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Sir Tom Cowie Charitable Trust pledges 500,000 pounds to Willow Burn Hospice

The Sir Tom Cowie Charitable Trust has pledged £500,000 towards the building of a new hospice at the Maiden Law Hospital site in Lanchester, County Durham. 

Willow Burn Hospice secured planning consent in July and acquired the land to build the new hospice facility and is now eagerly raising the funds to start building work.

Helen Mills, Chief Executive of Willow Burn, said: “The pledge of £500,000 by the Sir Tom Cowie Charitable Trust has given a terrific boost to our ambitions to build the new hospice as soon as possible.

“The money will be put towards phase one of the three-phase development.  The gift, which will be paid over five years, is significant both in terms of its size and the timing. 

“It is common for Trust-giving organisations to turn down applications for funding until a certain proportion of the funding has been found.  This is often a Catch-22 situation for charities that need at least one organisation to have the faith and belief in the charities vision. The Sir Tom Cowie Charitable Trust has shown that they indeed have the faith and belief in our vision and for that we will be eternally grateful.”

David Gray, a Trustee of the Sir Tom Cowie Charitable Trust said: “The hospice will cost £5.7 million to build; phase one will cost £2.2 million and with some funds already set aside and the Sir Tom Cowie Trust Charitable gift, Willow Burn needs to raise £1 million in the next ten months to be able to press ahead with their ambitious plans in the current financial year.”

Willow Burn Hospice was opened in 1989 and provides vital in-patient and community services from its base in the grounds of the former Maiden Law Hospital in Lanchester and while its services are free to patients and their families they are not free to provide. Willow Burn Hospice has to raise £2,479 every day to be able to provide palliative and end of life care services – in addition to raising the £5.7million needed to build the new fit-for-purpose hospice development. As well as in-patient beds with Day Hospice, the hospice provides 24-hour nursing, advice and support, Out-Patient Clinics, Hospice at Home Services, Specialist Therapy Services and Bereavement Support Services.

Willow Burn Hospice currently occupies former hospital buildings and temporary offices while it raises the £5.7 million needed to build the new hospice.

The design of the new hospice takes on the appearance of barns, reflecting the rural nature of North West Durham, with the buildings appearing to emerge from the landscape while maximising the uninterrupted views from the south of the site. The new hospice will see the number of in-patient beds increase from four to six, and include additional well-being facilities, such as a sun room, health spa, dance studio and therapy suite created.

Anyone able to offer help in raising the funds required should contact Helen Mills on 01207 523292 or Susan Jones, Capital and Corporate Fundraising Manager at Willow Burn Hospice, on 07590 850213.

For more information about how you could support Willow Burn Hospice visit www.willow-burn.co.uk or visit the charity’s high street stores at Stanley and Consett.