WITH many warning they may have to scale back services due to funding pressures, Oldham’s hospice is backing a national push to secure their future by asking people to think about what they leave behind.
Dr Kershaw’s Hospice has joined forces with Hospice UK for the return of the award-winning This is Hospice Care campaign, which shines a light on how end-of-life care is funded and why legacy donations matter.
Radio adverts are being aired on Greatest Hits Radio and Smooth FM, while television slots are scheduled across major channels including ITV1 and Sky News.
The timing is stark as national figures show two in five hospices are planning cuts as costs rise and funding struggles to keep pace. Meanwhile, demand for palliative care is only going one way. By 2048, need is projected to climb by a quarter.
Recent data shows the scale of the challenge. In 2024-25, hospices cared for around 310,000 people across the UK, yet one in four people still die without the care and support they require, according to Marie Curie.
For Dr Kershaw’s Hospice, legacy giving is not a side issue – it is a financial lifeline.
John Edwards, Legacy and Grants Fundraising Lead and a member of the national campaign steering group, said: “A lot of people don’t know that hospices provide their care for free. Around 20 per cent of our total income actually comes from legacy gifts.
“Without gifts in Wills, we simply would not be able to provide the high-quality, compassionate care that we do.
“Our care extends far beyond our inpatient unit and wellbeing centre; we are out in the community with our Caring Hands and Hospice at Home services. Gifts in Wills protect future care, enabling people to choose where they spend their final days.”
The irony is that the Royton-based hospice itself exists because of a gift in a Will. It was founded thanks to a bequest from Dr John Kershaw, a GP born in Lees who dreamed of opening a hospital in Royton.
Starting life as a cottage hospital in the 1930s, the site evolved into a hospice and officially opened in 1989. Since then, it has supported thousands of families across Oldham and nearby communities.
Among those families is that of Brian Swann, who spent his final Father’s Day on the inpatient unit before dying from cancer in June 2022.
His daughter, Susan McEwan, now supports the campaign.
She said: “Since Dad died, I wanted to support the hospice in any way I could. I signed up as a lottery member and have made Light Up a Life dedications in his memory, and we asked people to donate to Dr Kershaw’s at his funeral in lieu of flowers.
“I hope that by supporting the hospice, it will continue to be there for other families. That is why leaving a gift in your Will is so important; even one per cent of your Will would make a real difference.
“It would help the hospice to continue to provide special care and precious memories for future patients and families.”
As funding pressures mount and demand grows, hospices say legacy gifts are no longer just helpful – they are becoming essential to survival.
For local families who have relied on hospice care at their most difficult moments, the message is simple: today’s decisions could shape tomorrow’s care.