Mayor of Guildford Drops In on One of His Chosen Charities

Published on: 6 Jun, 2025
Updated on: 6 Jun, 2025

The Mayor, Howard Smith, an art therapy session in The Beacon.

Last month, the new Mayor of Guildford, Howard Smith, spent time with one of his chosen charities, Phyllis Tuckwell. He joined its Living Well Service team at the Beacon Centre in Guildford, chatting with patients and staff during an art therapy session.

The Living Well team offers specialist hospice care to patients earlier in their illness, supporting them to live everyday life as fully and independently as possible. Patients can attend informative and creative groups, art therapy sessions and tai chi classes, to name just a few, and they support patients’ carers too, through group programmes and drop-in sessions.

The Mayor explained: “I was delighted to spend some time with one of my chosen charities, Phyllis Tuckwell, when I visited its Living Well team at the Beacon Centre last week.

“It was great to see how funds raised during my mayoral year will help this fabulous charity support people in such a positive and uplifting way.”

The Mayor with Phyllis Tuckwell nurses and staff.

A spokesperson from the local hospice care charity Phyllis Tuckwell said: “We’re honoured to be chosen as one of the Mayor of Guildford’s chosen charities for his mayoral year 2025-26.

“Having the support of the mayor means so much to Phyllis Tuckwell. We are very grateful to him for helping to raise awareness of the specialist care and support that we offer to local people.”

The Mayor is already busy planning creative ways to fundraise for his three chosen charities, so you can expect to hear more about how you can get involved very soon.

The Phyllis Tuckwell charity provides palliative and end of life care for adult patients and families in West Surrey and North-East Hampshire, who are living with an advanced or
terminal illness such as cancer.

It supports over 250 patients, relatives and carers every day, through medical and nursing care, therapies, counselling, social work advice and practical support. It cares for people on its in-patient unit, through its Hospice at Home service in patients’ own homes, and at its Living Well sessions at the Beacon Centre in Guildford.

It is currently building a new state-of-the-art hospice on its existing site in Farnham, which is due to open in 2026. As the NHS/Government covers only around 25 per cent of its costs, it has to raise over £25,000 a day to be able to offer all its services, which it provides free of charge to its patients and their families and carers.

To find out more about Phyllis Tuckwell and the care that it provides, visit www.pth.org.uk