ST MARY’S Hospice in Ulverston opened its doors in 1989 and has since supported more than 15,000 patients and their families, from right across South Lakeland and Furness. ANNA SMITH takes a look at how the centre is celebrating its silver anniversary this year - and what its future holds

SOME time in the late 1980s three people from south Cumbria realised there was a need for a hospice where those with life-limiting illnesses could be cared for in their final weeks.

Clarissa Kavanagh, Margaret Berry and the Rev Nick Grosswin began the process of turning their vision into a reality, and thanks to some true Cumbrian grit and generosity, the hospice is still going from strength to strength this year as it hits its 25th birthday.

“It’s wonderful that everybody has supported it over the years,” said only surviving founder, Ms Kavanagh.

“We wondered if it would be able to be maintained, and it has done.”

The hospice was opened thanks to donations of £600,000 from the local community, as well as help from Ulverston shopkeeper Bob Wright, who handed over a large Victorian house to the cause.

In 1989 the first patients stepped through its doors and since then thousands of people have been cared for either in the hospice itself or at home.

More than 250 volunteers and 70 members of staff ensure the service is run flawlessly.

“It is a big job,” explained chief executive, Val Stangoe. “And we truly couldn’t do it without our volunteers.”

In 1990, a year after it opened, Princess Diana officially cut the ribbon on the centre - and last week another royal descended on the site to unveil its new Cavendish Wing.

“We very much wanted to raise awareness of the event in order that people would be aware that there are new things going on,” continued Mrs Stangoe.

“It was a fantastic day, everything went well - and having the Duchess of Gloucester here was just brilliant.

“It was very fitting.”

Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Gloucester, opened the two-storey extension, which will now provide dedicated day care facilities and an education centre - the first in the hospice‘s history.

The Duchess, accompanied by Cumbria‘s Lord Lieutenant, Claire Hensman, toured the new building and met staff, volunteers and in-patients, before unveiling a plaque to commemorate the opening.

The new facilities have now been given the seal of approval by both patients and namesake, Lord Cavendish, alike.

"I think they are wonderful,” said patient Alan Oliver, 73, from Lindale.

“They’re a big improvement to the small space we had before and very peaceful, light and airy."

And Lord Cavendish, former chairman, current patron and long-term supporter of the hospice, said: “When I think back to sitting on a tea chest and looking forward, it’s amazing to think we’ve created something now that truly belongs to the community.

“It’s a great honour for the family to have it named after us and I feel I have a place to come and be supported.”

However, it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the hospice, and in 2012 it was forced to close briefly after suffering severe flooding.

The hospice also needs £6,000 a day from supporters simply to continue to run its vital services.

But thanks to the community, since 1989 the hospice has been able to add an extended nine-bed inpatient unit, a cafe, conservatory and outside terrace to its facilities, as well as the Hospice at Home service, which means people can be cared for in the comfort of their own home.

This year will also see some changes made to the running of the hospice, which is expected within months to go into an alliance with CancerCare.

The number of ‘day care’ days will increase from two to five per week and patient education courses will also be run in Ambleside from October assisting those in rural areas.

For more information visit www.stmaryshospice.org.uk

Every day is a a battle to keep services running

ST Mary’s Hospice offers a wide range of services which are used by people across the community, but just 22 per cent of its income comes from the NHS.
Instead it relies on donations, legacies and other fundraising to make up 88 per cent of its £6,000-per-day running costs.
“Today, much like in 1989, the hospice could not survive without the support from the local community it serves,” said a spokeswoman.
“Twenty five years ago the estimated cost of running the hospice was £4,000 each week.
“When you consider that one in three people are touched by the work of a hospice, these services are indeed vital to our local communities.”
Now the hospice offers dozens of services, such as complementary therapies, an education centre for medical personnel, family support services and Hospice at Home - which has served 1,000 patients.
Simply to keep the Hospice at Home vehicles on the road costs an estimated £42,000 per year.
In order to help, around 6,500 people play the St Mary’s Hospice lottery.
It also runs eight charity shops including a large furniture warehouse in Barrow. These bring in around 14 per cent of its annual funding.
This year, for its 25th  year, the hospice launched ‘Club 25’, which challenged 25 businesses in south Cumbria to raise £1,000.
Businesses including Hayes Garden World in Ambleside, Siemens and Glaxo, Ulverston and Wax Lyrical in Lindal all took part - and to date all of them have smashed their original target and collectively raised more than £40,000.