Sophie Dawson - Senior Communications Officer, Teesside Hospice.
Why was the charity formed?
Since it was formed in 1982, Teesside Hospice has been providing specialist care to people across the region who are faced with life limiting illness, as well as their families. Our services also cover bereavement support, wellbeing services and a lymphoedema clinic. Teesside Hospice also has 14 retail stores which provide support through the sale of inexpensive goods to the public.
We support around 3,000 people in Tees Valley each year, working towards our mission of being there for everyone who needs us, and changing the way society and healthcare systems care for people with terminal illness.
Which area do you cover?
We’re here for everyone across the whole of Teesside, parts of North Yorkshire, Redcar and Cleveland providing care and support to thousands each year.
What type of fundraising events do you have?
We hold a wide range of events throughout the year, so there really is something for everyone.
Supporters light up the streets to remember their loved ones as part of our Midnight Walk; get on their dancing shoes for our annual ball; explore the hidden gems of Stokesley at our open gardens event; and take on challenges such as the Great North Run and Middlesbrough 10k.
We also hold an annual Golf Day, which takes place on July 3rd 2025.
One of our largest upcoming events is Tea for Teesside, which runs throughout the Summer. Every cuppa counts as we encourage the community to hold their own ‘coffee morning’ fundraiser in aid of Teesside Hospice.
Who are your trustees and patrons?
We’re supported by a board of dedicated trustees, who provide expert advice and oversight to ensure Teesside Hospice is operating at the highest standard. These trustees come from all walks of life and have wide-ranging successes, meaning they’re best placed to guide the hospice.
What have been your proudest moments so far?
The amazing people that support the hospice make us proud every day. Staff, volunteers, donors – their commitment to providing the best possible support to the community is simply outstanding.
Just one example of this is a lady called Anne, whose story you can read on our website. Anne came to Teesside Hospice when she was no longer able to manage her illness at home and despite being uncertain of what hospice care would involve, she couldn’t have praised our team any higher, saying: “I’m so grateful I found Teesside Hospice to help me make the most out of my time here”. Hearing stories like this from patients makes us beyond proud of the whole Teesside Hospice support system.
What are you currently working on?
We’re launching our new strategy, which has been developed in consultation with staff, volunteers and stakeholders and lays out four key goals for the hospice: Everyone matters – people are at our core; Provide more support to more people; Excellence in all we do; and charity of choice across our community.
We’ve always been working towards these goals in many ways, but they’ve been refined so that we can all work better as one, to provide the highest standard of care and continue to grow.
What does the future hold?
As part of our new strategy and commitment to growth, we’re expanding the high-quality services we offer to allow us to reach more people, closer to where they live. We also aspire to develop new services that will meet currently unmet needs.
With this growth in mind, we’re diversifying our income streams to find more ways to fund these future goals. One of these streams includes potentially opening a retail superstore in the future.
People in the region need us: we’re going to be here for everyone, in more ways than ever before, delivering excellence in all we do.
How do you get involved?
There are so many ways to get involved with Teesside Hospice, and however you choose to support, you’ll be making a huge difference to the local community.
This could be:
Volunteering your time working in our retail shops, café, or other areas of the hospice
Fundraising on our behalf, or taking part in a fundraising event
Simply sharing the message of Teesside Hospice and our services to raise awareness.
Any kind of support allows us to continue to help people of Teesside live as well as possible, for as long as possible.
For more information, visit www.teessidehospice.org