At 100, Phyllis is closing in on her final fundraising goal

Phyllis, who celebrated her 100th birthday in March, has just a few hundred pounds to go. The finish line is close enough to touch, but she is not waiting around. In her own words, she is "determined to get there before I pop off" — a line delivered with the kind of humour that has carried her through four decades of quiet, persistent fundraising.

A friendship that started it all

Phyllis began fundraising in the early 1990s, after losing her husband and, shortly afterwards, watching a close friend and neighbour receive a cancer diagnosis. She visited her friend regularly at St Elizabeth Hospice during those final weeks, and what she saw there stayed with her.

Her friend died two months after the diagnosis. The kindness of the hospice staff, however, gave Phyllis a sense of purpose. She decided to give something back.

Tea, cake and two piggy banks

What started as small afternoon tea gatherings — friends and neighbours dropping by for tea and cake in exchange for a small donation — has grown into something rather more ambitious.

Friends, family and members of her local church now donate unwanted gifts for Phyllis to sell from her spare living room. Puzzles, books, toiletries, handcrafted items including crocheted gifts made by a close friend — almost anything ends up on the table, alongside two well-used piggy banks that have become quiet workhorses of the operation.

It is a model built on small sums, repeat visitors and word of mouth. There are no big sponsors, no marathons, no fanfare. Just a living room, a kettle and a steady stream of generosity.

From £5,000 to £9,614

A few years ago, Phyllis hit £5,000 — a milestone that earned her press recognition at the time. She did not stop there.

For her 100th birthday this March, Phyllis made a heartfelt request. Instead of presents, she asked for donations to the hospice. The response brought in a further £700, taking her running total to £9,614.

That leaves her £386 short of £10,000.

How you can help

The appeal now is for unwanted, unopened gifts — anything that can be added to the table in her living room and turned into a donation.

Items can be dropped off at the Home Instead office at Ransomes Europark, Ipswich, IP3 8RL, where they will be passed on to Phyllis. Every contribution, however modest, counts towards the final stretch.

St Elizabeth Hospice, which has been part of the fabric of Ipswich and East Suffolk for decades, relies heavily on community fundraising to deliver its care. Phyllis's £10,000 will join thousands of other small acts of generosity that keep the hospice running.

The bottom line

There is something quietly remarkable about a 100-year-old woman running a one-room charity shop out of her own home for more than 30 years. No marketing budget. No grand campaign. Just a kettle, two piggy banks, and the memory of a friend.

Phyllis has £386 to go. Ipswich, over to you.

Donations of unwanted, unopened gifts can be dropped off at the Home Instead office, Ransomes Europark, Ipswich, IP3 8RL.

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