Hospice Isle of Man’s Braddan headquarters will reopen its doors next week following renovation work, writes Helen McKenna.

The palliative care charity lost around £350,000 over the lockdown period because wellwishers couldn’t raise money and the shops were shut.

But it did receive a donation to enable it to complete renovations in one year rather than the estimated five.

Tevir Group donated £1m in June, which was solely used for the Hospice building refurbishment. Since 2016, the group has donated a total of £2.5m.

Patients were looked after in Southlands, Port Erin, when the main hospice building shut.

Chief executive Anne Mills said this year’s pandemic hit the charity hard.

’Annual running costs are around £5.3 to £5.5 million,’ she said.

’It is different this year though. We receive around £600,000 from the DHSC, but that will stop in March because they will be commissioning us on a contractual basis as opposed to giving us a grant.

’As we’re the only providers of specialist palliative care on the island, I’d like to think that the DHSC would be looking to us.’

The Hospice was due to finish renovations in May, but the pandemic meant that it took longer than expected.

Mrs Mills continued: ’With the shops being shut for that length of time, we would normally have about £500,000 coming from our shops. It’s caught up a bit, which I’m pleased to say, but we must have lost about £350,000 from around that time. ’

’We couldn’t fundraise, from having no events. So, we’ve been fundraising online - people have been digitally giving and holding virtual marathons, but with no events it’s been really difficult.’

Patients and staff will relocate from Rebecca House on Saturday, with staff being trained on new equipment on Tuesday, December 15.

Mrs Mills added: ’We were expecting to come back in September, but with all the exemptions and UK workers coming over in their social bubbles, it was an unanticipated timescale to get all that work finished. I feel really sorry for those who would have benefitted from an inpatient stay.

’We do know how special this service is to the Isle of Man and we want to get it going as fast as we possibly can.’

The refurbished Hospice features new bedrooms, a children’s messy area and larger dream room which is more accessible to patients in beds, new in-patient reception doors, therapy spaces, apartments for families, a canopy over the in-patient entrance and patio doors in some bedrooms to access the garden.

All services the charity offers are free of charge to patients, with more than 30% of patients being treated for non-cancer related terminal or life-threatening illnesses.

Mrs Mills said despite the lack of fundraising events and shop closures, the generosity from the public has been evident.

’The people of the Isle of Man are as generous as they’ve ever been and when shops were shut, we were getting people sending us big donations. We can’t thank them enough for getting behind us.

’Going forward, we still need them to be behind us. It’s quite a task raising the money to deliver our services, but it’s the people’s hospice and they’re the one’s who are driving its success.’

Hospice IOM is seeking corporate social responsibility initiatives to work with it and can also collaborate with other charities.