Ella Hammond, 39, from Marden in Kent, organised ‘Ella Fest’ with 120 guests at her husband’s family farm after being diagnosed with terminal colon cancer in August 2023
Josh Pennington Content editor and Jenny Garnsworthy
06:14, 05 Dec 2025
Despite her illness, Ella decided she was going to stage a festival (Image: PA/Real Life)
A woman who dreamed of attending Glastonbury Festival but was deemed too unwell due to cancer created her own version of the iconic event, enabling her to enjoy music alongside loved ones in her final days.
Ella Hammond, 39, from Marden in Kent, passed away at Hospice In The Weald in Pembury a year following her colon cancer diagnosis.
Her father, Maurice Price, spoke to PA Real Life about how attending Glastonbury had long been Ella’s ambition, and she was delighted when she and her mates finally secured tickets for the 2024 festival.
However, he revealed that in the months following their ticket purchase, Ella’s condition deteriorated and she had to accept the reality that she wouldn’t be well enough to attend.
Maurice described how his daughter, a horticulturalist who had received a terminal diagnosis, was seriously ill in hospital during spring 2024 and had been weighing up whether to move into hospice care.
Ella Fest took place on a family farm(Image: PA/Real Life)
He recalled being taken aback by a phone call from Ella informing him that a bed had become free and she’d decided to go that very evening, concerned it might be her only opportunity.
When Maurice, 70, and his wife Rita, 68, visited her at the hospice the following morning, they witnessed a remarkable “transformation” in their daughter as she shared that she’d started making arrangements.
“We’ve gone from this depressed young woman, to seeing her sitting down on her bed cross-legged, which was always a good sign for Ella,” Maurice recalled. “And she’s got a notebook and a whiteboard, and she told me she’d decided she was going to have a festival.
“(She said) I planned to go to Glastonbury this year. I’ve always wanted to go there, but I’m not going to be well enough, so I planned a festival on the farm based around Glastonbury. And I’ve made a list of jobs for everyone to do.”
Maurice described how Ella had meticulously considered every aspect of Ella Fest, which took place on farmland belonging to her husband Stuart’s family.
He continued: “It was made like a mini Glastonbury. They had some bands playing in the day and then DJs who played music based on the real Glastonbury headliners.
Ella with friends at Ella Fest (Image: PA/Real Life)
“A charity had arranged for there to be goats from a local sanctuary. They made their own wristbands and even had people acting as security who checked everyone’s tickets as they went in.
“They’d also paid for a converted VW campervan that was a photo booth so people could have photos to look at after the festival. And someone had made this incredible flower wall that went up behind the DJs.
“It was just a great fun, positive, lively day, and it went on into the evening as well.”
Maurice revealed how, through meticulous coordination, hospice staff adjusted the timing of Ella’s pain relief and symptom management medication, enabling her to fully embrace the memorable occasion.
Approximately 120 of Ella’s loved ones attended the festival, which was staged the weekend prior to the actual Glastonbury event. Ella tragically passed away on July 1, the day following the conclusion of Glastonbury 2024.
Her husband Maurice detailed how Ella had been diagnosed with colon cancer. He shared that she and Stuart, her spouse since 2019, had been attempting to start a family but faced difficulties in conceiving.
Ella had also experienced multiple miscarriages.
Upon further medical investigation, doctors discovered in August 2023 that Ella, then 38, was suffering from colon cancer.
Maurice recounted: “She had an MRI scan and an amazing radiographer recognised that part of her colon was almost completely blocked with the cancer,”.
He continued: “So that was on a Friday, and on the Saturday they gave her emergency surgery.
“They operated and removed a large amount of her colon and lymph nodes and some various other small bits and pieces.”
The severity of her condition became apparent a few weeks later when biopsy results revealed that her cancer was already terminal.
Maurice shared that Ella underwent chemotherapy, but was given a prognosis of approximately two years by her doctors.
Reflecting on the devastating news, he said: “It was emotionally exhausting on a level that didn’t feel real. But yet, at the same time, nothing can prepare you for it. I’m not sure how anyone takes all of the information on board, really.”
He also shared their discussions about Ella’s final wishes: “We discussed where she wanted to live her last days and where she wanted to die. She said she didn’t want to die in hospital, and was very clear that she didn’t want to die at home.
“She said in her last days she felt like her home wasn’t the right place for people to be coming and visiting her, and also she didn’t want her husband to have that lasting memory of their home being where she had died.”
Maurice explained that nursing staff informed them about Hospice In The Weald, though the family remained uncertain whether it would suit Ella’s needs.
He recalled: “Ella was having weekly visits to A&E to get pain relief. She ended up being admitted to hospital on a Friday, and then she phoned us and said, ‘I’m about to move… I’m being taken to the hospice because if I wait until next week, the room might not be free’.”
Despite initial doubts, Maurice described how he and Rita immediately recognised they’d made the correct decision when visiting Ella the following day.
He praised the care she received: “The staff were just incredible. A lovely touch was the chalkboard in her room, and when she arrived, they met with her and asked her to write all the things that were important to her on it.
“And you could see instantly that the next day, they had all adapted to treating her in the way that was most helpful to her – and to us. They were very, very straightforward with us about what was happening.
Ella at Ella Fest(Image: PA/Real Life)
“At one point, Ella was living on meringues and crushed ice as her body couldn’t cope with anything else. And one of the kitchen staff taught me how to use the ice crushing machine, so that if Ella wanted some ice and no one was free, I’d be able to just go in and do that myself.
“She wanted to have a film night and a takeaway with her husband, and so some of the staff carried a sofa from another part of the building into her bedroom and moved the furniture around so that they’d be able to have that film night.
“At one point we didn’t want her to be on her own at night, so they moved her to another room where we could put mattresses on the floor, so there were three of us sleeping in the room and she never had to wake up on her own.
“It was definitely the right place to live her final days, and where she was able to die with dignity.”
Honouring Ella’s legacy, Maurice is now actively involved in shaping the Pembury hospice’s renovation, ensuring future patients receive the same exceptional care his daughter experienced.
Maurice, who has become a volunteer at the facility, is collaborating on the refurbishment plans alongside fellow patients, families, staff members and volunteers.
Through consultation sessions with specialist hospice interior design firm Elaine Lewis Designs and KKE Architects, Maurice has championed incorporating nature as a central element of the designs, reflecting on how meaningful the hospice gardens were to Ella, who operated her own gardening enterprise and held a deep love for the outdoors. Maurice explained: “The environment we are in tells us how much people value us. If you are in a lovely environment, you know you are valued.”
He added: “The new designs are welcoming to everyone, no matter your age, and show a place you would be happy to stay in at any time.”
