On behalf of the Board of Trustees and all the team at St Mary’s Hospice at Ulverston, I would like to thank our wonderful local community for their help and support during our recent flood.

In almost 25 years, we have never needed to evacuate the Hospice so it was an extremely stressful and unusual event for us. However, our fantastic emergency services were on hand to ensure that patients and their families were safe and reassured throughout.

Thanks go to the local fire, police, Coastguard and ambulance services, to the Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team and to our colleagues at Furness General Hospital and St John’s Hospice in Lancaster.

The day after the flood the offers of help came from so many amazing people in our local community that it would be impossible to name them all.

However, you know who you are and we want you to know how much we appreciated all your efforts and kindness.

Special thanks must go to the team of volunteers from GSK in Ulverston, who spent Friday afternoon filling skips and sand bags to ensure that we were safe should the weather turn again.

I am delighted to say that St Mary’s re-opened on the Monday after the flood and that all our evacuees are safe and well.

We really do appreciate all the help and offers of support we have had, thank you all so much for supporting your local Hospice.

Sue McGraw, Chief Executive, St Mary’s Hospice