Hospice’s lifeline reaches more people
Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice has unveiled its new look in a bid to grow its profile and raise awareness about the palliative and end of life care services it provides in Birmingham and Sandwell.
The charity’s updated look features a bright pink colour which staff and volunteers have named Pearce Pink in tribute to Monica Pearce.
Monica Pearce founded the Birmingham-based hospice in 1979, which now cares for over 400 people every day, mainly in their own homes. The logo, an evolution of the previous butterfly emblem, is a continuous loop symbolising a lifeline.
Tina Swani, chief executive at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, said: “The brand was inspired by the experience of the people we support – people with life-limiting illness and their families, carers and loved ones. Many of them describe Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice as a ‘lifeline’ so our logo was designed to represent just that.
“Over the past two years, we have significantly increased the number of people we help as demand for hospice care is rising. Our new look will make us more visible, so that more people find out about the vital services we provide and choose to support us as their local charity.”
The vibrant new look now appears on the front of the Hospice’s base in Selly Park where it runs an inpatient unit, day hospice services and an education and research centre. The eye-catching look is also attracting attention from shoppers on the Coventry Road in Sheldon, where the Hospice has one of its 16 charity shops. The remaining shops in the Hospice’s retail chain will be updated to the new look in the coming months.
The charity is keen to educate people about hospice care and to break down barriers that might stop people accessing its vital support.
Swani added: “We had a debate about whether to keep the word ‘hospice’ in our logo. It can have negative connotations for some and doesn’t get across the full range of care and support we provide.
“We concluded we should be upfront about being a hospice and take the opportunity to teach the public and professionals about everything a hospice does to support people and families living with life-limiting illness.”
