Willen Hospice are proud to announce that we have joined forces with 143 other hospices as part of a national campaign, called “This is Hospice Care”.
Facilitated by Hospice UK, this unprecedented movement aims to raise awareness about the vital role hospices play in communities and to shift public perceptions of hospice care.
A groundbreaking collaboration
This groundbreaking collaboration in the hospice sector follows 44 years after Willen Hospice was founded as an independent charity in 1981 by Dr. Marjorie Reid and District Nurse Dorothy Jell. To this day, we remain the only facility at the heart of our community in Milton Keynes dedicated to caring for adults with life-limiting illnesses-yet, the landscape of hospice care has changed enormously. Find out more about our journey so far.
Focusing on the future
You’ll have seen through our Willen at Home appeal that the majority of our care (86%) now takes place in the homes of the local patients we support. As Milton Keynes grows and there’s more demand for our specialist services, we need to work harder to make sure we can be here for you and future generations of your family. So, we’ve united with fellow hospices around the UK to highlight everything you’d expect from hospice care and everything you wouldn’t, including art therapy for children, our patient gardening group or counselling for loved ones.
“This is Hospice Care” shines a light on the essential role hospices play in our communities and in protect our long-term futures.
The campaign has launched today [17 February] with a powerful TV advert based on real-life hospice stories. The goal is to encourage people to consider leaving a gift in their will to support their local Hospice, ensuring that they can continue providing compassionate and specialist care for years to come.
Willen Hospice Legacy Manager, Fiz Johnson, explains “Legacy giving is such a heartfelt way to support your local Hospice. The fact that hospices up and down the country have come together to show the impact gifts in wills has on hospice care, demonstrates just how important this form of giving is to keep our doors open for future generations.”
Willen Hospice Legacy Manager, Fiz Johnson, explains “Legacy giving is such a heartfelt way to support your local Hospice. The fact that hospices up and down the country have come together to show the impact gifts in wills has on hospice care, demonstrates just how important this form of giving is to keep our doors open for future generations.”Their legacies live on
Between 2023 and 2024, the generous gifts your loved ones have left to Willen Hospice in their Wills left an incredible £445,00 legacy. Local Supporter, Nas Rockley, has decided to leave a legacy gift to Willen Hospice.
“We have pledged a gift to Willen Hospice in our Will as a way to thank them for the love and care they provided to Dad during his final moments. It’s our way of giving something special back to them after we are gone.”
Hospice care in Milton Keynes exists because of you
As one of the most poorly funded hospices in the country, with just 13.8% of our running costs covered by ongoing NHS funding, we rely on charitable donations to raise £8.7 million every year. But just as specialist care at the end of life wouldn’t exist without hospices around the UK, hospice care wouldn’t exist without the support of local people in Milton Keynes.
Find out more information about the “This is Hospice Care” campaign or to request a Gifts in Wills guide here.
