St Catherine's Hospice in Preston has received a £1,000 donation from David Wilson Homes to support an education-led engagement event, taking steps to strengthen palliative and end-of-life care across local care homes and social care providers.
Based in Lostock Hall near to David Wilson Homes' Calder Rise and Centurion Village developments in Cottam and Leyland, St Catherine's Hospice has provided specialist palliative and end-of-life care to communities across Chorley, Preston and South Ribble since 1985. Today, the hospice can care for up to 19 patients at a time with a multidisciplinary team of specialist doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers and support staff delivering personalised care tailored to each individual's needs, wishes and priorities.
In the period from 2024 to 2025, St Catherine's Hospice supported 1,853 patients, alongside managing a community caseload of approximately 335 individuals at any one time.
The donation from David Wilson Homes will be used by the hospice's Education Team to support an event designed to improve engagement with local care homes. It aims to enhance the delivery of palliative and end-of-life care, helping more people remain in their preferred place of care.
Sarah Mullen, senior clinical educator at St Catherine's Hospice, said: "We provide specialist palliative and end-of-life care both within the hospice and out in the community, including in people's own homes. Our vision is to help people experience quality of life to the end of life. This means not only managing pain and symptoms, but also providing emotional support, maintaining dignity and enabling independence and choice at every stage of a person's journey. This donation will support our work with care homes, helping to ensure more people can receive high-quality care in the place that matters most to them."
Hospice care plays a vital role within the community, supporting patients with life-limiting conditions as well as their families and loved ones. While some individuals spend their final days at the hospice, many are supported for shorter periods before returning home or moving to another care setting once their symptoms are better managed.
Sarah continued: "With over £5m of annual running costs to find each year, support from businesses and the local community is absolutely essential. This donation contributes to our work with local health and social care providers, helping to ensure more people receive high-quality care in the place that matters most to them."
The hospice has long been recognised for its impact, with notable royal visits including Princess Alexandra in 1985 and Diana, Princess of Wales, who officially opened an extension in 1993.
Claire Jarvis, managing director at David Wilson Homes North West, said: "As a leading developer, it's important that we support the areas in which we build new homes. People are at the heart of a community, so supporting charities that serve local people is of great importance to us. St Catherine's Hospice delivers vital care and support to people and families across Lancashire and we are proud to contribute towards such an important cause. We hope this donation will help the charity continue its outstanding work."
For more information about the hospice, visit the website at St Catherine's Hospice. For more information about any new homes in the area, visit the website at David Wilson Homes in Lancashire.
