A Sheffield Hospice has appealed for people to leave ‘legacy gifts’ in their wills to support their services due to a lack of public funding.

St Luke’s Hospice has joined the Hospice UK ‘National Gift in Wills’ campaign, alongside 143 hospices across the UK. The campaign highlights the importance of caregiving and leaving legacy gifts to keep hospices running across the UK.

The charity’s Chief Executive Jo Lenton said: “The gifts we receive in wills are a crucial part of our charitable funding, paying for the care of one in six of our patients, and without them, we simply could not continue to exist as we do.”

Through the ‘National Gift in Wills’ campaign, people can leave a legacy gift or funds in their will to a hospice of their choice, which then helps caregivers provide future services for the ill.

Since hospice care is offered free of cost to those who are admitted to St. Luke’s care and services are estimated to cost around £14 million per year. Only a quarter of these funds are provided by the NHS and the government, the hospice is heavily reliant on public funds.

St. Luke’s looks after people over 18 across Sheffield with all kinds of terminal illnesses. Last year, the charity cared for around 1,800 patients – some of whom came to the hospice but many more were looked after at home by the St Luke’s team of community nurses.

Although St. Luke’s has participated in several campaigns over the years, this is their first time participating in a targeted campaign that not only raises money, but also raises awareness required to provide care for future generations.

John Highfield, the media relations manager at St. Luke’s believes that if the hospice decides to run solely on the government funds, then it would not be able to sustain for more than a few months.

“Public support is vital to our future. The ‘Gift in Wills’ campaign is one more way of saying to the people that one day you might need us, and we need to be there for you.”