Celebrating 25 years of Hearts Together!

Last week’s gathering at Hearts Together Hospital Hotel had everything a 25th birthday party should: cake, conversation and laughter. Less traditional was the ultra-finish line which saw fundraiser Ricky Callow sprinting the final stretch up the driveway to a wall of cheering supporters, having completed an extraordinary 37-mile challenge!

Guests spent the afternoon enjoying tea, coffee, sandwiches and plenty of cake, browsing stalls of handmade keepsakes and raffle prizes, taking guided tours of the hotel, and trying their luck on the tombola. Despite the rain, the unique and beautiful grounds alive with wildlife, always provide an unrivalled view for guests.

Since opening its doors in 2001, Hearts Together has provided affordable, welcoming accommodation and wrap-around support for families receiving medical care in Plymouth and has become a home away from home for thousands of patients, carers and relatives during some of the most difficult chapters of their lives. None of it would exist without Monica Pearce. In the early 1990s, following her own heart treatment, Monica and a group of fellow campaigners gathered a petition of 195,000 names and delivered it to Downing Street, a campaign that led directly to the announcement of a new Cardiac Unit at Derriford Hospital. Monica didn’t stop there. She went on to raise the funds for purpose-built accommodation near the hospital, so that families wouldn’t have to choose between being close to a loved one and being able to afford to stay.

That accommodation, originally known as ‘The Lodge’, opened in 2001 and has since grown into the Hearts Together Hospital Hotel of today. Twenty-five years on, Monica’s vision still guides everything the charity does. 

“What began as Monica’s determination to create a safe and supportive place for families facing heart-related illness has grown into a charity that has helped thousands of people, with any health-related need, through some of life’s most challenging moments,” said Josie Stevenson, Marketing and Communications Manager for the charity. “We like to think Monica would be immensely proud of all that has been achieved, and of the many lives that have been touched along the way.”