The friendliest place on the planet: how the NMU helped Eleri live her final chapter
A place like no other
The Nightingale Macmillan Unit (NMU) at the Royal Derby Hospital is a specialist palliative care unit that provides comfort, dignity and personalised support to patients nearing the end of life. Funded in part by charitable donations, the NMU offers more than just clinical care, it provides holistic therapies, creative activities and a warm, welcoming environment where families can spend their final precious moments together.
We spoke to Catrin about the care her mum, Eleri, received on the unit.
Catrin refers to the NMU as “The friendliest place on the planet” and a “Place where Mam was happy”. This is Eleri’s story.
“She wasn’t prepared to go down without a fight”
Eleri, originally from Wales, moved to Derby in 2003 with her husband Ged and daughter Catrin, quickly becoming a well-loved member of the community through her work in the offices at Shelton Infant School. In 2010, she bravely faced and overcame breast cancer with care from the teams at the Royal Derby Hospital. However, in June 2023, just one day before her daughter Catrin’s wedding, she was given a devastating news that she had terminal ovarian cancer.
“She didn’t tell us before the wedding day,” recalls Catrin, “That’s what type of person she was.”
Despite the diagnosis, Eleri held on to her strength and optimism. “Mam wasn’t willing to roll over,” says Catrin. “She gave it everything she had. Sadly, this time the monster was just too aggressive.”
On 13th April 2024, Eleri passed away peacefully at the NMU.
“The friendliest place on the planet”
Eleri had always disliked hospital stays, often calling Catrin during the night to come home. When she moved to the NMU mid-February 2024, immediately, there was something very different being there, it didn’t feel like a hospital. Catrin’s Dad Ged always felt how positive the atmosphere was and how every team member, from the doctors and nursing staff to the volunteers, always had a smile. Ged explains, “They were interested in how YOU were, was there anything they could do for YOU, it was all about looking after the whole family”. Catrin tells us how patients on the NMU have the privacy and comfort of their own room, “The rooms had a shelf where Mam could place her family photos. This small touch made such a difference, it felt like her space.”
Eleri’s favourite comforts on the NMU
One of Eleri’s favourite things to do on the NMU was take part in holistic therapy, which is made possible thanks to charitable donations. “Mam had massages every day, she absolutely loved it,” says Catrin. “The therapists also extended the holistic services to my dad, myself and my wife, it was always about the whole family on the NMU.”
There was another form of therapy at the NMU – animal therapy. A therapy dog paid a visit to the ward, something that instantly brought a smile to Eleri’s face. “She absolutely adored it,” recalls Catrin. “It gave her such a lift”.
The charity’s Air Arts programme includes live musicians who play for patients on the wards. One particularly special moment came when a harpist visited the unit. “I’ve got a video of Mam tapping her feet along to the music,” says Catrin. “She wasn’t very mobile at that point, so to see her tapping away was incredibly moving”.
Craft activities are also a part of the care that is provided on the NMU, with Eleri taking part in scarf-making, where the team arranged for one of her friends to come onto the unit and join her. That scarf was later passed to Catrin, who wore it at her mother’s funeral. “It’s something I’ll treasure forever,” she says.
“Angels who can’t do enough for you”
The family have nothing but praise for the NMU team. Catrin recalls, “A staff member restyled and cut Mam’s hair to give her a freshen up before we spent our final Mother’s Day with her”.
As Eleri’s condition worsened, the team at the NMU made sure her family could remain close. They brought in a bed so loved ones could stay overnight. “They offered drinks and snacks, kind words and constant support to the whole family”, explained Catrin.
And even the smallest comforts were honoured, the NMU is the only place on site allowed to serve alcohol. “If Mam wanted a glass of wine, she could have one. Another family had a beer to share one last drink with their dad”. All of this is provided from charitable donations which is so wonderful.
“This is your time now,” Catrin says, summing up the ethos of the NMU. “They made an unbearable situation as comfortable as it could be.”
Caring above and beyond
The care from staff extended far beyond Eleri’s stay as Catrin explains, “When Mam passed, the team put crocheted hearts on the bed around her and sent them home for her Grandchildren to keep”. Catrin continues, ” Mam had also started crocheting a baby blanket for her Great Nephew who she sadly didn’t get to meet. A NMU staff member finished this off for my Dad so he could gift it to him after Mam passed, both such thoughtful acts which have touched our family deeply”.
Families are not forgotten, as Catrin and the family were invited back to the NMU for their memorial planting day where they were able to plant flowers in the NMU garden in memory of Eleri and for future patients and families to enjoy.
A final journey: 141 miles in her memory
To honour her mum’s life and the care she received, Catrin set herself a challenge, to walk the same journey her mum took after passing, from the NMU in Derby to her final resting place in Wales at Capel Y Garn Cemetery. A total of 141 miles, completed in just one week.
“It was emotional to follow Mam’s final journey,” she says. “There were steep hills, I got sunstroke and my legs were shredded, but I didn’t quit. Mam would’ve told me to stop, but I know she would’ve been proud.”
Catrin calculated that she had walked 290,000 steps and burned 30,000 calories, finishing on 3rd May 2025 – exactly one year after Eleri’s funeral.
A lasting legacy
Catrin’s walk raised a total of £6,343 (including Gift Aid) for the Nightingale Macmillan Unit. She describes why she decided to fundraise – “I wanted to give back to the amazing staff and ensure other families receive the same exceptional care that we did”.
Back in Derby, Shelton Infant School honoured Eleri’s memory with a special “Welsh Day”, also raising money for the NMU.
“The NMU gave Mam peace, dignity and so much love,” says Catrin. “We’re forever in their debt.”
