In 2018 we are celebrating the centenary of the birth of Cicely Saunders. She is the acknowledged founder of the modern hospice movement which led to the creation of the palliative care specialty. So we can expect to see a wide range of events and activities to mark the occasion, not only in her own country, but… Continue reading
As Christmas approached in December 1965, Cicely Saunders could look back on a year of considerable achievement. After seven years, she had decided to leave St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, where she had learned in-depth the craft of caring for dying patients. She was now devoting the whole of her time to the planning of… Continue reading
Great Lives is a much-loved biographical programme on Radio 4, the BBC’s current affairs and factual radio network. I have often listened to Great Lives at home or in the car and always enjoy the choice of subject, the perspectives of the contributors and the ideas that flow between them. At the time of writing this… Continue reading
When I first became seriously interested in the life and works of Cicely Saunders, back in 1995, I asked Dame Cicely for a copy of her CV. I noticed and was duly impressed that there were even a half-dozen publications listed from the decade before St Christopher’s Hospice opened, in 1967. I had no idea… Continue reading
I’ve just embarked upon writing a new book – so far so good. It is to be 150,000 words long – a little daunting. It’s a biography – I have never written one before. The feeling is scary and at the same time exhilarating. The first paragraphs and pages are beginning to form. The idea… Continue reading
In this podcast, theologian Martina Holder-Franz and Professor David Clark talk about the influence of philosophy, theology and spirituality in the work of Dame Cicely Saunders, who is often described as the founder of the modern hospice movement. This conversation was recorded during the Symposium on the Life and Work of Cicely Saunders organised by… Continue reading
Published in German 10 years after the death of Cicely Saunders, Der Horizont ist nur die Grenze unserer Sicht is a worthy tribute to her and a significant contribution to the continuing Saunders legacy. Diverse in content, liberal leaning in its theology, Beyond the Horizon has roots deep in tradition and draws on several cultures,… Continue reading
Can you imagine fifty medical students and fifty palliative care practitioners giving up what might be the last warm, sunny Saturday of the year to attend a symposium about someone who was born ninety seven years ago? The attendees’ attraction and motivation would have to be high. And so they were on 17 October at… Continue reading
