“I promised I’d never forget her”: Somerset widower backs £50,000 remembrance appeal

Before Tina died, she asked her husband John one thing: “When I’m dead, don’t forget me.”

It was a promise John has kept in countless ways, from singing songs in her memory to dedicating a leaf on the Memory Tree at St Margaret’s Hospice in Yeovil.

Now, he’s supporting the hospice’s annual Light up a Life appeal, which invites everyone across Somerset to make a dedication in memory of someone special, while helping more patients and families receive the care they need.

John and Tina met as students and spent nearly 40 years together. When Tina was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, St Margaret’s supported the couple through an incredibly difficult time.

At the hospice’s Sunflower Centre, Tina found friendship, laughter and activities she enjoyed. Later, the Community Nursing team helped manage her symptoms so she could remain at home, surrounded by her family.

“When I came to pick her up, all I could hear was laughter,” John remembers. “It just wasn’t what I expected at all.”

Tina died peacefully at home, something John remains grateful for.

The care she received is just one example of the difference donations to St Margaret’s can make. £75 could pay for a nursing visit to a patient in their own home. The £50,000 Light up a Life target could fund the equivalent of more than 650 home nursing visits, helping families receive care and reassurance in familiar surroundings.