Andy Kershaw with Nikki Hastings
Lewis-Manning Hospice in Poole is to feature on the popular early evening programme ‘The One Show’, which is now due to be broadcast on BBC1 at 7pm on Tuesday 22 April.
Former Radio 1 presenter Andy Kershaw visited the hospice in February with a film crew to interview Nikki Hastings, who is a current Day Hospice patient, as part of a story about QR Memories and leaving lasting legacies for loved ones. The story was originally due to be shown at the end of February but changes to scheduling mean it is now going out on April 22.
QR Memories are an innovative idea by Chester Pearce, a local funeral and bereavement service that works closely with Lewis-Manning, of creating QR codes that can be placed into stone memorials on graves or next to a tree or on a bench, that links to website with text, photos and videos to help people remember a person or to learn a little more about them and what they achieved during their life.
Nikki, who is 39 and terminally ill, having been diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in October 2008, talked to guest presenter Andy Kershaw about her own experiences of creating memory books for her children and discussed the various different ways you could use a QR Memories website.
Nikki, who wrote a real time blog for three years about the emotions and fears of going through treatment, has now written a book which she hopes to get published. She also told her story at Lewis-Manning’s annual Death into Dying conference last year, as well as at a ladies lunch as part of “inspiring women” project, which was filmed and will feature on ‘The One Show’.
Nikki said, “The experience of being interviewed for ‘The One Show’ was amazing and it was a great opportunity to discuss the different ways you can leave a legacy for your loved ones – it is certainly something that everyone should consider.”
Lewis-Manning Hospice currently supports over 650 local people living with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses and will be opening the first of its bedrooms next month, offering respite, rehabilitation and end of life care.
Paul Tucker, Marketing and Communications Officer at Lewis-Manning, added, “We were delighted that ‘The One Show’ approached us and very grateful to Nikki for agreeing to appear and tell her story. It was a great experience for everyone and the sun came out too, so they were able to film with our beautiful view as a backdrop.”
