Moya Cole Hospice FAQs

If you have any other questions about the name change, please email hospicename@sah.org.uk.

What will the hospice be called?

The hospice will be called Moya Cole Hospice. The name change will include all of our clinical services at both of our hospice sites and in the community, as well as our charity shops and lottery.

When will the name change happen?

We will become Moya Cole Hospice on Wednesday 1st October 2025.

Why are we changing our name and logo?

Our current branding is outdated and in market research it was described by patients and families as “clinically sad”, “boring” and “unwelcoming”. This is not how we want the hospice to be represented, and this need to modernise the look of the logo was the catalyst to be take a bold step to make bigger changes.

The move to the new name will ensure we celebrate our long heritage while looking to the future, and ensures we are modern, relevant and welcoming to all.

Why are we making this change now?

The building of the new hospice at Heald Green gifts us with a once in a generation opportunity to ensure we are modern, relevant and welcoming to all. Everything at the new hospice will be new, meaning this is the most cost-effective and efficient time to make this change.

How will the rebrand help the hospice?

We believe it will:

• Help to modernise our organisation and prepare us for the future.
• Better reflect the wide and diverse community we serve in Greater Manchester.
• Open up our services to some parts of our community who may not feel St Ann’s is for them.
• Provide the organisation with branding that is more useable and marketable in a digital age to help us to increase our profile.

Overall, we think the organisation needs to be bolder and more forward-thinking in the way we present ourselves to be able to prepare us for the future of hospice care.

Will our name be officially changing?

Yes, our name will be changed with all relevant governance bodies including Companies House, the Charity Commission, Care Quality Commission, Fundraising Regulator, etc.

I have a Direct Debit, lottery membership or have left a gift to St Ann’s Hospice in my Will. Do I need to do anything?

No, our charity number and trading company number stay the same, so you don’t need to do anything. You will notice that the name of the payee on your bank statement will change to Moya Cole Hospice.

Will the services we offer be changing?

There will be no changes to the outstanding care that we provide to people impacted by life-limiting illness in Greater Manchester. Our name is changing but our services will be staying the same.

Will any of the sub-brands be changing?

There are no plans to change the name of any of the services offered at the hospice, for example, The Being You Centre or Hospice@Home. The look of the branding used for these services will change slightly to fit with the new branding – font and colour changes, for example.

What will change for patients as a result of the rebrand?

There will be no change for patients and their loved ones as a result of the rebrand. The name of the hospice is changing but the outstanding level of care and all the services provided will not be changing.

How will we let clinical referrers know about the change?

We will be informing all clinical referrers of our intention to change during the Summer of 2025. Once we change, we will make it clear that St Ann’s Hospice is now Moya Cole Hospice so they are very clear where they are referring to.

What will change for staff as a result of the rebrand?

We will officially write to all employees to confirm in the name change and giving notice of when this is effective from. There will be no changes in staff or the services we provide as a result of the rebrand. The only thing changing is the name of the organisation, and this will appear differently on payslips and the pay name reference when pay is made into bank accounts.

What will change for volunteers as a result of the rebrand?

We will officially write to all volunteers to confirm in the name change. There will be no changes for volunteers other than the name of the organisation. Fundraising volunteers will be supplied with new branded t-shirts for events, and items such as collection buckets will be updated to the new branding.

Who is Moya Cole?

Dr Moya Cole OBE was one of the founders of our Heald Green hospice in Stockport back in 1971 and was also instrumental in the decision for St Ann’s to open a second hospice in Little Hulton in Salford in 1979. She later served as Deputy Chair and Chair of St Ann’s Hospice. The Being You Centre at Little Hulton is named the Moya Cole Centre so we already have that connection with our founder.

Without Moya Cole’s vision and determination there would be no St Ann’s Hospice. You can read more about her here.

What does the word Moya mean?

Moya is a name of Irish origin and is an abbreviation of the name Mary. By naming the hospice after our founder Moya Cole we are given the opportunity to talk about her remarkable story and the pioneering work she did in Manchester for the hospice movement.

Why can’t we rebrand as Manchester Hospice or another location name like other hospices in the region?

Our catchment area could perhaps best be summarised as Greater Manchester Hospice, but as we are already part of the partnership collaborative Greater Manchester (GM) Hospices this would not be a suitable name as we would not want to cause confusion with this important partner.

Our catchment area covers several areas of Greater Manchester including Manchester, Stockport, Salford and Trafford, as well as parts of the neighbouring boroughs and Cheshire. So, there is no “one size fits all” location that would suit us without marginalising patients in some of our catchment area. We are unique in the region in this respect as other hospices have much clearer regional boundaries that can be labelled by one or two locations.

Is the rebrand just for the new hospice at Heald Green?

No, the rebrand covers the entire organisation. The new building at Heald Green is a catalyst to change as everything there will be new anyway, so we have a cost-effective and efficient opportunity to make change at that site.

Why change the name when the hospice is located on St Ann’s Road North?

Our current Heald Green hospice is located on St Ann’s Road North. When we move into our new hospice in Heald Green, while it is next door to the current site, its postal address will be Hardy Field Lane. Our Little Hulton site is on Meadowsweet Lane so has never had the connection to St Ann’s Road North.

Who designed the new logo?

We have worked with award-winning Manchester based design agency Truth Creative. They developed the brand with us and have now handed over the brand to us to roll out.

