Hello, and a very warm welcome to our spring edition of Impact.
This is another very special year for us at Trinity and Brian House – after celebrating our 40th anniversary last year, this year is Brian House’s 30th birthday.
We have lots planned throughout the year to recognise this remarkable milestone, which is made possible only thanks to you. As we are in the terrible position of being the second least funded children’s hospice in the UK, it means that we can only care because you have chosen to support our dedicated, compassionate support for the Fylde coast.
As we receive just 11% of our running costs from the Government, Brian House is here because of you! Thank you.
Here at Trinity and Brian House, we seek feedback to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of all the people who need us across Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. And that we remain a top employer to Our People. We’re thrilled to have had an incredible report back from Healthwatch Blackpool about the care we are providing, and to retain our We Invest In People Gold Accreditation.
It means that your generosity is being used to provide top quality care to all who need us, wherever they are by people who genuinely care about making a difference during the hardest times of people’s lives.
I’m delighted to have this chance to say a very big thank you for choosing to fundraise or donate to Trinity Hospice and Brian House Children’s Hospice, and show you the impact you are having.
Simply, we are here because of you.
Thank you.
David Houston Chief Executive
We’ve retained our Investors in People Gold Standard
In November 2025 an Investors In People assessor spent three days at the hospice interviewing staff and volunteers about their experiences at Trinity, as part of the three year re-accreditation process for the Gold standard – a commitment that our people from Trustees and the Leadership Team all the way through our organisation are committed to making Trinity Hospice and supportive and successful working environment.
We’re thrilled to report that we have retained our We Invest In People Gold Accreditation!
Only 28% of organisations achieve gold and that means that here at Trinity, every single person who works at our charity is involved in supporting each other and is doing their best to make work better.
We’re so proud to have retained this standard, showcasing that Trinity truly is a great place to work.
Our Head of HR, David
Warburton with colleagues
Government funding is welcome, but doesn’t cover our daily need
Last year, the Government announced £100m funding to hospices across the UK, and Trinity was awarded a total of £820,285. But the money was restricted. It was only to be spent on capital projects – building and maintenance work –and it must have been spent by the end of March this year.
In February, a further £25m was announced, and we expect to receive £208,602 over three months.
With parts of our building now over 40 years old, we welcome this funding and the recognition of the need for support for hospices like ours across the country. But the money that has been made available does not address the ongoing financial pressures facing hospices.
Here at Trinity, we receive just 27% of our annual running costs from the government and nationally salaries represent around 80% of hospice costs. This cost continues to be met by our community.
Your support is what keeps our doors open and our care available to all who need it.
Without hospice care the NHS would face thousands of additional hospital admissions, GP appointments, District Nurse visits, therapy and counselling sessions, the cost of which would amount to millions of pounds annually.
Turn the page to see what we are doing with the funding from the Government.
A new look for Living Well Services You helped shape the future of our care
For a number of years, we have been planning extensive work on the hospice to bring our 40-year-old building up to date.
Our heating system has been running for four decades. It’s not efficient and we know it won’t last much longer. We also know this will cost our charity a lot of money.
Although the money from the government isn’t enough for us to replace our dated essential systems, it was enough for us to get started on some of the building work that would have run alongside it.
So we’ve used some of it to update our Living Well Service.
We’re caring for more people at the start of their palliative journey, so needed to transform our old Day Therapy Unit so it could have more clinic areas, office space and a separation between large group area and our existing conference facilities.
The money had to be spent by the end of March, so our Living Well support took place in different areas of the hospice while building work took place - we’re grateful to our patients for understanding that their support looked a little different to usual.
We can’t wait to showcase the completed new-look Living Well Service. Keep an eye on our social media for updates.
We still have ambitious plans to ensure our hospice buildings are fit for the future in order to provide care for generations, while being confident in our vision that everyone on the Fylde coast has access to timely and consistent integrated palliative and end-of-life care and a good death.
We can’t wait to share more about these plans in the coming months.
We recently partnered with Healthwatch Blackpool to gather independent feedback from the people we are caring for, or those we have cared for in the past, and their loved ones.
