Willowbrook Hospice
Who we are and what we do?
Willowbrook Hospice supports people living with life-limiting illnesses, as well as their families and the wider community. Alongside its hospice care, Willowbrook runs community initiatives designed to reduce loneliness, provide emotional support and help people feel more connected.
Through its Compassionate Neighbours and Chatty Café programmes, Willowbrook brings people together in relaxed, welcoming environments where they can socialise, take part in activities and access support. The organisation also works alongside district nurses to provide specialist palliative care support to people in their own homes.
How has the grant helped?
Funding from the Oliver Lymes Charity has supported two important areas of Willowbrook's work.
The grant initially enabled Willowbrook to pilot a District Nurse Support Service, working alongside district nurses to provide additional specialist palliative care support in the community. This gave nurses more opportunities to spend time with patients and families, particularly around sensitive subjects such as end-of-life care and advance care planning.
The service also provided education and training for district nurses, including guidance on palliative care, syringe drivers, medications, advance care planning and the spiritual needs of patients. The pilot was highly valued by both patients and families and by the district nursing teams.
The funding has since helped Willowbrook continue this service, with hospice nurses providing specialist support and continuity of care to patients in their own homes. In one case, a hospice nurse was able to provide vital support to a patient experiencing significant pain and agitation, make appropriate changes to their medication, reassure the family and provide a detailed referral to the hospice. Following her involvement, the patient's symptoms improved significantly and the family felt confident to continue caring for him at home.
The grant has also supported the development of Chatty Cafés, which grew from Willowbrook's Compassionate Neighbours project. The cafés provide a welcoming space for people experiencing loneliness, illness, bereavement or other challenges to meet others, enjoy activities and build social connections.
From live music and singing to quizzes, talks, dancing and social activities, the cafés have created opportunities for people to come together and enjoy new experiences. They have also provided a safe environment to talk more openly about subjects such as death, dying, loss and mental health.
Updates
The Chatty Café programme continues to grow, with groups running in St Helens and Prescot and plans to expand into Whiston and other local areas. Willowbrook is also working with social prescribers from Primary Care Networks across St Helens and Knowsley to help connect more people with the service.
Recent café activities have included live music, a community choir, chair-based dancing, talks from hospice staff and the emergency services, social events and activities in the hospice grounds. The programme continues to provide opportunities for people to come together, enjoy new experiences and build meaningful connections.
Willowbrook has also continued to create opportunities for people to connect and support one another beyond its regular café activities. During National Grief Awareness Week 2025, users of the bereavement service, volunteers, staff and trustees came together for a winter walk in support of those experiencing loss. The event highlighted the benefits of walking and spending time outdoors as a way of supporting emotional wellbeing and helping people take positive steps through grief.
In June 2026, Willowbrook hosted a Summer Social, bringing together people who use its services for an afternoon of music, games and laughter. Recognising the challenges faced by patients, their families and those experiencing bereavement, the event provided a welcome opportunity to relax, enjoy one another's company and celebrate the positive impact of coming together.
Feedback from Chatty Café attendees has also been extremely positive, with 100% rating their overall experience as excellent, 100% rating the refreshments excellent and 100% rating the entertainment excellent. Everyone surveyed said they felt less lonely, would attend again and would recommend the café to someone else.
The District Nurse Support Service is also continuing, with Willowbrook providing structured training for district nurses through its Practice Development Facilitators. This includes specialist sessions covering palliative care, syringe drivers, spiritual care and advance care planning.
Through these activities and services, Willowbrook continues to demonstrate the importance of community, companionship and emotional support for people facing some of life's most difficult experiences.