Sue delighted to receive MBE

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Chair of Hospice Ethiopia UK Sue Mumford has been made an MBE in the New Years Honours list in recognition of her services to palliative care in Ethiopia.

Sue has been involved in the charity since 2012, when a group of health care professionals at Priscilla Bacon Lodge started to support Hospice Ethiopia. She became chair of the group in 2016. Since 2012 Sue has visited Ethiopia thirteen times, most recently in November 2024 when she and her husband, retired doctor Jamie Mumford, helped run a training course in palliative care in the country.

Hospice Ethiopia was originally founded in 2003 by an Ethiopian nurse, Sister Tsigereda, who was saddened at the number of people who were left to die without adequate care in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. Before that, there was no palliative care in the country, which now has a population in excess of 120 million. Over the years, with help from HEUK, the hospice has looked after thousands of patients, bringing relief to their suffering. Just as importantly, the hospice is a centre of excellence in Ethiopia and beyond, training hundreds of medics who in turn bring relief to thousands of desperate people and their families in Ethiopia and beyond. Support from the UK has been essential in this work, with HEUK raising around £60,000 a year. Trustees claim no expenses for their travel to Ethiopia so that all donations go where they’re really needed.

Sue works work closely with Hospice Ethiopia’s director, Ephrem Abathun, and has monthly calls with him so that HEUK can understand their needs and challenges and share in their successes.

Jill Morgan, one of HEUK’s trustees, says “The word ‘tirelessly’ is sometimes overused, but in Sue’s case it’s an understatement. I don’t think there is ever a time when she’s not either doing something for the charity or figuring out ways to progress its vital work. As well a leading the volunteers in the UK, she is always working at the heart of every fundraising event – everything from giving a talk to washing dishes, she’s there doing it. She thoroughly deserves this honour.”

Sue says “I am deeply honoured to receive this recognition, but this MBE is not just for me – it represents the incredible dedication of everyone at Hospice Ethiopia UK and our partners in Ethiopia. Together, we are ensuring that people with life-limiting illnesses can face their final days with dignity, comfort, and compassion. I hope this honour shines a light on the importance of palliative care and inspires further support for this vital work. I couldn’t have done any of this without fantastic support from my husband, family, trustees, and volunteers.”

Successful Jane Austen event raises £1560

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We had a fantastic event on Sunday 28th July with the dramatized reading from Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey at Cromer Hall. The actors/readers were brilliant, the musicians fabulous and the high tea scrumptious. As for the setting – it was simply glorious, and we were lucky to have such wonderful weather. Huge thanks to Benjie and Dido Cabbell Manners for letting us use their beautiful home (and for providing a superb lunch for the workers). Massive kudos to script writer Margy Seale and the fabulous cast. Soprano Emma Nuule and her accompanist John Farmer were a delight, as was Jamie Mumford playing incidental music on his recorder. And then, as ever, there were all the background folk who contributed so much hard work – including the bakers, Kate, Rosie, Elizabeth and Julie and Sue, and the very hardworking tea folk, Claire, Julie, Rebecca, Steph and Rachael. And, of course, many thanks to the wonderful people who came and supported the event – raising £1560 in the process, which will make a huge contribution to support Hospice Ethiopia. The money raised is enough to pay for a specialist nurse looking after 100 patients for three months in Ethiopia.

The 2024 Jane Austen event sold out, as did the 2023 one… if you’d like to know about the 2025 event in time to grab a ticket or two, sign up to the newsletter at the bottom of this page.

Wine, Cheese, and Auction of Promises, Saturday 8th June

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Fans of local produce will want to get along to Reepham on June 8th in St Michael’s Community Hall, from 7pm. Norfolk’s very own Mrs Temple will be offering tastings of her fabulous cheeses, washed down with wine (or a soft drink).

At the same time, the inimitable Mrs Temple will give a talk on how she makes the cheese – answering all the questions people are afraid to ask! What determines the final taste and colour of the cheese? What’s the difference between Binham Blue and Gurney’s Gold? Is it important what the cows eat? Can the herds be kept in a way that helps protect the environment? She’ll also talk about ‘Green Growth’ and what it means for Mr and Mrs Temple in making their farm more sustainable.