The survey was shared with patients, their loved ones and the people we have supported in the past to let us know which services they used, the quality of the care they received, the way they feel we communicated with them and any areas for improvement they may have identified.
This was a vital opportunity for us to understand what we are doing well and where we can improve, especially as it’s been nine years since our last inspection by the Care Quality Commission. It gave us the opportunity to hear directly from those who use or have used our services, helping us to make Trinity Hospice even better.
The report is overall incredibly positive, reflecting on the high quality of our care and the effectiveness of our communication with patients and their loved ones.
There are some recommended areas for improvement, including how we collect and record feedback (and how we advertise this to patients and families), strengthen end-of-life awareness and education for patients, families and carers and continue to strengthen our collaboration with the hospital and community services to support smoother patient transitions.
The team from Healthwatch commented on the fantastic feedback they received through the survey, and the wonderful comments made to them on site. The report acknowledges the ‘dedication and outstanding work’ of our staff.
To read a summary of the report, scan the QR code.
A normal death, at home, thanks to you
Our Hospice at Home service provides essential overnight support to families where a loved one is dying at home.
Unexpected changes happen at the end of life, and during the night, when other services are closed, our nurses provide an understanding, reassuring voice at the end of the phone, and visit homes where patients are struggling with symptoms and loved ones are anxious.
This vital service costs £1,587 per night. And thanks to you, it supported 1,131 patients last year.
Last year, over 10 months our nurses made 3,278 visits to patients at home
Our nurses also made 2,414 phone calls, reassuring loved ones through the most difficult of times
Among those who know the difference this invaluable service makes is Frank, who says he has no regrets about his wife Joyce’s death. It was peaceful, and happened at home – just as she wanted.
“We were able to enjoy a normal life within parameters up until the last three days,” he says.
“I made sure she got up every morning. We didn’t get very much further than sitting in the living room, but we had coffee and biscuits. We had lunch at the dining table and some tea and cake in the afternoon. We’d even have a little glass of wine before going back to the table for our meal.
“We had almost a normal life, which to me is far better than running backwards and forwards to hospital at set visiting times, and it was far better for Joyce.
She was terrified of going into hospital or going into a nursing home, so it was important to me that she got her wish and was able to die at home.”
Frank says that without our care teams providing invaluable support during the night, when he would have otherwise had to call an ambulance, Joyce wouldn’t have had the death she wanted.
He adds: “Without Hospice at Home, she would have been in hospital for three months or more, so not only were the nurses who came to visit absolutely wonderful, but they also saved the NHS an incredible amount of money.
“When time became critical, they knew and helped to prepare me with what was coming. It was calm and incredibly peaceful.”
Frank and Joyce celebrating Frank’s 70th birthday
Supporting people at home with respect and dignity
Help us to secure our care forever
During the day, our hospice care extends across the Fylde coast thanks to our Community Palliative Care Team.
At the end of the phone and making visits to patients at home, they ensure anyone living with a life-limiting illness are as comfortable as possible and have everything they need to ensure they receive the care they need in the place they choose.
Our amazing nurses supported 1,671 patients last year. Thanks to your support, they carried out nearly 10,000 visits!
A few kind words from those we have helped:
“The nurses were easy to talk to and made me feel listened to and cared for.”
“You are all wonderful. It was amazing how you bonded with mum and allowed her not to be frightened.”
We are one of 127 hospices taking part in the ‘This is Hospice Care’ campaign – a national initiative facilitated by Hospice UK to increase the number of people leaving something in their Will to hospice charities.
“The hospice nurses listened to my wife’s wishes. They didn’t judge her wishes for palliative care and not treatment, and offered nothing but respect and dignity. You could not have treated her any better.”
Our Community Palliative Care Team costs £4,788 a day!
Gifts in Wills are incredibly important to our charity, worth around £1.8million each year. But people don’t have to have a lot to give through their Will, and gifts don’t have to be money – just 1% of someone’s estate is enough to make a lasting difference.
Peter Worthington is one of the amazing people who has supported us through his Will. His daughter, Sally Deacon, says: “My mum and dad, Anne and Peter, were married
for 48 years and were settling into retirement with their scotty dog when mum became ill with terminal cancer in 2008. She was cared for at Trinity Hospice but was able to be at home in the last few days before she passed away.
It was a tragic time losing Mum so quickly and the family was devastated.”
Having seen the support Anne received and the difference Trinty’s nurses made to her family, Peter updated his Will to include a gift to Trinity Hospice.
A widower for 16 years, Peter passed away peacefully in his sleep in January 2024.
His legacy lives on through his loving family, including his two great-grandchildren who affectionately called him GG, as well as through his gift to Trinity, which has allowed us to support more people like Anne.
Call our fundraising team on 01253 952667 to get your Gifts in Wills pack.
Celebrating a special moment
As a hospice, we will do all we can to support patients who have goals and wishes while under our care, no matter where we are caring for them –whether they are in the hospice, at home or in a care home, or in the hospital.
While caring for a patient in hospital, we were delighted when she asked if we could help arrange her wedding to her partner of 35 years. What resulted was a wonderful moment and celebration for Ann and Chris, made possible with the support of the team on Ward 5 at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and some exceptionally kind local businesses.
Knowing that we helped to make the day truly special for the happy couple is very rewarding to us all.
Ann had asked Chris to marry her after doctors discovered an aggressive cancer had spread from her lungs to her liver.
“I couldn’t really refuse, could I?”, Chris said.
“We had been together for 35 years. It was always one of those things - she had the ring and everything, years and years ago. She said, ‘we’ll do it’ – but that day had never happened.”
Martha is one of our nurses working in the Hospital Palliative Care Team who spoke to Chris and Ann about their wish to wed. She worked with staff at the hospital to make it happen.
Chris adds: “The wonderful, wonderful Martha Mitchell managed to arrange a wedding for us at very short notice which I will be eternally grateful for.”
The happy couple were married with Martha and another hospital nurse as witnesses.
“It was a beautiful ceremony, absolutely,” Chris said.
“It brought me so much happiness, but also Ann.
“The smile on her face was just amazing, it really was. It was a perfect day for us - an absolute perfect day.
“It was quite a special day anyway, because it was Ann’s birthday, and in the morning Theo - our grandson - was going to school for the first day, so we watched a video of that.”
After the wedding, Ann was admitted to our hospice, where we supported her and Chris, and their family, until she died peacefully 10 days later.
Last year, The Trinity Hospice hospital team supported 2,102 patients. Our nurses and care assistants made 6,126 visits to patients on wards at Blackpool Victoria Hospital
Thank you for the comfort David’s story
Before Christmas, we were privileged to share David’s story with a very special Christmas wish list for items of comfort that would allow families to spend precious moments together in the hospice.
Items like reclining chairs, mattresses, over-bed tables and new furniture in our family room. And a new cuddle bed, so that families could sleep, relax and snuggle with their loved ones as time together was getting short.
In total, our wish list meant we needed to raise more than £48,000.
We’re delighted to report that we raised what we needed to buy all these items, plus enough to buy an additional bed! All this will help us to create truly special memories for local families. Helping local people to live every moment well, and enabling more precious moments that we know those families will cherish for years to come. Thank you for the difference you have helped to make.
extended family and We started caring for David in June 2024, when doctors told him there was no further treatment for the brain tumour he had lived with for 25 years.
Early on, we supported him with physio and mobility, and right from the start, David had said Trinity was where he wanted to spend his final days.
His mum, Lynda, says: “In early December, things changed quickly. One day we were out for lunch and the next his legs wouldn’t work. The hospital suggested Trinity and he was given a lovely room. They helped to get him to his sister Claire’s for Christmas Day.
“In January, we looked after him at his brother John’s house. But it wasn’t comfortable for David; he was in pain, losing strength and he didn’t want us to have to provide hands-on care. So, he returned to the hospice for the final weeks of his life.
“Trinity became a home from home. David’s son Louis could be a toddler there, run around and be with his daddy. We were there every day.
