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

    • Column
      • Back
      • Covid-19 updates
      • the work of the charity is only possible because of the support it receives from the local community.

        At the hospice
      • In the community
      • Lymphoedema clinic
        • Lymphoedema in babies, children and adolescents
    • Column
      • Carers & family
      • Befriending service
      • Bereavement and Remembrance
      • Compassionate Communities
  • 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
        • Organise a fundraiser
        • Give money raised
        • Join in a hospice event
        • Fundraising for businesses
      • Donate
        • Donation Form
        • Make a monthly donation
        • Make a one-off donation
        • Donate money raised
        • Donate in your will
        • Pledge Gift Aid
      • Lottery
        • Lottery terms and conditions, legal information and advice
        • Join our lottery
        • Lottery results
        • Gift cards and wedding favours
        • Update us or add a number
      • Wills
    • Column
      • Shops
        • Find your nearest shop
        • Donate to our shops
        • Online Shop
      • Volunteering
      • Raffles
      • Yellow Ribbons
  • Events
  • About Us
    • We are an independent, local charity working in Central Lancashire.

    • Column
      • Back
      • Our Purpose
      • Our Team
      • Work for us
      • Volunteer with us
    • Column Two
      • The Mill
      • Room Hire
      • Feedback
  • News
  • Resources & Training
  • Tributes
  • Donate
St Catherine's Hospice > St Catherine’s hosts first graduation ceremony

St Catherine’s hosts first graduation ceremony

Max graduation 1St Catherine’s Hospice played host to a graduation ceremony for the first time in its 31 year history – when one of its patients received his Masters degree in a moving presentation attended by friends and family.

Max Neill was staying at the Lostock Hall hospice for the second time at the end of February, following a period spent on the in-patient unit last Christmas. When the hospice’s Family Support Team heard he was due to graduate from the University of Manchester with a Masters of Arts in Critical Learning Disabilities Studies but was unable to make it to the official university ceremony, they worked with Max’s family to organise a presentation of their own on site in the hospice chapel.

Dr Craig Blyth from the university attended the event and presented the certificate to Max, who was joined by family and friends for the occasion. Sadly Max, who had bowel cancer, died just a week later after returning home to Broadgate, Preston, which had been his wish.

His daughter Charlotte said: “The graduation was a very special occasion and we are all so proud of what he achieved. It was wonderful to mark his achievements through the ceremony, and I know he was pleased to have been able to share the occasion with his friends, family and the university.”

Following Max’s stay at St Catherine’s over the festive period, he published a blog about what it was like spending Christmas in a hospice. His honest and moving account was shared via social media across Lancashire, the region and around the country.

Over the following two months he continued to blog about important issues around palliative care, including his thoughts on planning and preparing for the end of life, which were also covered by a national newspaper.

Speaking last month Max, aged 49, said: “I admit it felt risky to write about the prospect of my own death, how I intend to prepare for it. How I intend to live as well for as long as possible with the people I love before and until my death happens.

“But I decided to be as open, honest and simple in my writing as I dared. I think people who read my blog appreciated this approach. I would like the experience of the last months of my own life to be genuinely useful to other people – I wonder whether I can do this by writing not as an expert, but as a human being.”

Jimmy Brash, Director of Care at St Catherine’s Hospice, thanked Max and his family for sharing their experiences to help raise awareness of important issues around end of life care, and the impact that hospice care can have.

He said: “The honesty with which Max wrote about his situation was extremely brave, and it is easy to see how his blogs resonated with people across Central Lancashire, around the country and beyond.

“His passion and determination to use his experiences to help make a difference to others facing the end of life was truly inspiring. We are very grateful to Max and everyone who shares their experiences of St Catherine’s and hospice care to build a greater understanding of what really matters at this most poignant time.

“We were proud to host the graduation ceremony for Max here at the hospice and are pleased his family and friends were able to share in this memorable occasion with him.

“Our thoughts and best wishes go out to all of Max’s family and friends. We hope the lasting legacy Max has left will provide some comfort at this most difficult time.”

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

    © 2022 St Catherine’s Hospice Reg Charity No: 512186 Company Limited by Guarantee: 1602467

    • Privacy policy and use of Cookies
    • Sitemap

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

    Designed and built by BlueWrenBlueWren

    Added to your basket

    Continue Shopping Go to Basket

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. OptionsOkay, thank you
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT