- Scots top three final experiences revealed as revisiting happy memories or favourite places (41%), being outdoors/in nature (28%) and going abroad or taking one final trip (28%)
- But less than a fifth of people know hospices support people to achieve these goals
- Andy Samuel was able to walk his daughter down the aisle thanks to the support of local hospice.
New research commissioned by St Christopher’s Hospice reveals the majority of Brits are unaware of the support they can receive from hospices at the end of life in achieving their bucket list goals.
What matters most to Brits at the end of life is revisiting happy memories or favourite places (41%), getting outdoors or in nature (28%) or going abroad or taking one final trip (28%).
But less than a quarter (13%) of Scottish adults know that hospices and palliative care providers support people in maintaining their hobbies and interests while just 20% of people know they help you to remain involved with social activities and community events.
This What Matters To You Day on 2 June, St Christopher’s is raising awareness of the vital work hospices do in helping people to achieve what matters to them at the end of life. Staff and volunteers at the hospice ask everyone who needs their support ‘what matters to you?’ and then the team works hard to help them achieve it.
Helena Talbot-Rice, Rehabilitation and Wellbeing Lead at St Christopher’s says:
“Hospices are so different from what people expect. We work with rehabilitation at the front of our minds so we can help people to achieve their goals. It could be supporting people to able to get back out into the garden or walk to the shops, or it could be helping them to get back on their bike or even go on one last family holiday.
“By asking people ‘what matters to you’, we shift the question away from simply asking ‘what’s the matter with you’ and this can have a profound impact on a person’s engagement and overall experience, leading to increased trust, meaningful support and improved experiences. It is about offering truly person-centred care.”
“Once we’ve asked that question, our job is to listen and then where possible, act. Answers can range from wanting to be able to dance with their partners to going for a swim to having their hair cut.
“We’ve had some incredible stories where people have been able to achieve exactly what they wanted before they die.”
St Christopher’s is part of the international ‘What Matters To You’ movement and one of the largest providers of palliative care education in the world. They also deliver palliative and end of life care to people across south east London, as well as supporting their loved ones and carers and providing bereavement support to both adults and children.
17% of adults said that they would most want to walk their child down the aisle if they didn’t have much time left but most Brits don’t realise that is something a hospice can help make to happen.
For Andy Samuel, from Croydon, what mattered most was being able to attend his daughter’s wedding to do just that.
He was able to thanks to the support of St Christopher’s Hospice staff who joined him at the ceremony.
For Andy, 65, this was no small challenge. Partly paralysed down one side, living with renal failure since the 1980s, and diagnosed with cancer in 2022, his health had declined significantly over the past year. Supported at home by St Christopher’s community palliative care team, Andy required complex daily care and specialist support.
Yet in October 2025, pushed in his wheelchair by his wife Alison, Andy was able to be alongside their daughter Hannah as she got married.
“I was just so grateful to the hospice that they could come with him,” Alison said. “It took such a weight off my shoulders.”
“It was wonderful for Hannah to have him there. It’s of course not what you envision when you are a little girl imagining your dad walking down the aisle, but it was so special. I don’t think it mattered, what mattered was that he was there,” Alison said. “Everyone was crying, I was crying, he’s such a well-loved man.”
The couple had been planning how to get Andy to the wedding since Hannah’s husband asked them for their blessing of his plans to propose in November 2024.
He receives regular visits and calls from community nurses and other professionals, and benefits from music therapy as part of the hospice’s holistic approach to wellbeing.
“He really enjoyed it,” Alison says, adding: “The support St Christopher’s has offered us has been fantastic, from the basic care needs to the above-and-beyond care of getting Andy to our Hannah’s wedding.”
Eli and his wife Maria have also been supported by the hospice.
Eli, 53 from south London, and a nurse by profession, was diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer after initially seeking help for a persistent cough. Before his diagnosis, Eli was an active cyclist, regularly riding long distances each week.
At one stage, the pain and treatment made him think he might never return to cycling.
With improved pain management and encouragement from the St Christopher’s team, he has started using an exercise bike again at home.
“They consider everything, not just one part of your illness. It’s all aspects of your life, and they involve your family as well.”
“Cycling again makes me feel more normal,” he says. “Like I still have a purpose. Even just being able to get on the bike again is a big step.”
“As long as I can get outside and enjoy some fresh air, that means a lot.”
To find out more about the support offered by St Christopher’s visit the St Christophers Website to see a list of services, stories and guidance on hospice care.
