A family from West Fife has raised more than £37,000 for Fife Health Charity in memory of their late wife, mother and grandmother after she was cared for by Fife’s specialist palliative care service.
Lynne Braisby passed away at Queen Margaret Hospital in December 2022 at the age of 63. In honour of Lynne, her sons William and Fraser Braisby, alongside their father and Lynne’s husband, Billy, set about fundraising for Fife’s specialist palliative care service who cared for her in the latter stages of her life.
The family held a fundraising evening at the Glen Pavilion on 17 February 2024, raising an incredible £37,057 for Fife Health Charity. That figure included a significant contribution from the Mary Leishman Foundation, with Lynne and Mary having been close friends for many years.
Lynne had three grandchildren and the family decided to fundraise after seeing the kindness and compassion shown to them before and after she had passed away.
The family were particularly touched after Lynne’s grandchildren were each given a cuddly toy by the specialist palliative care team before their grandmother’s passing, with smaller versions of each cuddly toy remaining with Lynne after her death. This initiative – called ‘Continuing Bonds’ - was introduced by the specialist palliative care service and is supported by Fife Health Charity.
The Braisby family decided to fundraise for the specialist palliative care service to help support the Continuing Bonds initiative and continue to provide cuddly toys for many more children who lose loved ones to life-limiting illnesses.
So successful were the family’s efforts that their fundraising will also enable the purchase of a ‘cuddle bed’, which allows patients to have a loved one remain with them, and even lie next to them to offer reassurance while in the Hospice.
Speaking after making the donation, the Braisby family said: “We were grateful for the support both Lynne and the family received from the Hospice team throughout what was an extremely difficult period.
“The memory soft toys the children received were such a touching gesture of support that we felt that it was an appropriate area of fundraising. With the superb support from friends and family and generous donations received the event exceeded well beyond our wildest expectations thus enabling us to additionally support the purchase of a cuddle bed.”
Fife Health Charity aims to improve the wellbeing of the people of Fife through funding projects and initiatives that are not normally funded by the NHS. The charity gratefully manages all donations received to NHS Fife’s wards and services and provides grants to benefit patients and staff across the Kingdom.
Director of Fife Health Charity, Mark McGeachie, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Mrs Braisby’s family and want to offer our most heartfelt thanks for their fundraising efforts.
“The specialist palliative care team, like all healthcare services in Fife, work to provide a high standard of care to patients, and to support their loved ones through often the most difficult of times.
“Donations such as this enables to Fife Health Charity to support those on the frontline, helping to enhance the care offered to patients and families through the funding of projects like Continuing Bonds that benefit the people of Fife.”
You can find out more about the work of the Fife Health Charity at: www.nhsfife.org/fife-health-charity/
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Members of the Braisby family handing over a cheque to nurses at the Victoria Hospice and senior NHS Fife staff - [DOWNLOAD]
Notes to Editors:
Fife Health Charity manages all donations received by healthcare services in Fife. In 2022/23, the charity provided almost £1m in grants which have helped fund a range of projects and initiatives for the benefit people across the Kingdom.
