The Diana Princess of Wales Hospice Care at Home Trust (Hospice at Home) is celebrating 25 years of fundraising in 2023 with an ambition to achieve its highest-ever annual fundraising total this year.

Its most successful year for fundraising to date was 2021 when it raised £128,450.

Founded in 1998 by Don and Ali Westacott, the Diana Princess of Wales Hospice Care at Home Trust is a registered Isle of Man charity.

Since then, Hospice at Home has raised over £1.4million to help fund specialist nurses to provide respite care and end-of-life palliative care for Isle of Man residents with cancer or other life-limiting illnesses who wish to remain at home in their last days.

Chair of Hospice at Home, Jennifer Houghton, said: ‘Hospice at Home is also attempting to have generated donations totalling £2million by the end of the decade and requires £600,000 to achieve this goal. A total of £508,000 has been raised in the last five years so if we continue with this track record, we should be able to reach our goal.

‘Our 25th anniversary is the perfect opportunity to highlight that supporting Hospice at Home is more important than ever.

‘The demand for the Hospice at Home service remains high and is provided free of charge to patients resident in the Isle of Man by wonderful specialist nurses from Hospice Isle of Man.

‘With the evolving nature of the Isle of Man’s population leading to an ever-increasing average age in population over the next few years, we expect demand for home hospice services to continue to grow.

‘In 2022 the hospice at home service provided over 2,400 hours of care, helping to support the choice of almost 100 people to spend their last days at home.’

Fundraising efforts are coordinated and delivered by the board of trustees and committee members, all of whom give their time on a voluntary basis.

There is a busy schedule of events planned for 2023 including the continuation of the Raad ny Foillan Challenges, which have given hundreds of people an opportunity to walk around the island in stages along the 100-mile Raad ny Foillan footpath.

Donations for Hospice at Home can be made to www.justgiving.com/hospiceathomeiom or directly to its Lloyds Bank Account (Sort Code 30-12-80; Account 48285560).

Details of fundraising events will be posted on the Hospice at Home website at www.hospiceathome.im