Well known for his involvement in the early days of St David’s Hospice, Joe Ashton has used the power of his pen to raise money for the local Hospice charity.

Joe Ashton, author of the recently published book; “A Good Life with Dementia”, was the former Chief Executive of St David’s Hospice Llandudno, from 1994 until his retirement due to illness, in 2006.

The book, which has a foreword written by palliative care specialist Baroness, Professor, Ilora Finlay, is filled with a collection of verse and a personal blog from Joe’s unique snapshot and insight, into aspects of one year of his journey with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Fundraising for the Hospice is second nature to Joe, and over the years he has been instrumental in obtaining funding and taking part in fundraising events. One of Joe’s favourites being the annual Snowdon sponsored walk.

With this in mind, Joe met with his former colleagues for a book launch at the foot of Snowdon in Llanberis to formally hand over his book.

Now living in Derbyshire, Joe continues his passion for Hospice care in North Wales, he said:

“The work of the Hospice is simply fantastic. During the pandemic, the Hospice needs our support more than ever. I hope that the income from the sale of my books will help them to continue providing much-needed specialist end-of-life care, free of charge to local people living with life-limiting illnesses”

It costs St David’s Hospice over £4million each year to provide this vital care, which, since the middle of March, has been severely affected by the ongoing Covid crisis.

The closure of charity shops throughout lockdown and cancellation of vital fundraising events totalled a £1million loss for the charity. Community fundraising activities such as Joe’s book sale will help towards the Hospice’s Recovery Fund target, recouping the £1 million by the end of 2020.

Head of Retail and Facilities, Janet Magill who worked with Joe Ashton for many years expressed a heartfelt thanks on behalf on the Hospice. She said: “We really appreciate that Joe has chosen St David’s as one of his charities for this book and we welcome his kind support. It is a lovely read and we wish him every success with it.”

The book retails at £10 and is available at the St David’s Hospice shops in Rhos on Sea (Penrhyn Avenue) and Llandudno (Lloyd Street). All proceeds from the sale of the book are being donated to the Hospice.