Pendleside Hospice £5,000 boost for popular John

John Hartley, who worked at Hycrome (Europe) Ltd on Heasandford Ind Estate, Burnley for 50 years before he retired in July 2015, died in September shortly after his 65th birthday.

He was due to set off on a cruise with his wife Cath, following a retirement party at the Cross Gaits Inn, but was diagnosed with terminal cancer and had to cancel the trip.

One of John’s last wishes was to see the top of Pendle Hill one last time and raise money for Pendleside Hospice who had been providing care at home for him. As he was unable to walk due to his illness his colleagues at Hycrome rose to the challenge and constructed a seat that they could use to carry him to the summit. On a Friday afternoon in late August on board his chariot John reached the summit one last time, raising £800 in the process.

During the following months John’s loved ones put on various fund-raisers including Towneley Torchlight 5K which was organised by his close friend and colleague John Roche, chairman of the Burnley and Pendle Grand Prix.

John’s wife, Cath, said: “Thank you to Pendleside Hospice and the ‘Hospice at Home’ Nurses who cared for John throughout his illness and making his final days as comfortable as possible. They were a huge help and made everything a lot less painful and stressful for us all.

“The support of John’s colleagues and friends has been lovely. They have been a huge support and raised a great amount for the hospice that need donations to continue providing the care they do for not only patients but their families too.”