Claire Richards

Our team first met singer Claire Richards (of Steps fame) in 2019. Claire told us she had been aware of the charity for a very long time, and we had cared for her grandfather at the end of his life. We invited Claire to visit our London hospice, to learn about our work, and were amazed at how engaged she was. What we hadn’t realised was that this would be the first time Claire returned to a hospice since her beloved Auntie Pauline had died in one in 2004. Pauline was Claire’s biggest supporter, encouraging Claire to sing in pubs before she got her big break. They were incredibly close, with Claire even singing to Pauline in her hospice bed the night before she died. Claire’s memories of hospices were that they were wonderful, warm, and caring places, and this is exactly the message that Marie Curie, the UK’s leading end of life charity, tries to convey to the public. In 2020 we were delighted when Claire agreed to become an ambassador and her support since then has been incredible. But what Claire has achieved over the past 12-months has been truly exceptionally and, we feel, deserving of this award.