News

  Willow Burn Hospice is celebrating the re-opening of The Willows Café with the launch of a bespoke coffee blend created by Durham Coffee.   The Willows Café is re-opening its doors from 12 April, for takeaways and garden seating, following the third lockdown. During the time the café has been closed, the team has been … Continued

  Well-loved Derwentside couple, Laurence and Doris McDermott, celebrated 60 years of marriage on 4 February and raised £1285 for for their local hospice. The former President and President’s Wife of Lanchester Lions Club were both in attendance at the opening of Willow Burn Hospice in the eighties and have been firm supporters ever since, … Continued

It’s February and that only means two things… pancakes and love.  As the Willows Café is closed at the moment, the pancakes will have to wait until next year but you can still share the love this February and donate the cost of a Valentine’s Card to your local hospice. Don’t worry, your love won’t … Continued

COVID-19 Update Advice and Guidance for visiting Willow Burn We support visiting at Willow Burn but additional restrictions are in place at this time due to Coronavirus in order to protect our patients, staff and visitors. It is essential that measures we put in place and advice we give is adhered to in order for … Continued

Christmas is coming and as we approach this special time of year we would like to invite you to join us to remember your loved one(s) at our annual Light Up A Life service online on Sunday 6 December at 2pm. This year, our Light up a Life Service will be streamed live over the internet … Continued

Patients and visitors at Willow Burn can now enjoy views of the surrounding countryside in greater comfort thanks to the North East’s biggest building society. As part of our development of the  Helen McArdle Wing inpatient unit, we turned an adjacent 1.2 acre piece of land into a relaxing and practical outside space that can … Continued

We are proud to announce that today (1 July 2020), the Helen McArdle Wing running costs have been donated by Derwent Valley Shooting Club in loving memory of Mrs Peggy Sharpe.  Today was chosen by Peggy’s son Ian to mark her birthday. Ian is one of the original thirty members of Derwent Valley Shooting Club … Continued

Willow Burn Hospice is delighted to announce that Mid Durham AAP, through their COVID-19 funding and funding from County Councillors Jude Considine and Ossie Johnson, are able to support Willow Burn with running costs though the pandemic. It costs £1.2 million to operate the Hospice each year and the hospice team is responsible for raising … Continued

Willow Week (11 – 17 May) was created earlier in the year to encourage awareness raising activities to unite Derwentside in support of the region’s only Hospice.  This is the first of what is hoped to be an annual event as the date was specially chosen to coincide with two national campaigns which are very … Continued

The Consett and District Sunderland Supporters’ Association has raised and donated over £7,000 to Willow Burn Hospice this week. The outstanding fundraising effort comes at a time when every little helps, with communities across the world pulling together to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, the Consett and District SA has raised over £40,000 … Continued

Team Willow Burn has loved seeing all of your rainbow pictures and paintings displayed in windows around Derwentside. Rainbows are a sign of positivity, so we are challenging all of your children (and big children) to paint, draw or decorate a Willow Tree and display it in your window with your rainbows. The rainbow project … Continued

Will you sponsor a Willow Burn Hospice Nurse so they can continue to provide exceptional care in Derwentside beyond the impact of Coronavirus? At Willow Burn our mission is to treasure lives through the provision of seamless personalised high quality care and we have a wonderful team of nurses and healthcare professionals working round-the-clock, 24 … Continued

Are you stuck for ideas about how you can still make Mother’s Day special in the current climate. Here are a couple of things you could do to show your mum how much she means to you.   1. Drop some shopping, a gift or card on your mum’s doorstep for when she wakes up … Continued

Treat your loved one to a Gift Voucher for the Willows Café. Not only is it the perfect gift but it will also support your Local Hospice. Vouchers can be purchased for the following: Afternoon Tea Vouchers for 4 August – £12.50 per person Cake and Coffee Voucher – £4.00 per person Soup and Sandwich … Continued

Now that Pancake Day is over, it’s time to give something up for Lent, but if you don’t fancy giving up your favourite sweet treats or your morning coffee, why not join in the Willow Burn Lent Challenge? The Retail Team at Willow Burn are challenging you to find an item in your house, every … Continued

