Community Grant Awards: St Wilfrid’s Hospice

Hailsham Town Council has provided funding of £1,000 to St Wilfrid’s Hospice, one of a number of recent grants given to local community groups and voluntary associations as part of the Council’s 2025/26 Community Grants Scheme.

A total of £12,215.47 has been awarded to a wide range of non-profit organisations, aimed at enhancing facilities, activities, and projects that benefit the residents of Hailsham. Such funds are intended to assist organisations that rely on public donations, fundraising, and volunteers to deliver valuable services to the community.​

St Wilfrid’s Hospice provides high-quality care for people across Hailsham, Eastbourne, Seaford, Uckfield, Heathfield and surrounding areas with life-limiting conditions. Their expert teams support the physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual and practical needs of patients, and their families and carers. Serving a catchment area of over 230,000, the Hospice looks after over 1,500 patients every year. There is also a Hospice at Home team who visit and care for patients in their own homes.

“At a time when we are having to reduce our workforce because the cost of our care is higher than our income, we are extremely grateful for Hailsham Town Council’s generous support for St Wilfrid’s Hospice,” said Colin Twomey, CEO of St Wilfrid’s Hospice, Eastbourne.

“Most people wish to remain at home when they are diagnosed with a terminal illness. In 2023-24, we supported more than 80% of hospice patients in their own homes through invaluable community services including that provided by our community nursing team. Our community nurses offer advice, support and reassurance as well as invaluable co-ordination with other professionals and agencies involved in the care of patients and their loved ones.”

“In 2024-25, our community nurses supported 305 residents in Hailsham and surrounding areas of whom 215 were patients and 90 were carers. This year, allowing for modest transport costs of £5 per visit, Hailsham Town Council’s most recent £1,000 grant will pay for 200 (39%) of a total of 511 visits by our nurses to hospice patients and their families living in and around the town.”

“Many thanks again Hailsham Town Council from us all at St Wilfrid’s.”

The Mayor of Hailsham, Cllr Chris Bryant commented: “The Town Council is pleased to offer a grant of £1,000 to St Wilfrid’s Hospice, which will help them to continue their excellent work providing high quality specialist palliative and end-of-life care in our local community. Many of the people who I have spoken to in Hailsham that have had some kind of interaction with the hospice has nothing but commendation for the care and attention they offer to patients.”

“Our grant scheme is the main way in which the Town Council provides funding and support to the voluntary sector. Most of the time, voluntary groups and charities survive on the generosity of donations from the public, fundraising and the willingness of volunteers to give up their time.”

A full list of recipients of the Community Grants Scheme can be found here.