Diana's story

43 years of fundraising for the Hospice

Diana Thomson has been fundraising for St Leonard’s Hospice since before it was built as part of the Fulford Support Group, a village fundraising team formed in 1979.

“My husband was a GP in Fulford, and we knew how important it was for the community to have access to palliative and end-of-life care in a special place, outside the hospital”, Diana says. “Our small group, together with friends, raised awareness of St Leonard’s fundraising, and in 1982, we had our first coffee morning, which became an annual event until April 2025.

“Alongside the annual coffee morning, we had very successful garden parties in Fenwick’s Lane and Heslington Lane, car boot sales, talks, walks and hikes.”

Diana’s fundraising was even going to take her across the world, as she signed up to trek the Great Wall of China with St Leonard’s in 2020. However, sadly, the event was cancelled due to the pandemic, which caused Diana to change her plans.

“I couldn’t go to China, so instead, I decided to walk the length of Hadrian’s Wall in 2021. I still wanted to challenge myself, especially because people had sponsored me so generously. It was a fantastic 7-day trek with a great group of people.”

As she reflects on supporting St Leonard’s for the past four decades, Diana says: “The Hospice has been part of my life for so long. My mother was cared for at St Leonard’s for the last 11 weeks of her life and it was a wonderful experience for her and the family. I’ve also had dear friends that have been cared for here.

“It’s such a vital part of our community and I’m so proud to have done my bit over the years to help raise over £30,000 with the Fulford Support Group.

“We’ve taken the difficult decision to make this year’s coffee morning our last after 43 years, in the sure hope that there’s another group waiting in the wings to raise money in Fulford for St Leonard’s for the next 40 years.”