Cerys Edwards will be dedicating daisies to her grandparents Ken and Barbara Hill as she supports City Hospice’s Forever Flowers campaign for the third year in a row.
Forever Flowers is an award-winning, annual campaign which invites supporters to remember cherished family members, friends, colleagues and loved ones with a unique and lasting tribute. The limited edition flowers will feature in a special display in the grounds of Cardiff Castle from Saturday 5 to Sunday 13 August.
This year’s flower is a daisy and the charity is inviting the public to dedicate a daisy to a loved one.
Cerys’ Bamp Ken and Nan Barbara, who met at an amateur dramatics club in Ely, were heavily involved in their local community and enjoyed hobbies such as ten-pin bowling and theatre. Always surrounded by family and friends, the couple regularly went out to meals, parties and charity events.
Ken, an electrician by trade, had been exposed to asbestos throughout his career. It was through regular health checks that he was diagnosed with pleural plaques. When his condition became symptomatic in 2019, he was transferred into the care of City Hospice.
His wife Barbara had received a diagnosis of heart failure during time spent in hospital for a dislocated hip. As secondary issues relating to her condition arose, she began to receive care from City Hospice during the pandemic.
Cerys said: “Bamp knew he had had a good life and was accepting of his condition. Nan was more defiant; she was determined to push through and get better. The support of City Hospice, as well as the NHS, helped her to accept her prognosis.
“City Hospice did everything we could have wanted and more. They helped to put care plans into place, made sure medications were available, helped with supplies and aids for the house and organised respite care when needed.
“Kath was our nurse for both Bamp and Nan. I truly believe she was ‘Wonder Woman’. She helped our family more than she can know and has even influenced how I approach situations in my job as a nurse in a children’s hospital.”
Since Ken and Barbara passed away in 2019 and 2020 respectively, Cerys has received specialist bereavement counselling from City Hospice.
Cerys said: “I don’t know what I would have done without the bereavement support provided by the charity. My counsellor Sarah was fab. She took such a genuine interest in me and my life and what our family life had been, helping me to process my grief.
“Our family has taken part in Forever Flowers every year and we are looking forward to dedicating our daisies to Bamp and Nan this summer. It’s a lovely way to remember them but also show our gratitude to City Hospice for all they have done for us.”