Fancy entering the New Year with a challenge? January is the perfect time to set your goals for the year ahead. What can you give up this January to raise funds and give back to your local hospice? Beat the booze Give up chocolate Be smoke free Have a social media detox Meat free Whatever … Continued

A cold but sunny winters morning on Monday 9th December saw our Chairman, Paul Jackson, meet the Provincial Grand Master, John Arthur accompanied by the Provincial Charity Steward, Andrew Thompson at Beamish Museum to be presented with a grant awarded by the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF). Arriving in the Old Town by tram they made … Continued

This Christmas, support your local high street charity shop and make a difference to the lives of people in Derwentside. There are many reasons for supporting your local hospice charity shop, apart from the difference that every single purchase makes to your community, it could also help you and your family at an expensive time … Continued

Christmas is coming and as we approach this special time of year we would like to invite you to join us to remember your loved one(s) at our annual Light Up A Life service at St. Bede’s School on Sunday 8 December at 2pm. Paul Jackson, Chairman of Willow Burn Hospice said: “Our first Light … Continued

  This summer, staff and volunteers at Willow Burn are delighted to announce that stage 1 of the new community garden is completed with thanks to funders: Banks Community Fund, the Stanley Smith Horticultural Fund and the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. The garden and hospice offers mesmerising views of the Derwent Valley’s natural … Continued

The Helen McArdle Wing was officially opened on Friday 28 June by Sue Snowdon, Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham, at a ceremony attended by Mrs McArdle. Each of the six new en-suite bedrooms are equipped for all needs, as well as being designed to ensure rest and relaxation. Rooms have their own private balcony and patients have … Continued

This Volunteers’ Week we would like to invite the Willow Burn Hospice volunteers to join Judy for a coffee and cake to celebrate the difference you make to the people of Derwentside. This is also a great opportunity for prospective volunteers to pop into the Hospice to find out more about the opportunities to get … Continued

Do you care for someone or know someone who does? Are you looking for somewhere to go together? Willow Burn Hospice is opening a Social Drop-In Group so that you can get together and meet others. You are invited to drop-in to the Sir Tom Cowie Centre and Willows Cafe (located at Willow Burn) between 1.30pm … Continued

On 23 March, a local bride married at Bowburn Hall in her dream wedding dress thanks to the staff and volunteers from Willow Burn Hospice. Ashley Walford (nee Curran) was shopping with her mum in August 2017 when she visited the Willow Burn Hospice Stanley shop and found the dress she was to marry fiancé … Continued

      As we celebrate Hospice Care Week, Willow Burn would like to share some great and exciting news with everyone out there. Following an amazing donation from Helen McArdle of £1.5 million, the hospice has undertaken a programme of works to build a state of the art, six bedded inpatient unit on its site … Continued

Willow Burn Hospice is delighted to announce a substantial donation in support of our new and expanded facilities in Lanchester, County Durham. The Mark Benevolent Fund, which has been in existence since 1868, has awarded the Hospice £36,000 to provide a piped medical gas system in our new in-patient unit and Sir Tom Cowie Health … Continued

Willow Burn explains why it had to make staff redundant.   Derwentside’s Willow Burn Hospice has responded to criticism after a number of staff were made redundant, including members of its fundraising team. The charity has explained that while it received a £1.5m donation made last year, the cash can only be used to build … Continued

Willow Burn Hospice has searched the North East for couples who are recently engaged and are proud to announce that they have shortlisted their lucky couples who have now started fundraising to win their own Happily Ever After! The couples sent in their stories about how they got together and what this fantastic prize would … Continued

Mortons Law is a broad based law firm and they are proud of their heritage and confident about the levels of expertise that they have built up over the years and of their strong links to the local community. Over the last two years Mortons has been working with Willow Burn Hospice and a strong … Continued

When Beryl Burnhope came to Willow Burn Hospice with her husband Bob three years ago little did she contemplate what the Hospice would come to mean to her and her family. After only a short stay at Willow Burn, Bob sadly passed away but Beryl said that she will always remember the outstanding care he … Continued

