An electrician who apprehended a burglar and an occupational therapist who organised a team of volunteers to clean up a patient’s home so she could return there to die, have been recognised in the St Joseph’s Hospice Achievement Awards.

The pair were presented with awards for going above and beyond the call of duty at a special ceremony at the hospice in Mare Street.

Isaac Eshun, who works in the maintenance department at St Joseph’s confronted and then apprehended the burglar, who had stolen laptops and mobile phones at the hospice on a previous occasion, before handing him over to the police.

When Mark Alderson heard that a bed-bound patient who was dying could not fulfil her wish to return home to die with her family because her house was too messy, he gathered a team of volunteers.

Between them they made the house habitable and the patient went home where she soon died peacefully with her children at her side.

The five award categories represented St Joseph’s core values - advocacy, compassion, human dignity, justice and quality, and staff, volunteers and visitors to the hospice were asked to nominate candidates for each award.

Ward clerk Dolores Dunn won the quality award for providing invaluable support to both staff and patients,

Roy Nightingale, a hospice social worker was recognised for his years campaigning for compensation for patients who had contact with asbestos at work and contracted mesothelioma.

Gary Martin a welfare benefits officer, won the human dignity award for setting up a food collection point for the local food bank at the hospice and came in on his days off to collect donated food.