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Click here to donate to the Build it Together appeal now.

We’re excited to today be launching a £2million public appeal for a new hospice building which will transform end of life care for residents of Greater Manchester – and we need your help!

Our ‘Build It Together’ appeal is urging local people to come together to help us raise the final £2million needed for our flagship new hospice, which will be a leading facility for end of life care in the UK. 

Our current St Ann’s building in Heald Green, Stockport is more than 150 years old, and is no longer fit for purpose with limited air-flow, many small rooms with limited natural light and narrow corridors. The new bright and airy hospice building will help St Ann’s transform care and quality of life for palliative and end of life care patients across Greater Manchester. 

A new building is now desperately needed – meaning if a new one isn’t built, hospice services in the area may be forced to close.  We’re hoping that the public will get behind the campaign, meaning building work can start later in the  year.

Actors Lee Boardman and Jennifer James are backing the urgent appeal to build our new hospice. 

Lee and his family reached out to St Ann’s for support eight years ago.  His sister Mandy died of cancer in January 2014 and his younger sister, Suzy, was dying of secondaries from breast cancer at the same time. 

He said: “My family went through an unimaginable time of heartbreak.  

“Within weeks of losing Mandy, Suzy degenerated to the point where she just couldn’t live at home on her own. She urgently needed more specialist care and support than we, her family, could provide. I’d grown up in Stockport so thankfully we’d heard of St Ann’s Hospice. 

“I was in such a state of high anxiety and emotion but we just rocked up and I begged them to help Suzy.  They were amazing and literally, within four hours, St Ann’s had lifted the weight that we’d been carrying for so long off our shoulders.” 

“We felt – and still feel – forever indebted to St Ann’s, and, although it took a long time to heal from the losses I suffered, I said that I’d literally do anything I could in return for the support they gave my family.  When I heard recently that St Ann’s urgently needs to build a new hospice, I had to step in to help.”  

The ambitious £21.5million project will see our current outdated building on St Ann’s Road North replaced with a purpose-built modern facility on land adjacent to the current site. 

Rachel McMillan, our Chief Executive, said: “It was only thanks to the community of Greater Manchester that, fifty one years ago, St Ann’s was able to first open the doors to Manchester’s hospice. Now, as we prepare for the next phase in the history of specialist palliative and end of life care in the area, we are appealing to that community again to support the building of their new hospice.   

“We know it’s a big ask, but that same community has always been here for us – we never take that for granted, and we’re proud to have such deep roots in the areas we serve across Greater Manchester. 

The building will comprise a 27-bed inpatient unit including 21 en-suite bedrooms with access to private outdoor terraces.  It will also feature modern outpatient and day therapy services, dedicated bereavement and family support spaces, offices, a café which will be open to the public, landscaped gardens and improved car parking.   

It will also be home to the only non-university immersive healthcare training suite in the area, with integrated technology and the capacity to simulate real life scenarios.  This will allow experts from across St Ann’s to share our specialist knowledge with other organisations and help drive excellence in palliative and end of life care both locally and nationally. 

Rachel said: “In Greater Manchester we’re used to doing things differently and leading the way.  We’re proud that we provide world-class hospice care from right here in this amazing city, and as the needs of patients change, we need to evolve too to make sure we can continue to give them the truly personalised care that they deserve. 

“We simply can’t continue to care for local people in our current building.  It is no longer fit for purpose and we’re in real danger of having to close services in the near future if we don’t complete this project. 

“We support people at all stages of their life-limiting illness, and if we weren’t here, those patients simply wouldn’t be able to access local, specialist care.  At a time which for many is one of the most vulnerable in their life, that’s unthinkable.” 

The new building has been designed with the environment in mind, being ecologically efficient, using the latest green initiatives including a green roof, PC panelling and grey water solutions.  The car park will have electric charging points and plentiful room for bicycles. 

Lee added: “I’ve seen the plans for the new hospice and they are outrageously brilliant.  The architects have really thought about the needs of patients and families.  

“Building the new hospice is not a ‘nice to have’ option.  It’s an absolutely necessity, so it’s vital that we all rally round now to do our bit and help build a new St Ann’s together.” 

We’re asking individuals, businesses and others locally to make a donation, or get in touch to find out more and pledge support to help raise the £2million we need. 

To make a donation now, please click here or text LETSBUILDIT to 70085 to give £20 now. You can also call 0161 498 3631 to speak to a member of the team.

Thank you!  Let’s build it together.

The golf event, which is a staple on the St Ann’s annual fundraising calendar, was attended by fifteen teams, made up of players from across Greater Manchester and beyond. 

 The one-day event, which was held at Dunham Golf Club, was open to all levels, giving teams the opportunity to practice their putting and sharpen their swing whilst raising vital funds for local patients. 

 This year the winning team was a group from Cargill, who were presented with a special trophy in honour of their achievement.  A raffle on the day, giving participants the opportunity to win a selection of luxury prizes, raised additional much-needed funds for the charity – which has to raise around £20,000 a day to keep its services running. 

St Ann’s Hospice supports people with life-limiting illnesses from its sites in Heald Green and Little Hulton, as well as via a range of community and outreach services.  It is one of the oldest and largest hospices in the UK, having celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021.