“He found comfort in sitting with Helen, Trinity’s Chaplain and all the incredible nurses. They looked after him, but also us. I’ll never forget them urging me to go have a lie down in their guest room –because they were always around.
“And everything in David’s room was there to give us comfort and normality, a special bed for David, comfy chairs for me and Angela, his wife – like an extension of our home.
Many people think a hospice is where you go to die. But for David, it was where he could live his best life – comfortable, safe, surrounded by love.”
Reaching more people living with dementia
Across our catchment area, there are 4,023 people recorded on the Dementia Register, and there are 270 people living with young onset dementia
Providing a new sport through our Dementia Lounge Around 60 people attend Dementia Lounge each month. www.trinityhospice.co.uk/dementia
We supported 619 people last year through our Dementia Lounge
Our popular Dementia Lounge is a supportive social event which takes place every month at the hospice. It is hosted by our Admiral Nurse, Maxine, and Admiral Nurse Assistant, Julie, supported by a team of 15 dedicated and passionate volunteers.
During sessions our Admiral Nurse team and their volunteers provide refreshments, fun activities, friendly supportive conversation and signpost to other services that local people may find helpful to support them or their loved ones living with the symptoms of their condition.
Our team can also conduct clinics and provide access where required to our in-house social worker, and can refer into other hospice networks, such as our Living Well Service, and external community colleagues, including the Royal British Legion Admiral Nurses, initial response services and adult social care teams.
We were fortunate to get funding from Sport England to host Boccia sessions, giving our attendees the chance to learn the paralympic sport, similar to Bowls, with Blackpool Football Club Community Trust (BFCCT).
Our Boccia sessions have allowed us to add another level of enjoyment to our Lounge. As well as some light exercise, they also create some healthy competition between our guests, and they’re always lots of fun.
Paul Mullin, Community Engagement Team Leader, said: “It’s an absolute pleasure for us at BFCCT to deliver the Boccia sessions for the dementia group at Trinity Hospice. The Boccia equipment Sport England has provided has been well appreciated by all.
“The participants – some who have never played Boccia – all join in, as do their carers.
I think the participants like the game due to it not being too physically taxing, they enjoy the tactical aspect of it, and a big factor is the social element. The participants, whilst playing, chat with each other, encourage each other and laugh with each other.
“We at the BFCCT really enjoy delivering on this session.”
“I like it here as I feel welcomed and I am treated like a normal person here. I feel listened to by other attendees and the admiral nurse team.”
2026 will be a year of celebrating this wonderful milestone! We’ll take the time to look back on where it all began – a humble announcement letting the cat out of the bag (quite literally) when our very own Hospuss mascot announced we would be opening the first dedicated children’s hospice on the Fylde coast in 1996.
We exist, simply, because of you. Your support is what allows us to be able to keep our care free of charge for the local families who need us. We are the second-least funded children’s hospice in the country, receiving just 11% of our running costs from the Government. The rest is provided because people like you make donations, fundraise and take part in our events.
For our birthday, we are asking for a very special gift. Nursing hours. A donation to cover the cost of an hour, or a pledge to fundraise to cover the cost of a day of Brian House care where we will create precious moments for children and their families which will be treasured for a lifetime, because we know all too well that some lives are too short.
YE AR S
www.brianhouse.org.uk/donate
Meet Emily
Emily has been part of the Brian House family since before she was one!
She’s now 13 years old, and loves coming to stay with us just as much as she did then! And we love having her, taking her on trips out and knowing that her mum, Becky, can relax, and take a break from the pressures of being her carer, nurse and everything else Emily needs every moment of the day.
Becky says: “Em absolutely loves it at Brian House, and her overnight stays give me the chance to catch up on chores, meet up with friends and family, and just be Becky.
I’m not just Emily’s mum, nurse, physiotherapist, dietician and everything else she needs me to be 24 hours a day.
“And I know she loves it because using her eye gaze communication device, she’s always telling me she wants to go to Brian House and see Janet. At the end of her stay, she’s had a brilliant time being centre of attention, and I’m refreshed and ready to start again.
