My name is Peter Butler. I’m 80 years old. I have various complaints… prostate cancer.
I found it very difficult to go out and socialise with people. Now I miss this because I do love people. And my palliative nurse suddenly came up with this idea that I might like this place.
I arrived quite early in the process of the place opening, and what have you. And believe you me, I found paradise. I can get very emotional about this place, but you’ll have to excuse me.
I mean, the brothers and sisters and the volunteers are just wonderful people – people that you would be lucky to find anywhere else.
And that’s why I am so grateful to come here time after time – at any excuse I will come to Skanda [Vale Hospice] and I would recommend anyone to come to this place.
They treat you like a special thing. And I find that very difficult outside of Skanda [Vale Hospice]. I find that people are not quite as caring as they used to be. But here it’s a bit like heaven on earth.
It’s renewed my faith in human nature. It really has. I mean, I was getting to be very sceptical about the human race, but I’ve discovered here a vein of humanity that is very, very special.