This special appeal aims to fill Teesside with beautiful forget-me-not flowers in remembrance. For a suggested donation of £30.19 per flower, you can order a beautifully crafted metal forget me not flower in memory of someone special. Each flower will be engraved with your personal dedication to your loved one, and this contribution can cover the cost for an hour’s usage of a bed on our In-Patient Unit, providing essential comfort during a patient’s final moments.
Mary & Sophie shared why they are dedicating their forget-me-not in memory of their husband and dad, Biff: “Our forget-me-not dedication in memory of Biff has his name on it, but it also represents the hospice for us. It represents each and every one of the team that has been there in his journey. We’ll never forget Teesside Hospice, and I know they’ll never forget us, and that’s what the flower represents to us.”
As part of the appeal, you will be invited to attend our special display at Kirkleatham Walled Gardens between Thursday 23rd July and Sunday 26th July. Here, you will have the opportunity to collect your personalised forget-me-not flower and see it displayed among a garden of tributes.
Alongside our physical display, you can also honour your loved one by dedicating a flower in our virtual forget-me-not garden, available on Visufund. Dedicating a flower in our digital garden allows you to share a personal message and photo, helping to fill the online garden with beautiful blue forget-me-nots.
By participating in our forget-me-not appeal, you will help create a touching tribute that reflects the love, memories and gratitude we feel for those who are no longer with us. Your support will not only honour your loved one, but also help ensure Teesside Hospice can continue providing compassionate care and support to families across our community.
To make a dedication to this special appeal, visit teessidehospice.org. If you have any further questions, please contact us at fundraising@teessidehospice.co.uk or call 01642 811145. Please note that all dedications must be ordered by Tuesday 30th June.
Together, let’s support local hospice care and remember our loved ones this summer.
Biff was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2019, just after retiring. As his condition progressed, he became increasingly anxious about leaving the house and over time, he lost some of the confidence and joy that had always defined him.
At first, when Teesside Hospice was suggested, Biff was unsure. Like many people, he didn’t know what to expect. But everything changed the moment he walked through the doors.
Biff’s wife, Mary and daughter, Sophie sat down with us to share their family story and how they’ll remember him with a forget-me-not this summer for Teesside Hospice.
“When Biff got diagnosed with his cancer, we became house bound, his mental health deteriorated massively. He was such an outgoing person, and he wasn't seeing his friends anymore. He lost himself a little bit really. He didn’t want to come to the hospice Wellbeing Centre at first. He was frightened and didn’t know what to expect. But as soon as we walked through the doors, everyone was there to greet us. They made him feel at ease straight away.
I went into another room to do some crafts, and I could hear him chatting away almost instantly. Once his anxiety settled, he never stopped talking! When we got home, he was like a different person. He couldn’t wait to come back the next week.
He came back for treatment a few times, and every time he said how much he loved it here. He used to say it felt like his second home.”
At the hospice, Biff and his family were able to focus on what mattered most – being together.
“Biff came to the hospice for pain management in 2024. He hated hospital environments, so we got shown around the unit to see that it wasn’t like a hospital at all. He came for treatment in the IPU 4 times all together, and was in for around 3 weeks the first time.
He loved it - he didn’t want to come home. He was getting three meals a day and sending us photos of his food, getting visits from ponies, dogs and cats which he absolutely loved being the animal lover he was.
Although he wasn’t at home, it felt like he was. He said this was his second home. After a week of being here with people he never knew, they became a second family to him and us all.
Being at the hospice meant we could actually sit and talk to him, and not have to worry about cleaning him and caring for him. It relaxed all of us and helped us to be a family again. We made jigsaws with him, watched the TV, chatted with other families, and made such nice memories together.
Every time he was here, he was so relaxed. They helped him be mobile and get him up and about, which was really important to him. He felt listened to here.
It’s such a peaceful place, and when you’re in there you feel as though you’re the most important people in there. The hospice isn’t just a place where you come to die, it’s a place to come and make memories that last.”
At Teesside Hospice, we’re here to help families create meaningful moments together when time matters most. Sophie shared “Dad might have gone, but we’ve had so many memories with him here that will stay with us forever.
Even though we didn’t get to do some things like celebrating mam and dad’s vow renewal, the dedication from the nurses means so much to us. They care about us so much.
Dad was Christmas mad. We celebrated Christmas as a family at the hospice in October, and the nurses helped us decorate the room, they got him Christmas bedding to put on, and on the ‘Christmas’ morning, they were all in there with Christmas songs to sing with him.
We brought in a buffet, made a tombola of gifts for each other, and watched old video tapes of Biff with the kids from Christmases when they were little. We recorded the whole day on a camcorder and we’ve got videos of him rocking out to ACDC, his favourite band, gave the nurses Christmas gifts and just had such a lovely day together.
The last words dad ever said to me were ‘Merry Christmas’ and it will stay with me forever.”
Moments like these are why Teesside Hospice exists – to bring comfort, connection and care when it’s needed most.
“It was Biff’s wish to die at Teesside Hospice, and he did with all of us around him holding a part of him. If he hadn’t come to the hospice, we would have lost him sooner. We’re forever grateful for everything it gave our family.
Teesside Hospice didn’t just support him physically, it helped him mentally too. It gave him the confidence to open up and live life in his own way again.”
Mary shared “It gave me peace of mind and allowed me to be a wife, not just a carer. It allowed us to be a family again. It became our second home, and the happiest moments at the end of Biff’s life were made there. Being able to visit now and still feel connected to him means everything to us.
Our forget-me-not dedication in memory of Biff has his name on it, but it also represents the hospice for us. It represents each and every one of the team that has been there in his journey. We’ll never forget Teesside Hospice, and I know they’ll never forget us, and that’s what the flower represents to us."
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