“Our nights at home are horrendous. At the moment she’s not sleeping much, and that makes us both grumpy! Last night, she went to sleep at 12.30am and woke up at 3.10am! And as most parents know, everything is just 10 times harder when everyone’s tired. But Emily’s needs don’t change whether she’s slept or not.
“Em is significantly physically disabled, and her medical needs are incredibly complex. But her understanding is the same as any other 13-year-old. Her favourite phrase at the moment is ‘you are annoying me’. I think sometimes people forget that. They see her in her chair and don’t talk to her. That really upsets her, and boy will she say it.
“I don’t know how she does it. How can someone go through what she lives with every single day and have such a happy life? She really does live her best life, with the biggest smile on her face. And you can’t help but smile with her – her happiness and positivity are infectious. I’m just in awe of her.”
“Emily is a child like any other on the inside, and I just want to give her the best childhood that I can; the childhood every 13-year-old deserves. Brian House helps me to do that.”
We were lucky enough to take Emily on a trip to the farm recently.
Something you might not realise…
We asked one of our Brian House team, Amanda, about the difference she helps to make. She replied with these words:
One thing most people don’t see about our work here at Brian House is the end of life and bereavement support we offer. It isn’t something we could ever capture through photos, like we do with the short break care we provide, where photos show all the joy and happiness we try to bring to all those we care for. It is something only ever fully seen by those that have sadly had to use this part of our service.
I wanted to share a little about what the other side of our work can look like and try to paint a picture of what a difference your donations can make when a family are going through the worst time of their lives. The part people don’t like to always talk about. Children dying. But where we can make such a difference to people when they need us most.
End of life care in Brian House is incredibly difficult but it is such a privilege to be a part of. You only get one chance to provide a ‘good’ death and that’s what we all strive for with those families, who are sadly preparing to lose a baby, child or young person.
We decorate Brian House with all the child’s favourite things and provide a bedroom here at the hospice filled with the child’s belongings to bring a true home from home environment. All the family and friends can gather to take part in memory making together, because we know art and craft sessions can provide keepsakes they will treasure forever. And the messier the better!
Family pets can come along to visit too. We’ve had plenty of dogs in and even a pony! All this takes place whilst a team of specialist healthcare professionals continue to meet the medical needs of the child who is at end of life, whilst wrapping around the whole family to offer support in whatever way we can.
People often say to me ‘I don’t know how you do this job’ or ‘It must be so sad’ but I like to explain that hospices aren’t just full of sadness all the time, they are some of the most joyful places to be.
At the end of a child’s life here at Brain House, it is not just a time of sadness and tears but a time of magical moments too, that families can treasure forever.
Passing away in a hospice or in the family home is a far more comfortable environment than within a hospital and is truly bespoke to each family’s preferences and something which we are only able to offer with donations from wonderful people like you.
Our bereavement butterfly suite supports a family after their child has passed
Our Corporate Challenge is back for 2026, and we’ve made it easier to be part of it!
The idea is simple: spend 50 days raising as much as you can for local hospice care through your workplace. Whether your teams work remotely or office-based, whether you’re one of a large team or a one-man-band, get creative and do something amazing for local hospice care.
We just ask that you commit to raise at least £500!
What better way to get your company recognised for doing something incredible for an important, local cause?
“We love seeing the creativity the challenge brings out! Curries have planned danceathons and football events in the past”
Sign up today! Scan the QR code or visit www.trinityhospice.co.uk/corporate-challenge
2024-2025 in numbers
We cared for more than 3,155 patients and 465 carers/loved ones across our family of services thanks to you.
Across all services, we supported 40% of all deaths on the Fylde coast in 2024 (January - December), as well as coaching, training and supporting other health care professionals.
Our special thanks
Santa Tours raise £30k
We just love it when Santa Comes to Town. This wonderful pre-Christmas tour always brings joy and festive cheer to our communities, born out of Covid when people couldn’t visit Grottos.
Since 2020, this incredible event has grown from a single tour to eight tours throughout December. And this year the parades raised £30,990 for Trinity and Brian House.
