By Leicester Mercury | Posted: 23 September, 2015
President of LOROS, the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Jennifer, Lady Gretton, has awarded four members of staff at the hospice for 25 years' service at the charity.
Ward manager Jackie McBlain, team leader Tracey Hinde, community nurse specialist Tracey Foster and counter collection unit co-ordinator in the fund-raising team Bernadette Fenn have all worked at the hospice for a quarter of a century.
To celebrate, they were all presented with a special badge, a photo frame and a letter by Lady Gretton at the hospice, on Monday.
Lady Gretton said: "It's absolutely fantastic. I think it's incredible they have all stuck with it and spent 25 years at LOROS. It's a long, long time, and they are all very special.
"It was an honour for me to give them their badges."
Tracey started working at LOROS when she was 23 years old and the hospice had first opened.
She left briefly in 2000 but returned to work at the charity five years later.
"I had always wanted to be a nurse, right from the age of eight," said Tracey, now 52.
"I had been working in the oncology unit and it just seemed the natural next step to work at LOROS.
"Working in palliative care was always something I wanted to do. I knew when we welcomed our first patient I was in the right job."
Over the years, Tracey said she has seen the hospice develop and change. "When I started, the hospice wasn't even open," she said.
"We were training for around two or three weeks and trying to get everything sorted.
"I remember when we first opened we used to wheel the beds out to reception and the patients would be put straight in them from the ambulance – that doesn't happen now.
"But despite LOROS changing physically, the wonderful thing is the ethos of the charity has stayed the same from the very beginning.
"From day one, the staff have all had the same attitude and commitment to giving the patients as comfortable a life as possible."
Tracey said although the job can be challenging, it is always "very rewarding".
"The patients constantly amaze me as to how inspirational they all are," she said.
"The patients are going through so much and you can't alter that but you just do whatever you can to help them and that's what motivates you.
"You notice it's the small things that make a huge difference."
To help people like Tracey continue supporting the patients, their families and carers at LOROS, get involved with out 30 for 30 campaign by visiting www.loros.co.uk/30for30