And after that comes an auction of promises, raising much needed funds for a Norfolk-based charity, Hospice Ethiopia UK. It works on behalf of the only hospice in Ethiopia, a country with a population of more than 127 million.

There are 18 lots donated by generous supporters of Hospice Ethiopia. Would you like a holiday in Cornwall or Sunday lunch at The Saracen’s Head? Or maybe traditional Indian food is more to your taste? Do you need your garden tools sharpening or perhaps you would like a personal tour of Mannington Hall followed by tea for four? How about a painting by Norfolk-based artist Andrew King? All these and much more will be auctioned on the night.

The hospice in Ethiopia depends entirely on charitable donations from the West. It desperately needs funds to continue the care their nurses provide to some of the poorest and most desperate in their community, and the training they provide for other medics.

Tickets for the event, which include a cheese plate and a glass of wine, are available through Eventbrite and cost £10 plus booking fee – go to this page at Eventbrite.co.uk. Alternatively, tickets can be bought direct from Hospice Ethiopia UK (with no booking fee) by emailing info@hospiceethiopia.org.uk.

The full catalogue for the Auction of Promises can be viewed here. For people unable to attend in person, we accept a completed commission bid form – please email to info@hospiceethiopia.org.uk, by 11pm 7th June.

Update on the Big Give 2021

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Very many thanks to all our supporters who donated to this year’s Big Give Christmas challenge. We are delighted that with your generous donations we reached our target of £9,000 and with Gift Aid our final total will be over £10,000. The money will be used to train health care professionals at St Paul’s Hospital Oncology and Emergency Departments where palliative care is desperately needed. 50 key personnel will be trained with follow up mentoring at this large teaching hospital. If this project is successful it will be repeated in other public hospitals thereby improving palliative care across Ethiopia. Thank you so much!

The photograph shows doctors at The Black Lion Hospital being taught clinical skills in palliative care.

Director’s Update on Violence in Northern Ethiopia

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The latest reports from Northern Ethiopia are extremely concerning – over the past few weeks, tensions in the region of Tigray have escalated and there have been reports of violent clashes between the Ethiopian army and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

Throughout the crisis, we’ve been able to maintain our regular communications with the Director at Hospice Ethiopia, Ephrem Abathun.

Tigrary, Ethiopia. (c) OpenStreetMap

Hospice Ethiopia does not operate any care programmes in the northern Tigray region, and Ephrem reports that local work by the hospice in Addis Ababa is not directly impacted by the fighting in the north.

The situation is serious, but the government is striving to handle the operation with as much care as possible to avoid damage and effects to the Tigray people.

Ephrem Abathun, Executive Director of Hospice Ethiopia

With phone and internet restrictions in Tigray it is difficult to get updates directly from the affected areas, however, our partner, Ethiopiaid, describes how casualties are being treated in the Afar region, to the east of Tigray. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reports that medical supplies are running out in hospitals in Mekelle.

Hospice Ethiopia continues to run its programmes in Addis Ababa, as far as ongoing virus restrictions allow, and we hope that hostilities will end quickly.

All of the people of Ethiopia are in our thoughts,


Sue Mumford
Chair, Hospice Ethiopia UK

Preparations Being Made for Hospice Ethiopia Visit in October 2017

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In late October Sue and Jamie Mumford will be going back to Ethiopia along with UK volunteer Tim Morgan.  Sue and Jamie will be spending time teaching healthcare professionals from other NGOs about providing community palliative care, and further promote the work of Hospice Ethiopia. They will also meet with the HE director Ephrem and his accountant, to look through their accounts and see how money raised in the UK has been spent, as well as looking into future financial planning.

On Sunday November 26 at 3pm the three amigos will give a talk on the trip at Aylsham Catholic Church, White Hart Street, Aylsham. Do come along – the talk will cover the latest developments and there will be the usual superior offerings of tea, homemade cakes and the chance to buy interesting artefacts and Christmas cards.  For more information email info@hospiceethiopia.org.uk

Masked Ball Raises £12,000 for Hospice Ethiopia!

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Everyone had a ball at the much anticipated ‘Wolterton Extravagant’ masquerade last Saturday! Plenty of eating, drinking, dancing, and fundraising went on and we raised an astounding £12,000 for Hospice Ethiopia. Very many thanks to all those who so generously gave their time and money – it couldn’t have happened without you.

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