WILLOWBROOK HOSPICE
Registered charity 1020240 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as ST HELENS AND KNOWSLEY HOSPICE
Provision of palliative Care
Causes: The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a net reduction in funds of £84,155 for the year ended 31 March 2025, compared to a surplus in the previous year. The trustees report that free reserves of £5,593,233 represent approximately 11 months of total running costs, which they consider an adequate level to cover short-term plans without placing undue risk on financial stability. Despite a challenging financial climate and rising operational costs, the charity remains committed to sustaining its services through diversified income streams.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Related-party transaction: The document states normal commercial terms applied.
“During the year the Charity paid £2,231 (2024 - £1,368) for goods from a company in which the trustee, Mr S Fairhurst, is a director and shareholder. Normal commercial terms applied.” — page 39
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Willowbrook Hospice Trading Company Limited
“The principal activity of the subsidiary company, Willowbrook Hospice Trading Company Limited is to operate our portfolio of retail sites for the sole benefit of Willowbrook Hospice.” — page 9
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Livesey Spottiswood. Discloses 3 of 6 completeness components.
In the news
Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).
Corporate structure
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Willowbrook Hospice (matched by registered charity number).
Leadership, per the charity’s website
- Ian Craig — Chairman (source)
- Lynda Finney — Executive Clinical Director (source)
Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.
Company officers (Companies House)
Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.
- PENNINGTON, Beverley — director, appointed 02/03/2026not on trustee list
- HARGREAVES, Simon Alistair, Dr — director, appointed 24/11/2025on trustee list
- WILLIAMS, Sarah Jane — director, appointed 24/11/2025on trustee list
- NUTTALL, Carol — director, appointed 29/09/2025on trustee list
- TOOHEY, James Ian — director, appointed 18/11/2024on trustee list
- PRICE, Michelle — director, appointed 18/11/2024on trustee list
- PUGH, David Russell — director, appointed 18/11/2024on trustee list
- SANSBURY, Allan — director, appointed 27/11/2023on trustee list
- BARON, Alan, Dr — director, appointed 21/11/2022on trustee list
- CRAIG, Ian Ashley — director, appointed 06/07/2020on trustee list
- DOBSON, Jonathan — director, appointed 06/07/2020on trustee list
- FAIRHURST, Stephen Richard — director, appointed 06/07/2020on trustee list
- CARBERRY, Sarah — director, appointed 26/09/2019on trustee list
- VAN DESSEL, Michael Gerard, Dr — director, appointed 22/05/2014not on trustee list
- INGLESBY, Elaine — director, appointed 29/10/2009on trustee list
- BEEBY, Karen, Dr — director, appointed 27/09/2007on trustee list
- BARON, Alan, Dr — secretary, appointed 01/05/2025
Official officers record.
Property (HM Land Registry)
5 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (2 freehold); recorded price paid £250k. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
CQC provider record: Willowbrook Hospice — Registered, 1 registered location, 1 regulated activity, last inspected 19/12/2019.charity number confirmed by CQC CQC record
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£1.9m
Reported reserves equal ~10.5 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 30.3% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).
Care Quality Commission ratings
CQC inspection ratings for services run by a provider matching this charity’s name (matched by name; verify provider identity on CQC’s site).
- Willowbrook Hospice: Outstanding (11/02/2020) · CQC record
- Ian Ashley Craigchair · trustee of 1 other charity
- Allan Sansbury
- Carol Nuttall
- DR Michael Van Dessel
- David Russell Pugh
- Dr Alan Baron
- Dr KAREN BEEBY
- Dr Simon Hargreaves
- ELAINE INGLESBY
- James Toohey
- Jonathan Dobson
- Michelle Price
- Sarah Carberry
- Sarah Williams
- Stephen Richard Fairhurst
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Cheshire East · Cheshire West & Chester · Knowsley · Lancashire · Liverpool City · Sefton · St Helens · Wirral
Income and spending
Common questions
Is WILLOWBROOK HOSPICE financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net reduction in funds of £84,155 for the year ended 31 March 2025, compared to a surplus in the previous year. The trustees report that free reserves of £5,593,233 represent approximately 11 months of total running costs, which they consider an adequate level to cover short-term plans without placing undue risk on financial stability. Despite a challenging financial climate and rising operational costs, the charity remains committed to sustaining its services through diversified income streams. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Livesey Spottiswood.
Who funds WILLOWBROOK HOSPICE?
Funders whose own accounts filings name WILLOWBROOK HOSPICE as a grant recipient include CECIL PILKINGTON CHARITABLE TRUST, DUCHY OF LANCASTER BENEVOLENT FUND, THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARY'S PRESCOT, THE HEMBY CHARITABLE TRUST, SKIPTON BUILDING SOCIETY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
Funders of similar charities
Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with HOSPICE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD LTD.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.