Amanda and Danny’s Story

My name is Danny, and I want to share our story – mine and my partner, Amanda’s in the hope it helps protect hospice care for other families who may need it in the future.

Amanda was only 41 years old when she died at Springhill Hospice in April 2025. She was a young mum, full of warmth, humour, and plans for the life we thought stretched far ahead of us. We had children to raise and memories still to make.

When Amanda was first diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2010, she was told she might only have two years to live. She defied every expectation. For years, she kept living, really living, through remissions, setbacks, and endless appointments. In 2024, we were told we had three to six months left together.

Nothing prepares you for that.

Before we came to Springhill, I thought I knew what a hospice would be like. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Springhill wasn’t a place of endings. It was a place of warmth, dignity, laughter and life. It’s the small things I’ll always remember. Sitting outside in the sunshine.

The nurses taking the time to do Amanda’s hair. Nurse Debbie painting her nails so she could feel like herself again. Helping her to enjoy time outside even when oxygen could so easily have confined her to bed. In those moments, she wasn’t a patient. She was Amanda. She was still a mum.

This is what Springhill Hospice makes possible and it only happens because people like you choose to support it. Every day, families across our community turn to Springhill at the most difficult moments of their lives. The care they receive is expert, compassionate, and free at the point of need.

But what many people don’t see is the growing financial pressure behind that care.

The Fundraising Team have told me that over the last five years, the cost of providing Hospice care has risen by more than £2 million a year and demand for its services has never been higher.

Last year, Springhill’s running costs were over £400,000 more than it could raise. This year, that figure is expected to rise to around £750,000.

In plain terms, the Hospice now needs to raise over £12,000 every single day, just to continue providing care at its current level.

Springhill Hospice is not closing. Care is being delivered today.

But the growing gap, between what care costs and what the Hospice is able to raise, is not sustainable. If it continues, it will inevitably place pressure on the services families rely on.

That is why your support now matters so much. It’s about making sure the Springhill Team can care for as many patients as possible and that they can continue to provide the highest level of care. It’s about protecting the moments that matter the most. Ensuring another mum can feel the sun on her face. Another family can share laughter. Another child can make memories they’ll carry forever.

I can’t bear the thought of other families missing out on the care that meant everything to us.

So today, I’m asking you, from the bottom of my heart, to stand with Springhill Hospice. Whatever you are able to give will help close this growing gap and protect the care that families like mine depend on. Your donation will help keep nurses at the bedside, keep pain under control and dignity intact, not just today, but for every day.

Please, if you can, give today; because your kindness doesn’t just fund care, it gives families time, comfort, and love when they need it most.

With heartfelt thanks,

Danny