As Founder and Chair of Sole Bay Health Care Fund, Cathy Ryan’s dedication and compassion over the last 20 years has driven the Sole Bay Care fund to provide support for thousands of people in our community. Many Walberswick families have received care and advice, and continue to benefit from the incredible resource that helps those most in need, when they need it most.

Cathy has had a nursing career spanning 50 years and was given the title of Queens Nurse in 2016 and was awarded an MBE for Services to Nursing and Fundraising in Suffolk in 2020 and an Honorary Doctorate in 2024. She established Sole Bay Care Fund to ensure individuals had immediate access to care and support at home or as near to home as possible, when the need is most urgent.

“The need for urgent care at home is ever increasing, as well as additional support for those carers that need a break or support.” Cathy Ryan

 Demand for support from the charity has increased dramatically in the last few years, and Cathy and the team have widened its remit to include children and those with mental health needs. It has also grown to help wider based projects, supporting the overall wellbeing of our whole community, not just those individuals registered with Sole Bay Health Centre. Recently the fund has contributed to The Community Bus, Feed All Children over the winter, Coats for Kids, Singing for Lung health and those living with Dementia, the local Community Larder and Food Banks.  

For those who need urgent care the team aims to restrict support to a few weeks, until social services or health have undertaken their assessments and appropriate funding and care is put in place. For some individuals it may provide extra care such as ongoing ‘day care’ at home for those living with dementia, or for those who need a longer period of time for recovery or are terminally ill, as there are no local facilities for this. 

Individuals are not assessed in terms of their income or finances and the hope is that those who are able to self finance take on the funding of their own care and support, once the crisis is over, or they have received the appropriate allowances and assessments, such as the Attendance Allowance or Continuing Health Care  funding. 

The fund can’t help everyone, as it is reliant upon the availability of care and charity funds at the time. Cathy has worked closely with the local Community Matrons at Sole Bay Health centre who help to determine the needs of the individual, family or community. Soon she will step back to allow two new Community Matrons to take over the day to day running on Sole Bay Health Care Fund, but she will continue to be involved and help to raise funds to continue the incredible work she has done.

Cathy says “I am swapping caring for people to care for gardens and my own woodland.. my love of wildlife and the environment will have my full attention now.” 

If your lives have been touched by Cathy’s good work and this unique local resource, which we are lucky enough to have in our community, you can support the fund either by regular donation, bequest or even by planning and running a fund raising event.  

Find out more here: https://www.solebaycarefund.uk

Sole Bay Care Fund, Sort Code 20.44.51. account number 03084086. Leaflets are available at the  Sole Bay Health Centre, or you can also donate here: https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/donation/sole-bay-care-fund

(email: sbcfund326@gmail.com)