Children’s legacy to great-grandpa Bill

Two children from Thornton have left a moving tribute to their much-loved great-grandpa, William Hanrahan, by raising a wonderful £435 for St. Joseph’s Hospice.

After William passed away in October, his great-grandchildren, Jake (11) and Isabella (8), wanted to do something to say thank you to the hospice for looking after him. So they got out the glitter and paints and set out to make sure their great-grandpa’s funeral was really special and personal.

The children made a beautiful collage of photos of William (known as Bill) and also decorated a beautiful collection jar with stars and even the new hospice logo in recognition of the love and care he received during his last months.

The children, and the rest of Bill’s family, spent 15 months visiting him at the hospice. A time, which Bill’s daughter, Alison McArdle, says was incredibly special and memorable for the whole family.

Alison (60), from Formby, said: “We are so thankful for the hospice. They are all very special people. They laughed and sang with us and made dad’s last few months very special.

“The nurses at the hospice made us all very welcome for such a long time and Bill always had a room full of visitors. This time really helped the children too and it’s all down to the love, care and support we received from the hospice staff.

“The children wanted to use the jar to collect donations for the hospice at his funeral and we were so overwhelmed by everyone’s contributions. Over 60 of dad’s friends and family came to the funeral and everyone was so generous in their donations which is why we raised so much money for the hospice.”

Mike Parr, Chief Executive of St. Joseph’s Hospice, said: “Alison, Jake, Isabella, and all their friends and family, have made an incredibly kind and generous donation to the hospice and we are very grateful to them for their support.

“This money will make a significant difference to the lives of local people who need specialist palliative nursing care, as well as their families who spend days, months and, sometimes, even years at the hospice with their loved ones. I’d like to thank them all on behalf of everyone here at the hospice for this generous gift.”