crean, Mark Lawrenson and Tisha Merry

Donate
  • Care we provide
    • We help patients and families have quality of life, to the end of life.

    • Column
      • Back
      • the work of the charity is only possible because of the support it receives from the local community.

        Care at the hospice
      • Caring for people at home
      • Medical Outpatient Clinics
      • Lymphoedema clinic
        • Lymphoedema in babies, children and adolescents
      • Referrals and discharge
    • Column
      • Support for carers & family
      • Bereavement and Remembrance
      • Befriending service
      • Compassionate Communities
      • Covid-19 updates
  • Support us
    • Our care is only possible because of the support we receive.

    • Column
      • Back
      • The work of the charity is only possible because of the support it receives from the local community.

        Fundraise for us
        • Organise a fundraiser
        • Give money raised
        • Join in a hospice event
        • Global Adventure Challenges
      • Donate
        • Donation Form
        • Make a monthly donation
        • Make a one-off donation
        • Donate money raised
        • Pledge Gift Aid
      • Play the lottery
        • Lottery terms and conditions, legal information and advice
        • Join our lottery
        • Lottery results
        • Gift cards and wedding favours
        • Update your details
      • Wills
      • 1985 Business Club
    • Column
      • Charity shops
        • Find your nearest shop
        • Donate to our shops
        • Online Shop
      • Volunteering
      • Enter our raffle
      • Yellow Ribbons
  • Events
  • About us
    • We are an independent, local charity working in Central Lancashire.

    • Column
      • Back
      • Our purpose
      • Our team
      • Job vacancies
      • Knowledge Exchange
      • Resources for all
    • Column Two
      • The Mill cafe
      • Room hire
      • Give feedback
      • Lancashire and South Cumbria Hospices Together
      • Our plans
  • News
  • Remembrance Book
  • Donate
St Catherine's Hospice > Patient Stories > Painting fingernails and enjoying breakfast together in the mornings

Painting fingernails and enjoying breakfast together in the mornings

From painting fingernails to enjoying breakfast together in the mornings – the family of Sheila Goulding say they will be forever grateful to St Catherine’s Hospice for enabling them to spend quality time with their beloved Mum and Grandma in her final days.

Here, Sheila’s daughter Sharon Worden talks about how the compassionate nurses looked after the whole family and made a lasting impression at such a poignant time in their lives. 

“St Catherine’s is such a welcoming place, and we could surround Mum with familiar things from home like photos of the family and cuddly toys, and she could play games on her iPad which she always enjoyed,” Sharon says.

“Her grandchildren did drawings for the walls, and whereas she’d been so agitated when she was in hospital beforehand, you could just see Mum start to settle and become happy again, which was comforting for all of us.

“One day when my brother Kevin was visiting from Cheshire, the nursing assistant Kirsty came in with a big box and said ‘let’s have a pamper day!’ The box was full of nail polish and other bits, and she handed it to Kevin and said ‘right Kevin, why don’t you paint your Mum’s fingernails, I’ll mark you out of 10.’

“He’d never done anything like that before, and I thought it was absolutely fantastic! We would never have thought to do something like that, and it gave Kevin a lovely, lasting memory of doing something special with his mum.

“Sometimes it’s small things which make a big difference, like when family stay overnight, they’ll give you toast in the morning, and I sometimes had soup and sandwiches for dinner. It’s just one less thing to worry about when you’re in that situation.”

Mum-of-three Sheila, from Ribbleton, started her career in the laundry department at Preston infirmary; she then worked as a cleaner at Sharoe Green at Royal Preston Hospital (RPH) and went on to become a radiographer’s assistant. She volunteered on reception at RPH until she was aged 90.

She was diagnosed with vulvar cancer earlier this year, and was initially referred to the St Catherine’s Clinical Nurse Specialists, who provide complex symptom management in people’s own homes and care homes.

“When they then spoke to us about Mum going to the hospice, I cried with relief,” Sharon says. “I just thought, ‘at last, she’s not going to be in any more pain’. They took so much care to constantly make gradual tweaks to her medication, to make sure she wasn’t in pain but to also limit the side effects so she could still experience a good quality of life.

“Everything is so personalised, and if there was ever a time when Mum felt worried, they’d make sure that two or three nurses were with her, to spend time reassuring her while providing care. Or they’d ask me if I’d like to be there or help, which I hadn’t even realised was an option.

“I’d been caring for Mum at home, so when they asked if I wanted to be involved, I was really touched. It can be tiring caring for someone so it was a relief to know that I didn’t need to worry about that, but I really appreciated being asked, and it meant a lot just to be able to hold her hand to comfort her.”

Sheila was at St Catherine’s in August and September, and Sharon says ‘it was very peaceful when she died’ at the Lostock Hall hospice, aged 93.

Sharon, herself a retired nurse from Ribbleton, adds: “The staff at St Catherine’s are such professionals and you have absolute confidence in them, but they’re also very approachable and will spend time talking to you; you can ask them anything and they just speak to you in a very normal way.

“They looked after Mum as a whole person; they didn’t just focus on the illness, it was all about her wellbeing as well, and they checked in with the family too. They treat everyone with the utmost respect and dignity. It’s just out of this world.”

Back to News

Share with your friends!

Newsletter Signup

Sign up to our newsletter and receieve updates on our charity, successful fundraising events and much more!

Sign up

Sign up to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter and receieve updates on our charity, successful fundraising events and much more!

    Required

    Required

    Count me in!

    We'd love to keep in touch with you letting you know how your wonderful support is making a difference to St Catherine's, and informing you about other events and campaigns which might be of interest. We’re very proud of our ethical approach to fundraising and, rest assured, your information will be stored securely and we will not pass your details to any third party.

    Please let us know your preferred way(s) for us to contact you:

    Post

    Email

    Phone

    SMS Message

    For further information about how we use your data, please click here to read our privacy statement.

    Count me in!

    You’re a valued member of the St Catherine’s community and we’d love to keep in touch with all the latest news, events and campaigns from the charity. Let us know the best way to contact you by clicking below.

    Count me in!

    Visit Us

    Connect with us

    Connect with us on social media to keep up to date with the daily news from St Catherine’s and our cafe and community hub The Mill.

    Rate and review our services

    Patrons: Sir Bill Beaumont, Sir Duncan Nichol, Dr Lynne Livesey, Dr St John Crean, Mark Lawrenson and Tisha Merry

    © 2025 St Catherine’s Hospice Reg Charity No: 512186 Company Limited by Guarantee: 1602467

    • Privacy policy and use of Cookies
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Sitemap
    • Chair’s pension statement

    St Catherine’s Hospice, St Catherine’s Park, Lostock Lane, Lostock Hall, Preston, PR5 5XU

    Designed and built by BlueWrenBlueWren

    Boost your donation by 25%

    With Gift Aid, your donation of £ would be worth £ at no extra cost to you.

    Added to your basket

    Continue Shopping Go to Basket