St Catherine's Hospice, Lancashire

🎄 Let the festivities begin! Yes, we’re talking about the Christmas word! We’ve already taken a couple of hundred bookings for our Christmas party celebrations at The Mill so be quick or your business will miss out!💚 🎉 Party nights for £39.50 per person with 2 courses and a DJ: 📅 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th December Get together for great night out as a team, whilst your business supports a much-loved local cause. Call 01772 695277 Email: themill@stcatherinespark.co.uk Or visit: https://lnkd.in/eDa-teB

💚 Thank you Thursday to this week’s amazing supporters 🏃 Key Charity and Progress Housing Group for nominating us as one of their charities of the year for their 2026 Big Team Challenge. Their teams took on a virtual 484-mile journey through Denmark, clocking up the distance through walking, running and any activity that counted towards their step total. We even bumped into them and their brilliant mascot at Leyland Festival! Thank you for having us as part of your challenge. 🥁 Croston Scout Band raised £495 for the hospice while taking part in the Croston Coffee Day parade. The band was formed decades ago by Billy, whose care at St Catherine's inspired a lasting connection with the hospice. It's so special to see that support continuing all these years later. Thank you to everyone involved. 🎪 Lancashire Festival 26 has chosen St Catherine's Hospice as its nominated charity for this Saturday's event. They're also donating all gate ticket sales between 12pm and 1pm directly to the hospice. If you're heading along, you'll be able to enjoy an afternoon of family-friendly entertainment while helping support local hospice care. Thank you to every person, group and organisation that chooses to support St Catherine's Hospice. We couldn't do what we do without you!

When you think about working in a hospice, IT is definitely not the first role that comes to mind. But behind every video consultation, every piece of equipment connected to our network, and every system that helps our teams provide care, there’s someone making sure it all works. Meet Cory, our IT Support Technician extraordinaire, and secret violinist! After 13 years working in residential childcare, Cory decided to follow his passion for technology and take the leap into a completely new career, IT. 18 months on, he says it was one of the best decisions he’s made: “I absolutely love working here. It’s the most positive environment I have ever worked in, and it’s like a family, with lots of smiles and encouragement.” No two days are the same for Cory. From supporting patients using our VR equipment, to helping colleagues across the hospice, and working on the behind-the-scenes systems that keep everything running, his role plays an important part in the care we provide. Cory’s journey is also a reminder that the skills you build in one career can open doors into something completely new. We’re proud of every colleague who brings their own experience, passion and ideas to St Catherine’s, whatever their role. Keep an eye on our vacancies and discover how your skills could make a difference.

“It’s not what I expected a hospice to be.” That’s one of the things we hear most often from people who visit St Catherine’s for a Talk & Tour. In fact visiting the hospice at all. Many people arrive with questions, uncertainty, or even a few misconceptions about hospice care. Then they meet our teams, see our beautiful surroundings, learn about the care we provide both in the hospice and in people’s own homes, and discover that hospice care is about so much more than they imagined. It’s about living well. It’s about support, independence, comfort and making every moment matter. Over recent months, we’ve welcomed visitors from organisations including Deafway, Home Instead, Alzheimer’s Society Central Lancashire, community groups, faith leaders, volunteers and healthcare teams; giving them the chance to learn more about the role hospice care plays across our communities. If your organisation would like to find out more about what we do, we’d love to welcome you to St Catherine’s. 📧 communities@stcatherines.co.uk

Feeling a little bit crazy? We’re looking for teams to take on a 12km military assault course. 30+ obstacles. Mud, water, fire, ice… and plenty of moments where you’ll have to dig deep on your own and as a team. We’re fielding a Compassionate Commandos team for this year’s Born Survivor and getting it in there up front, it isn’t about being the fastest or the fittest. It’s about pushing yourself, supporting the people around you, and celebrating when you make it to the finish line. Sounds like the perfect team building exercise! Whether you’re a seasoned obstacle racer or this is your first time doing anything like this, we’d love you to join us. Your place is free. All we ask is that you raise £200 to help us continue supporting patients and families across our community. So, who’s ready to get muddy for a good cause? 💪

🍻 A partnership that’s been brewing for years! The team at Budweiser Brewing Group’s Samlesbury Brewery have been finding different ways to support local people and the care we provide through fundraising challenges and volunteering for years. From corporate skydives to their annual Family Fun Day, Christmas Turkey Day to getting involved with our Corporate Challenge. And even sponsoring the welcome drinks at our charity balls since 2023. And now they're giving our 1985 Business Club members the chance to see behind the scenes at Samlesbury Brewery this October, with an exclusive factory tour. 🍺 Our 1985 Business Club is a group of local businesses coming together to support their local hospice, build connections and be part of something that makes a real difference locally. We have a few places available for new members, so if you’d like to join us (and enjoy some unique experiences along the way), we’d love to hear from you: https://lnkd.in/etgR3qKS

💚 Our Masquerade Ball for this year is sold out, but we still need your support 💚 We're looking for donations of auction and raffle prizes. Whether it’s a thoughtful gift, an experience, or a luxurious treat, your donation will help us raise funds that go directly to supporting families in need across our community. Every kind gesture starts a ripple of compassion and your generosity helps us keep delivering care when people need it the most. 💚 Can you help? 💚 Know a local business who might? To donate or for more information, please email fundraising@stcatherines.co.uk

💚 Thank You Thursday 💚 It's time to celebrate some more of the incredible people who have gone above and beyond to support those we care for this week. 🍰 Andrew Dawson and the Preston & District Catenians 144, who chose us as their Charity of the Year for 2025/26. Through community fundraising events including an afternoon tea and BBQ, they raised £1,840. 🛒 The 99th Garrison crew were back on patrol at Tesco Chorley, collecting donations and bringing plenty of smiles to shoppers along the way. Their latest collection raised £1,170. 🏪 Well done to Mila and Grace from Lever House Primary School, who held a fundraising stall during the school's Charity Week and raised £137.64. 🏃 Andy, Brian, Harrison and Michael took on an epic 24-hour Rivington Run, covering an incredible 108 miles between them. Thanks to the amazing support of their friends and family, they've smashed their target and raised £1,800. Every cake baked, mile walked, and donation given helps us continue caring for local people and those close to them when they need us most. Thank you all for being part of our story.

These photos probably don’t tell the full story at first glance. Just a group of students in a room. Nothing obviously “dramatic” happening. Over the past four weeks, we’ve welcomed more than 270 Year 1 medical students from the University of Lancashire as part of their hospice learning experience. Across eight sessions, they’ve had the chance to explore what hospice and palliative care really means, and have challenged some of the assumptions people often start with. They’ve also been able to sit in on remote consultations, with the incredibly kind support of our patients, and hear directly from our service user and volunteer Val, who has shared her lived experience of the care her husband Russ received from the hospice across several sessions. A huge thank you to Val, our teams, volunteers and everyone who made this possible. The feedback from students has been genuinely moving, and we’re proud to play a small part in shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals.

What would you spend £10,000 on? A holiday? A big home project? Something you’ve been putting off for ages? Our Super Summer Raffle is one of those small things that could turn into something pretty life-changing. 🎟 Tickets are just £2 💰 Top prize: £10,000 Every ticket helps us continue caring for local people and families when they need it most. And if you’re a business, you can get involved too. We can come into your workplace to sell tickets. An easy, feel-good way to support the hospice together (and usually a bit of friendly competition between colleagues helps too). 🔗 Buy online: https://lnkd.in/eZWhUrEb