When Salena Mulhere lost her husband to cancer she felt overwhelmed and isolated.

But the kindness and professionalism shown by a community nurse from St Christopher's hospice in Sydenham helped her tackle her grief.

Salena, 40, lives in Beckenham with her three children. In March 2016, her husband Tony died of kidney cancer at the age of 43.

Tony was ill for a year before he died. In that time he was referred to the hospice for support for pain relief.

When he passed away the hospice continued to support Salena and now she wants to praise them for the help she gave.

Salena said: “When your husband has just died and you are 38 you don’t know many people in the same circumstance as you. It can be very overwhelming and isolating.

“Although it was new and horrible for me, I felt I could trust St Christopher's because they had done it before.

“I think people have an idea that a hospice is a horrible place where people go to die, but they support you as you live your life, and they also support your family during an unbelievably sad and difficult time.”

Salena signed-up to twelve sessions of one-to-one bereavement counseling. At first, she found it hard to talk about how she was feeling but then the sessions started to help.

“Over the course, I came to rely on the sessions as a point in the week where I could be listened to and get things off my chest, and face up to the awful loss of my wonderful husband.

“It was a lifeline for me at my lowest, and the best thing is that I know it’s always there; I can go back whenever I want.

“St Christopher’s is an open door for our family, and there’s no time limit, they’re there when you need it.”

The hospice is holding a moonlight walk in Croydon on October 21 to raise money for its bereavement services.