Plans to create extensive new community gardens at a Derwentside hospice have taken a major step forward with the award of a five-figure project grant from a regional employer. As part of the development of its new inpatient unit which is due to open later in the year, Willow Burn Hospice in Lanchester is looking … Continued

The ultimate combination of work-out and night-out, Go with the Glow is the most epic neon course in the north and the best part is, it’s nothing but fun fun fun! Bring along your family & friends to light up the night at Consett Football Club on Saturday 6th October 2018! Run, dance, skip or … Continued

Happy Birthday, Congratulations, I’m sorry. Flowers can be given for a whole range of reasons and everyone loves getting a bunch of beautiful fresh flowers; now the flowers you buy can help make a difference to your local community. Cindy’s Balloons and Flowers, Events Decoration has designed an exclusive bouquet for the Hospice, the Willow … Continued

On Friday 29th June Willow Burn Hospice hosted its first Irish Night at the Demi in Consett. The night celebrated the Irish connections in Consett and was a fantastic night full of everything you would expect; a brilliant performance by the Irish dancers from O’Heirs School of Irish Dance, the amazing Tony Cocoran Ceilidh Band … Continued

The Willow Burn Hospice Happily Ever After campaign is back for the third year and are looking for couples who would like to win the wedding of their dreams! Have you just got engaged? Are you dreaming of the perfect wedding but not sure if you have the budget for it? Well you are in … Continued

Willow Burn Hospice is pleased to announce a substantial donation in support of our new and expanded facilities. The Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust, a north east based grant making organisation, has awarded the Hospice £50,000 as a contribution towards equipping and furnishing our brand new in-patient unit, and the expansion of our Health and Wellbeing … Continued

On Friday 18th May 14 teams battled it out for the coveted Willow Burn Hospice Golf Day Trophy and what a day it was! The sun was shining, everyone was in great spirits and a fantastic £4,700 was raised. We have a number of people to thank, firstly thank you to everyone who came along … Continued

On Saturday 12th May we held a special Gin Tea Celebration to celebrate Nurses Day 2018. 2018 will be our last Nurses Day in our existing building, this time next year we will have a fantastic new palliative care centre kindly funded by Helen McArdle. Margaret Webb our Clinical Lead, who has been working as … Continued

On Saturday 7th April a group of intrepid supporters braved the elements and made their way to Infinity and Beyond all to raise funds for Willow Burn Hospice. The Challenge: Walk across a 393 foot bridge. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Add in the good old British weather, being 2000 feet above the ground and the … Continued

Bescol Ltd is working with Willow Burn Hospice to promote their exciting new paint range, the Northumbria Heritage Collection. The range features a lush green paint called Willow Burn and 20% of the profits from the sale of this paint will be donated to the Hospice. The Willow Burn paint conjures all those uplifting feelings … Continued

Willow Burn Hospice is proud to announce that they are working in partnership with local energy company Give While You Save to raise funds and awareness for the Hospice. The Give While You Save Scheme was set up as a way of supporting home owners and business to save money on their energy while raising … Continued

After 29 years of service to the communities of Derwentside, we were proud to break the ground on Friday on a brand new, state of the art In-Patient Unit. The £1.5million donation made by Helen McArdle has made the dream of continuing to provide excellent specialist end of life and palliative care across the region … Continued

Willow Burn Hospice, in partnership with Helen McArdle are delighted to announce plans to shortly commence building works on a new state-of-the-art, six bedded In-Patient Unit on its existing site in Lanchester.  Helen is supporting the construction of this new facility with a generous donation of £1.5 million.  The building work is planned to get … Continued

On Thursday 22nd February 2018, businesses from across the North East gathered together and collectively donated more than £12,000 worth of free consultation to support a very worthy cause, Willow Burn Hospice. This fantastic event was generously organised by Kate Vogelsang, Founder and Managing Director of Birdsong Consultancy, a Communications, Digital and Marketing Agency based … Continued

