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Otford: centre of the universe? |
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Hospices of Hope
Otford is home base for one of Kent’s most enterprising charities, Hospices of Hope, which has spent the last fifteen years bringing special care for the terminally ill to Romania and other ex-communist states of southeast Europe. Founded by Graham Perrolls OBE, it now has thirteen shops, nine of them in Kent and one in Otford, tucked underneath its modest headquarters. In this antiques shop and in the charity’s tearoom across the road, a network of more than 40 local volunteers raise funds for its work.
The idea of hospice care, which originated in Britain in the 1960s, was unknown in eastern Europe when communism collapsed in 1989. “It’s this country’s greatest gift to the world,” says the Christian charity’s chief fundraiser Barry Smith, one of five full time employees. The hospice it set up in the Romanian city of Brasov is now a centre of excellence that provides training in specialised hospice care to medical staff from several countries. From Romania the charity’s work has spread to Serbia, Moldova, Macedonia and Montenegro, all among the poorest countries in Europe, where health services are stretched. Barry says the charity hopes its work will become more and more self-sustaining as it taps local sources of funding in the countries where it operates, not just from governments but from newly rich local givers.
Find out more and donate: 28a High Street, Otford TN14 5PQ Tel: 01959 525110 www.hospicesofhope.co.uk
View our gallery of Otford images here.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 29 February 2008 )
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