A bride from Surrey has described the remarkable coincidence of finding her perfect wedding dress through a hospice fundraiser as 'such serendipity'. Naomi Ruth-Green, based in Woking, was planning her wedding for next year when a family emergency prompted an urgent change of plans.
A Change of Plans for a Special Day
Naomi's father passed away 13 years ago. Her late father's best friend, whom she considers an uncle, fell seriously ill. 'He started feeling ill out of the blue,' Naomi explained. After hospital checks, he was deemed too weak for surgery, with doctors suspecting cancer.
Already engaged to Mike, Naomi had planned a wedding for next year. However, the couple decided to bring forward their legal ceremony so her uncle could be present. 'I didn't like the thought of my dad not being there, and my dad's best friend not being there,' she said. 'We were going to do the legal ceremony anyway... so why not do it quickly so he could be there with us.'
The Search for the Perfect Dress
With a modest budget for a dress for this separate legal ceremony, Naomi found a gown she loved at John Lewis, but it wasn't available in her size. After texting her maid of honour, her friend found the exact dress on eBay just ten minutes later, and Naomi purchased it immediately.
It was only after the purchase that she discovered the seller was Moya Cole Hospice. 'It just seemed like such serendipity,' Naomi reflected. 'We were doing this wedding out of urgency because of my uncle's end of life, and I was able to buy this dress and help with fundraising for a place that helps people at the end of life.'
A Lovely Day and Vital Hospice Care
The legal ceremony went ahead and was, in Naomi's words, 'really lovely'. She said, 'It was so special having the four people that mean so much to us there and to feel lovely in the dress, despite it not being a wedding dress, it was perfect for the occasion.'
The Moya Cole Hospice, which benefited from the dress sale, provides holistic palliative care from its sites in Heald Green, Stockport and Little Hulton, Salford. Its services include inpatient care, day therapy, and supportive outpatient services.
The hospice teams also run extensive community support, including a Hospice at Home service in Salford and Trafford, a Community Specialist Palliative Care Team in Salford, and a dedicated homelessness palliative care service in Manchester. A 24-hour telephone advice line is available for patients, carers, and professionals across Salford, Manchester, Trafford, and Stockport.