A huge thank you to everyone involved for raising thousands of smiles and such a fantastic amount for our charity.
Shining Bright for Brian House
Our annual Shine Bright Christmas lights trails lit up the skies throughout the festive period, raising vital funds for our children’s hospice.
Every bulb truly made a difference, and these wonderful displays which brought joy to all, also raised an amazing £10,046!
Life is a Cabaret!
Cabaret nights at Hotel Sheraton that took place throughout 2025 have raised an incredible £3,931!
And if that wasn’t enough, the wonderful team at the hotel have selected Trinity to be their Charity of the Year throughout this year too! Thank you so much!
Like to learn more about charity of the year partnerships? Email rebecca.moon7@nhs.net.
Hospice heroes
Each year, we are blown away by the efforts of one businessman and his friends to raise as much as possible for our charity.
And this year, Sean Lynden – owner of Blackpool Industrial Roofing – has taken it one step further.
Sean assembled his team of superheroes for the official launch of Trinity Push Force – a combined effort to push a specially made hospice-type bed over 100 miles across Lancashire.
He hopes to raise £100,000 for our charity, while shining a light on the importance of hospice care in our region. He’ll be passing six hospices along his route!
The challenge takes place in July, and we can’t wait to welcome Sean back to Trinity with his band of heroes as they complete their journey.
Walkies with a difference
We loved welcoming one of our newest supporters into Trinity Hospice. Mixie is em-bark-ing on a fantastic challenge to walk 75 miles for Trinity in just one week. And to learn more about the work we do, Mixie and owner Sarah popped in to meet the Trinity family.
Animals have a special way of bringing comfort and calm, even in the hardest times - and Mixie certainly did that. Thank you to Sarah and Mixie for spreading so much joy throughout our unit and pledging to make a fantastic difference in our area.
Mixie and Sarah hope their Paws for a Cause challenge will raise £2,000 for our charity.
A new shop for Great Eccleston
We’ve opened a new shop in a small community that’s making a big difference.
Nestled in the heart of Great Eccleston Village, our new shop boasts a unique style and is drawing in customers from across the Fylde coast and beyond!
And we have an incredible 25 volunteers donating their time, dedicated to helping make a difference in their hometown.
Our Trinity shops raise over £1million every year
Did you know?
Last year, our Retail Team processed 3,375,094 donated items. That’s more than 135,000 bags of donated goods!
We received an extra £178,456 because people let us know we could claim Gift Aid on their donated goods
Volunteers make a difference in every area of our work
We are lucky enough to be supported by over 500 people who donate their time so that we can continue to care for all who need us.
Volunteers support us in all areas of hospice care – often quietly and happy just to be making a difference. One of those incredible people, whom we couldn’t do without, is Clinton.
He says: “When I retired I decided that I wanted to do something positive with my time and being a volunteer driver at Trinity Hospice has definitely fulfilled that objective for me and given me a real sense of purpose.
“I volunteer every Tuesday and this gets me out and about, doing different things and meeting new people.
Everyone I have met at Trinity Hospice, both staff and volunteers, has been very welcoming and friendly and I look forward to coming into the Hospice every week.
“I can thoroughly recommend volunteering at Trinity Hospice.”
Our volunteers are worth over £1.8million, but to us, they are priceless! We are thankful to each and every one of them.
Find out more about volunteering at Trinity and Brian House at www.trinityhospice. co.uk/volunteer-for-us
Community Corner
23rd April
St. George’s Day Golf Event
St Annes Old Links, St Annes
10th May
Beaverbrooks Blackpool 10k Fun Run The Savoy, Blackpool
16th May
Little Voices, Big Hearts – Primary school choirs from Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Cleveleys Park Methodist Church, Cleveleys
30th May
Antiques, vintage & collectors’ fair Freckleton Village Memorial Hall, Freckleton
14th June
Beaverbrooks Bike Ride AKS, Lytham & The Bay Horse, Thornton
20th June
Slay the Solstice – disco & alternative fashion show The Park Club, Cleveleys