Why this name, and were others considered?

The brief was to create a new brand for the organisation that celebrated our heritage and prepared us for the future of hospice care. As soon as the story of Moya Cole was discussed it was clear that her inspiring story was the best way to represent this for the hospice.

As an organisation we are empowered by our people. They are the foundations on which everything we do is built, and the hospice is the place it is because of their hard work, dedication and compassion. We want to celebrate them by naming our organisation after one of them. The one who started our journey by having the strength of character to take the first step. The one whose name will now remind us every day, why we do this – Dr Moya Cole.

Other ideas were discussed as part of the creative process but none were strong contenders and Moya Cole Hospice was the clear path to take.

Who was involved in the process of choosing the new branding?

The rebranding process has been fully supported by the Board of Trustees and started with focus groups of staff at the hospice to discuss our current branding, where we want to be in the future and what the hospice stands for. This allowed the branding team to create the Moya Cole Hospice proposal.

We then held market research sessions with the new brand with around 60 people made up of staff, volunteers, supporters, patients and families, as well as the general public in our local area. This market research included 1:1 interviews and focus groups to discuss reaction to the new branding.

How much will the rebrand cost?

It is estimated that the roll out of the new branding across the hospice will cost around £30,000. This is based on experience of other hospices that have rebranded in recent years and looking at quotes for similar work in the past such as signage for a charity shop front.

The design work with Truth Creative to develop the new branding has been costed and already paid for as part of the new hospice project at Heald Green.

The building of the new hospice at Heald Green gives us a clean slate for signage, posters etc at this site. The plans for Phase 2 of redevelopment at Little Hulton also give us opportunities to refresh signage and other branded items at that site during this work as well. This means there will never be a more cost-effective or more efficient time to make these changes, as this signage will need to be created anyway and has already been costed as part of these projects.

Can the investment in the rebranding be justified?

For us to move forward as an organisation we must invest in ourselves, but by doing it at this time, with an in-house team, we can be as cost-effective as possible.

The building of the new hospice at Heald Green gives us a clean slate for signage, posters etc at this site. The plans for Phase 2 of redevelopment at Little Hulton also give us opportunities to refresh signage and other branded items at that site during this work as well. This means there will never be a more cost-effective or efficient time to make these changes as this signage will need to be created anyway and has already been costed as part of these projects.

Our current branding is outdated and in market research it was described by patients and families as “clinically sad”, “boring” and “unwelcoming”. This is not how we want the hospice to be represented and this need to modernise the look of the logo was the catalyst to be take a bold step to make bigger changes. The move to the new name will ensure we celebrate our long heritage while looking to the future, and ensures we are modern, relevant and welcoming to all.

Is the rebrand “woke”? Are we changing to remove the ‘St’?

The move to the new name will ensure we celebrate our long heritage while looking to the future, and ensures we are modern, relevant and welcoming to all.

Through market research, feedback from colleagues working with minority groups, and working with community groups and cultural leaders in our community, we have come to understand that for some, our current brand is perceived as “not for them”. We are committed to ensuring our hospice is open and welcoming to everyone in our community so we can best serve the people of Greater Manchester.

What is going to change in October 2025?

When we rebrand the logo and name will be changed throughout the organisation. On launch day the following will change:

• Main signage at current Heald Green site
• Main signage at Little Hulton
• Shop signage
• Social media
• Website
• Letterheads
• Telephone welcome messages
• Email addresses
• Lanyards and badges
• Posters
• Ambulances and other vehicles
• Governance information such as Charity Commission, Companies House, etc.
• Lots more!

Will all the changes happen overnight?

For the launch day, the main elements of our branding will be changed and we will officially be Moya Cole Hospice. There will be some things that can’t be changed straight away or that would be wasteful to change. For example:

• Shop signage may be changed in a phased way to be most cost-effective and efficient given that there are seven shops to change. A clear timeline for when each shop will change will be shared at the time of launch.
• Signage at our new hospice in Heald Green may not be in place in October, but will be installed in line with the build programme for the site.
• It would be very wasteful to change signage at the current Heald Green site as we will soon be moving to our new site. Only the main signage in the car park and main entrance will be changed.
• Minor signage at Little Hulton will be temporarily changed with vinyl wrapping or stickers, as much of this will be refreshed as part of Phase 2 of the redevelopment. New signage will be installed at this time.

Will there be a transition period where we still reference St Ann’s Hospice?

Yes, for at least the first year of the change, the logo used at key points such as on our website and social media and on letterheads will say “St Ann’s Hospice is now Moya Cole Hospice”. This message will also be used on voice messages on phone lines to avoid confusion wherever possible.

Referral forms for clinical referrers will also include this transitional branding so referrers are clear as to where patients are being referred.

Will we be throwing away lots of old leaflets and posters?

We have had more than a year to prepare for this change so we have started to wind down stocks of leaflets and other printed materials. If any reprints are needed in the interim we will order small amounts. If there are any materials left at the time of the launch we will take the view whether to discard and recycle them or continue using in the interim to avoid wastage.

Will branded items such as t-shirts and pin badges be thrown away?

We have been planning for this change for a long time so we have started to wind down stocks. We also have ways to recycle t-shirts etc already in circulation if they are no longer needed.

I have more questions, who should I ask?

If you have any other questions about the name change, please email hospicename@sah.org.uk.