11. Caroline Nickinson

Caroline Nickinson was a founding Trustee of the charity, and the former Director of Fundraising.

From the original appeal to build the hospice in Dorset, to continuing fundraising to keep the services going, Caroline continually found ways to inspire the community to dig deep and get behind the projects. One of her favourite memories was the first Midnight Walk, and the amazing spectacle of seeing all the ladies lit up going down the esplanade in Weymouth.

Dame Dione Digby, former President of the charity, remembers fondly Caroline’s skills for fundraising, she says “She was a genius when it came to raising money and she was the sort of person that most people really loved, because she was utterly genuine and highly intelligent, so we all got behind her. If it hadn’t been for Caroline, I don’t know what we would have done.” Caroline herself though reflects that it was “absolutely a team effort” to raise the funds and build the hospice.

For Caroline, every patient was very special, and a treasured memory was the day the first patient came into the hospice, although there was added poignancy as the patient themselves had helped with fundraising for the cause.

Over 30 years on and Caroline is extremely proud to have been associated with the charity right from the beginning, and although the charity has changed over the years, with the introduction of services such as Weldmar at Home, she believes that it’s a forward movement. “It’s now touching the lives of so many people. My own father died in the hospice and so I know, from a relative’s point of view, how special it was and the love and care that it gives is just what we wanted to achieve.”