Having suffered with so much loss in a few short years, Willow Burn Hospice had become a place of refuge for me. I first got involved with Willow Burn in 2011. They looked after my father, who passed away in the February. This was a really difficult time for me but the care that my … Continued

PrintMeIt.com are a local printing and design company working on a national level, serving businesses and organisations all over the United Kingdom and Europe. The company is led by some philanthropic principles trying to support as many organisations as possible. They proud to support charities such as Willow Burn and businesses by offering high quality … Continued

A long time ago, back on the 22nd June 2010 to be exact, after a few too many glasses of wine Nigel decided to enter a half marathon in the Arctic Circle. At the time he was not a runner at all. That was the start of an initial challenge to try and run 10 … Continued

Hi everyone, I’m Laura Forbes, Income Generation Manager at Willow Burn Hospice. As part of the Income Generation Team I mainly focus on Corporate Fundraising and I want to dispel a few myths about what this actually means! When I use the term “Corporate Fundraising” people instantly think that refers to multi million pound businesses … Continued

Magical Winter Wonderland comes to Mountsett House From Sunday 3rd December all of the magic of Christmas is coming to Mounsett House courtesy of Derek and Elaine Armstrong from Tyne Valley Motorhomes. What started as a bit of fun for his grandchildren has escalated over the last few years and the Christmas light display at … Continued

On Saturday 30th September all of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood came to the Black Horse at Beamish for one spectacular night to support Willow Burn Hospice. Guests were greeted by a red carpet entrance with movie style searchlights setting the tone for the evening, while the paparazzi were on hand to snap shots … Continued

What better way to start October, than to be covered in mud and throwing yourself at obstacles you never thought you would be able to tackle? On Sunday 1st October 14 members from BNI Centurion took part in Muddy Mayhem in aid of Willow Burn Hospice and it was a day full of fabulous friendly … Continued

Willow Burn Hospice were delighted to welcome Kay and Sharon from the Crafthood to the Hospice on Friday 22nd September as part of their buy one gift one promise. They wanted to create something with our patients that could be displayed in the Hospice and decided to do block printing to create bunting. The artists … Continued

Everyone has a horror story from a networking event, whether it is the guy who just throws business cards at you without explanation, the pretentious business owner who won’t stop telling you how amazing their business is, or the chatty person who won’t let you move on and NETWORK! On Friday 13th October Willow Burn … Continued

  On Sunday 24th September #TeamWillowBurn riders took on our Pedal for Pounds Challenge Ride – 57 miles across undulating terrain raising funds for Willow Burn! Thank you to everyone who took part and special thanks to the Durham Marriott Hotel Royal County, Consett Rugby Club,  MRS Training and Rescue, John Geoghegan and Ian Bird … Continued

On October 9th The Red Lion Pub in Plawsworth is offering you the chance to enjoy a 3 course meal whilst supporting your local Hospice.  Costing only £19.99 for 3 fabulous courses and set in lovely cosy surroundings, it is the perfect chance to spend time with the family or friends. Each customer will receive … Continued

Back in April, MRS Training & Rescue, based at Houghton, delivered potentially life-saving equipment to Willow Burn Hospice, with the aim of helping people have the best possible quality of life whilst avoiding the need for hospital admission. The hospice first approached Gary Williams, Operations Manager at MRS, as they required some first aid training, … Continued

It’s the dream of couples in love everywhere to be able to hold their perfect wedding; celebrating their union to each other with their nearest and dearest. But what happens if the occasion of their dreams is out of their reach? Our 4 lucky couples are now in with the chance of winning this amazing package! … Continued

In December 1995 Chairman elect, Stewart Wilkinson, arranged a meeting in the Demi Social Club Consett, with the aim of forming a local branch of the Sunderland Supporters Association. Amazingly almost 150 fans attended and as the minimum number required by Sunderland Association Football Club was 50 members, the Consett and District Branch of SAFC … Continued

Join us for our biggest and best Summer Fair yet! On Saturday 15th July we will be welcoming you to St Bede’s School in Lanchester from 12pm – 3pm and with over 30 stalls and entertainment throughout the day there really is something for all the family.   Browse our array of stalls with everything … Continued

