Company donates £10,000 to boost work of Severn Hospice during pandemic

The hospice, which has bases in both Shrewsbury and Telford as well as running outreach services, saw its fundraising halted by the pandemic.

Its shops, which had to close during lockdown, usually contribute more than £1 million a year to the work of the hospice.

Now Shrewsbury company Morris Lubricants has made a £10,000 donation to the charity.

The company, which celebrated its 150th birthday last year, has strong links to Severn Hospice. The charity opened its first superstore in a 6,000 square foot building rented from the company two years ago in Shrewsbury.

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In normal times, the superstore sells a wide range of items donated to the hospice. However, due to Covid-19 regulations, it is currently not trading and is instead being used as a centralised stock sorting warehouse to support the hospice’s chain of shops.

The charity has 28 high street shops and also a popular eBay shop.

Severn Hospice cares for and supports thousands of families across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Mid Wales who are living with an incurable illness.

Norma Ross, the hospice’s director of income generation, said the pandemic had created an incredibly challenging financial situation for the charity.

“The impact has been huge,” she said.

“We have to raise another £2 for every £1 we receive from the NHS and overnight we lost almost all of our ability to generate that income. Our shops shut, our fundraising events were cancelled and our supporters were told to stay at home.

“Morris Lubricants’ incredibly generous £10,000 donation is hugely appreciated. We are not out of the woods yet financially and support, such as that from the company, means so much to us.

“We are determined to be able to provide the high standard of care for our patients and their families that we are renowned for. Although the world has changed, we just can’t stop caring.”

Edward Goddard, joint executive chairman of Paterson Enterprises, parent company of Morris Lubricants and Morris Leisure, said: “We are pleased to be able to support Severn Hospice which does such fantastic work caring for and supporting families across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Mid Wales.

“The pandemic has been an especially tough time for the hospice and we are keen to do whatever we can to help ease this burden.”