Amy Bramble is the Community Fundraising and Marketing Manager for the Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity in Norwich. With the new Priscilla Bacon Lodge opening in the summer, she explains how returning to Norfolk after 25 years has led to her getting out of her comfort zone
When did you join the Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity and where were you before?
I joined the Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity last summer when I returned to Norfolk after leaving over 25 years ago. Since leaving Norfolk, I’ve had a 20-year-plus rail career, taught yoga for about seven years and more recently worked in three other hospices.
What stage is the new Priscilla Bacon Lodge at? How can people get involved and how does the 500 Club work?
Our new hospice will be opening its doors in the late summer. There will be loads of ways that people can get involved – we’re going to need dozens of new volunteers in all sorts of areas including gardening, fundraising and retail to name a few.
The 500 Club is a community of local businesses who pledge to support one another in business whilst supporting their local hospice. We launched in November 2022 and in less than six months, we have over 140 members.
We ask each member to simply SHOW UP:
Sign up
Have fun
Open your hearts
Work together
Use what you have in abundance
Put plans in place and pay if forward
It’s been brilliant to see our members really embody this spirit and there are some fantastic collaborations afoot which are resulting in people building lasting relationships beyond business – and they’re having fun!
What personal fundraising challenges are you undertaking?
I did a 100-mile ride in Norfolk last month. It was really lovely to cycle around my home county which I’ve recently returned to. My next challenge will be Run Norwich in July. I’m also hoping to do Dunwich Dynamo in July and the Tour de Broads cycle event in Norfolk in August. So far the training has been going ok – typically, I’m great at signing up for marathons etc but not so good at completing them!
Would you recommend that everyone gets out of their comfort zone, given the chance?
I can only speak from my own experience but since moving back to Norfolk last summer, I’ve:
- learnt to snowboard
- overcome my complete fear of ‘singing’ in public (and stood on stage and ‘sung’ in front of six total strangers)
- signed up for a ‘40 women over 40’ photography shoot with Claire Howes
- recorded my first podcast with Rechenda Smith
So far, these challenges have been scary and uncomfortable but also fun. I’ve found that they’ve given me confidence to try new things and to feel less uncomfortable than I might have when things don’t go entirely to plan.
Add to that, I’ve also developed new skills – I’m under no impression that people will ever really want to hear me sing, but getting up on stage has certainly helped my presentation skills which is invaluable in community engagement and fundraising work.
What are your hopes for the hospice, as the year progresses?
I’m really looking forward to facilitating the growth of 500 Club to the point where it is completely sustainable and almost self-supporting by its members. I also want to work more closely with lots of our other community supporters.
I’m also looking forward to building a vibrant team of volunteers and playing a part in developing additional community services. It’s an exciting time, there’s a lot to do but the more people that get involved, the stronger and richer our community will become.
The new Priscilla Bacon Lodge will open in the late summer on a site adjacent to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. To find out more about the 500 Club, or for other ways to show support, visit Priscilla Bacon Hospice.
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