For over 30 years Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington has been caring for people and their families at the end of their lives

THEY pledge to be “here for you when you need us most, to make every moment matter”.

For over 30 years Oakhaven Hospice has certainly been there for thousands of people and their families.

Being told you have a terminal illness can be a traumatic experience – but to know the services which Oakhaven provides are available can be a relief for both you and your loved ones.

As Tanya Baddeley, head of marketing at the Hospice said: “Oakhaven is here for every person living in the New Forest, Totton and Waterside community.

“Many people think that Oakhaven is just a 10-bed hospice in Lymington where people come to die, but we are very much more than that.

“Our specialist team of nurses, doctors, therapists, counsellors and trained volunteers look after an average of 360 referred patients at any one time, and their families and loved ones too – free of charge.

“Most of our patients receive Oakhaven’s compassionate care and palliative support in their own homes, some attend our day hospice, and many of the patients who are admitted to our 10-bed inpatient unit receive medication or nursing support for a short period and then return home.

“In addition, Oakhaven Wellbeing provides support at the Coates Centre for everyone in the local area who is living with a life-limiting condition, caring for a loved one or coming to terms with a loss or bereavement.

“You do not have to be an Oakhaven patient to access our wellbeing services. You are very welcome to drop by for a coffee and a chat and to take part in the range of activities and support groups year-round.”

Oakhaven’s care is provided free of charge. Last year its running costs were £8 million, with only 11% covered by the NHS. For the remaining 89% it relies on the kindness and generosity of community donations, fundraising, gifts in wills, income from shops and from its social enterprise home care provider, Oakhaven Care, the profits from which support the hospice.

This year has been especially hard for Oakhaven with the national hospice crisis resulting in a £77 million deficit across the sector.

Natalie Hutchins, Oakhaven’s corporate fundraising manager, said: “Oakhaven is not immune to this and we have worked tirelessly to cut our spending and increase our income to save people’s jobs and to keep our services going.

“The simple truth is: if we weren’t there what would these people and their families do?”

Ten years ago, a decision was made at Oakhaven, to create a home care ‘social enterprise’ as a source of income for the Hospice. Oakhaven Care provides visiting care, live-in care and respite care in your home.

It is a paid service, available to anyone who needs it, and importantly every penny of its profits helps fund the hospice. Such is the demand for its home care expertise, the Oakhaven Care team has now grown to more than 60 carers.

Natalie said: “One of our biggest challenges is raising awareness of what we do and the fact we receive so little from the government.

“We are very well supported by businesses that know us. When we partner with a business, it is very much a case of us saying ‘You support us, how can we support you?’.

“From advertising their brand to our audiences to other initiatives like attending one of our networking events, there are a lot of different options for how businesses can help us with fundraising.

“For example, throughout the year there are lots of sponsorship opportunities, such as our Family Fun Day, Santa Dash, 26-mile Oakhaven Walk and ‘Light up a Life’ services of remembrance and thanksgiving in Lymington, Totton and Hythe.

“Businesses can take on our Business Enterprise Challenge, or hold team-building events like quizzes, sporting challenges and bake-offs. Payroll giving is an easy way to help Oakhaven raise funds, as is match-funding the fundraising efforts of employees.

“We have a whole host of tools that businesses can use on our website, such as downloadable quiz sheets, social media assets and backgrounds for Zoom and Teams meetings. Spreading the word about us is as important as the financial support businesses give us.”