Kev’s daughter, Lucy, got married to her partner Gareth in our In-Patient Unit in June 2024 while she was receiving end-of-life care.
To honour the care Lucy had, raise funds for the Hospice and create something positive out of the most difficult time of his life, Kev has written a collection of short stories and poems to be read with children.
‘Poo on My Shoe and Other Tales’ is now on sale online and will be arriving in our Hospice shops over the next fortnight.
A force of nature
From her earliest days, Lucy was a force of nature. She was a bold child – if we’d gone to a playground and I wanted to know where she was, I knew I needed to look up and she’d be at the top of the tallest slide or climbing frame.
When she was 10 years old, we had a holiday in France. There were huge pine trees in the garden and Lucy got herself stuck high up in one. While I was trying to work out the French for ‘fire brigade’, she suddenly appeared next to me. I never worked out how she got down.
She was much the same as an adult. Lucy was the kind of person who made deep friendships and loved her extended family. She was the kind of person you could rely on. Meeting her husband, Gareth, saw her enter a new phase as they created a family together, welcoming children William and Arwen into the world.
“I wanted something positive to come out of the most difficult time of my life.”
Giving back
While Lucy was ill, I was thinking about how I could raise money for the Hospice after she was gone, because I wanted something positive to come out of the most difficult time of my life. We’d all been blown away by the care Lucy received while she was at Willen, helping us to share many precious moments in lovely surroundings.
I’m an author by trade, so wanted to use that to write something to raise money for the Hospice. I’d also been struck by the importance of moments together, especially with kids, so I decided to write a book that would raise money for Willen whilst also helping adults, whether patients, relatives or supporters, to spend happy time together.
Lucy was an avid reader and book lover. In her final weeks, I told her of my idea for a collection of stories for children, and introduced her to Granny Green. She was very grateful for the support she’d received from Willen and was delighted that she was the inspiration for something that would raise funds for it.
Finding inspiration in real life
All of my other books are sci-fi or fantasy aimed at adults. Writing for children is a different thing altogether, and that’s why it took me a year to write. The stories are arranged in order of the age ranges they’re aimed at, so the first stories are aimed at older children, with the ones at the end more similar to fairy stories for young kids.
“[The stories are] meant as an opportunity to spend happy time together and to raise money for a great cause.”
There are no deep, meaningful messages in the stories and poems; they’re meant as an opportunity to spend happy time together and to raise money for a great cause. I have taken care, however, to steer clear of topics that might cause negative emotions.
I had fun coming up with ideas for the stories, many of which were inspired by real events. Granny Green, for example, lives at the end of my street and once stopped the council grasscutters from chopping down some orchids – though the actual events in the story were entirely made up! I wrote that story with my granddaughter, Rosie, in mind.
Lucy’s son (and my grandson) William used to visit a farm that had a horse called Poseidon, and I wrote ‘Neptune’s Neigh’ for him. Arwen, Lucy’s daughter, enjoys ‘The Bully Goats Gruff’, which is a new spin on the traditional tale. It came about because I wondered what would happen if a billy goat was actually a bully goat. I wrote a story about an edmontosaurus for my dinosaur-mad grandson, Eddie.
The book has had many titles, but I’d finished writing the last story and felt that it needed one more comic poem. My wife, Peta, and I happened to take William up onto the grass near our house and she said, “I hope I don’t get poo on my shoe”. That was the inspiration I needed for the poem and the title of this book.
Memories that will last forever
I lived in Leighton Buzzard and then Milton Keynes for 15 years, but was only tangentially aware of Willen Hospice. I came to realise that I’d misunderstood what hospices do, because I learned that Willen is about making the most of life for as long as it lasts.
“I learned that Willen is about making the most of life for as long as it lasts.”
We had many happy hours looking out over the lake and pushing Lucy around the redway – memories that will remain with me forever. I’m hugely grateful. The staff at Willen not only cared wonderfully for Lucy, but they also made it easy for her friends and family to spend relaxed time with her. They even hosted her wedding to Gareth.
I hate to think how things would have been without hospice care. It’s outrageous that the Hospice isn’t fully funded by central government. I hope that sales of the book will help the amazing fundraising efforts of the Hospice and its community, to keep this care available for local people.
Lucy’s illness was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with, and I learned a lot about living life moment by moment and having laughs along the way. I hope this book can help with that and raise money for a wonderful cause.
You can buy a copy of Kev’s book, ‘Poo on My Shoe and Other Tales’, online at The Great British Bookshop or at any of our Hospice shops. All profits from the sale of the book are generously being donated towards the Hospice’s care for local families.