This week we caught up with Christine Watchman, the Ladies Captain at Hobson Golf Club. One of her duties as Ladies Captain is to raise funds for charity by hosting a golf and fun day and Christine has very kindly chosen to support Willow Burn Hospice this year. Read our interview with Christine below: Why … Continued

Nicola Little from Digital Sparkles has come up with a unique way to raise funds for Willow Burn Hospice, read her story below!   “Early in January 2017, I pledged to raise £2000 for Willow Burn Hospice. Ever since meeting Laura Douthwaite, Corporate Fundraiser, and working with her team, I’ve felt compelled to help raise … Continued

On Friday 26th May teams battled on the green to win the exclusive Willow Burn Golf Trophy!     The event was held at the stunning George Washington Golf Club, which is one of the most challenging golf courses in the North East of England and was kindly sponsored by Ensure Inheritance. The teams met … Continued

On Sunday April 23rd Jill Young, our very own Willow Burn One braved the streets of London to run the London Marathon for us. Read her story below.   I am Jill Young and this year I was chosen to be the Willow Burn One, running London Marathon in their only charity place. Being the … Continued

Young and old alike should pencil in their diaries Saturday 20th May – as the arrival of Consett’s very first food festival – with a difference at Consett Rugby Club, DH8 6LU.   Not only bringing you a massive selection of local, national and international cuisines, Willow Burn Hospice’s premier Food Festival is the most … Continued

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of our Spring Fayre!   We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that attended our 2017 Spring Fayre at St Bedes School in Lanchester. We had a fantastic range of stalls, including our Easter Egg Eggs-travaganza Tombola, home made cakes, delicious fudge, … Continued

When Willow Burn Hospice threw out a challenge to members of their BNI chapter, Julie Armstrong, of Forever Living – the global health and wellbeing company was quick to rise to the challenge to help raise cash for such a worthy cause. Rallying the support of a handful of business associates from More Than Financial, … Continued

Consett-couple Rachael and Matthew Stewart had the wedding of their dreams this weekend as winners of Willow Burn’s very first Win Your Happily Ever After competition. Made up with luxury and local suppliers, their wedding package was worth more than £13,000 and was the ultimate prize from this local competition held by hospice charity Willow … Continued

Elddis Transport have been supporting Willow Burn Hospice for 10 years and this year Nigel Cook, MD has set himself a huge personal challenge! Here is his story, in his words. Many of you may know that in 2010 I stupidly committed, as a 40 something, unfit and over weight businessman, to run 10 half … Continued

Meet the North East Laundry and Dry Cleaning company that wants to change the way you wash your clothes and do business. We recently caught up with Claire Heathcote, Managing Director of Cleaners for Causes, former Solicitor and mum of two, to find out more. Since the launch of Cleaners for Causes back in 2009 … Continued

Christmas has truly come early for a young County Durham couple who have won a dream wedding after raising thousands of pounds for their local hospice. Rachael Hayley and Matthew Stewart had put their marriage plans on hold after they became parents to Darcey and spent any spare cash on work on their house in Medomsley. … Continued

Willow Burn has bagged a share of a £12.5million carrier bag charge fund & is delighted to announce it has bagged £12,000 from a Tesco funding scheme. Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch the second round of its Bags of Help funding initiative, which sees grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 – all raised … Continued

Last night Willow Burn Hospice attended the North East Charity Awards with Nigel Cook & Elddis Transport. We had a fantastic evening and it was an honour to be in a room with so many inspirational charities and supporters. We are delighted to announce that Elddis won the Outstanding Charity Support by a Large Company … Continued

Every day there is a change, something is always different and usually it is because someone has helped to change it. In this case, an entire school has joined together to raise an amazing amount of money for Willow Burn Hospice. Students and teachers of North Durham Academy in Stanley have been working hard over … Continued

It all started in 2012 with just two men that were “lost in the countryside”. It was John Geoghegan and Steven Morrison – the founders of Plods ‘N’ Bombs. Now, it has developed into an amazing group of people who time and time again have challenged themselves to achieve what most would consider out of … Continued