Weldmar Hospicecare

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Weldmar Hospicecare

Weldmar Hospicecare is a Dorset charity providing specialist end of life care. All of our care is free.

Weldmar Hospicecare is an independent Dorset charity that provides free end of life care for adults with a life limiting illness, and support for their loved ones. Our compassionate approach supports patients and their families in the community, at home, and in our hospice. We have a dedicated team of nurses, doctors, therapists, social workers and counsellors, but only 21% of our funds are provided by the NHS – the rest is raised for our Dorset charity thanks to the support of the local community. Our aim is to ensure all patients needing end of life care in Dorset have access to excellent services, delivered when they are needed, meeting individual needs of patients and their loved ones.

02/04/2026

This Easter holidays, Weldmar’s Patient and Family Support Services team are facilitating special activities to support families in Weldmar’s care, and today they have paid a visit to Dorset Falconry Park.

In the beautiful sunshine, families got to learn all about the incredible birds at the centre, take part in games and got creative with clay – all to help enhance wellbeing, and meet and connect with others in similar situations.

“The support we get from Sandra (Weldmar's Children and Young Person's Counsellor) and everybody has been huge, especially for my two boys,” explains Pip, who attended the session. “These days just let them breathe a little bit and just forget about everything we’ve gone through the last couple of years and just have fun and be kids.” She added, “Weldmar are always there at the end of the phone if we need to talk to them or anything, it’s invaluable. They’re amazing.”

Read more about this story on our website - link in comments.

02/04/2026

EASTER WEEKEND WELDMAR SHOP OPENING HOURS 🐣

If you're planning on making the most out of Easter Weekend and you love charity shopping, then we have some good news for you!

All of our shops will be open from 9am - 5pm on Good Friday, and open as normal on Saturday 4th April, too.

Then on Easter Sunday there are four shops opening from 10am - 4pm. These are Weymouth St Thomas Street, Lyme Regis, Swanage and Sherborne.

And on Easter Monday the following shops will be open from 10am - 4pm.

- Dorchester Superstore, Marabout Trading Estate
- Blandford Outlet
- Yeovil
- Wyke Regis
- Swanage
- Weymouth, St Thomas Street
- Sherborne
- Shaftesbury
- Lyme Regis
- Lodmoor
- Portland
- Dorchester, Trinity Street
- Bridport

01/04/2026

🎈 25 Years in Swanage! 🎈
No April Fools mischief here- just a massive milestone! Weldmar Hospicecare have officially been part of the Swanage high street for 25 years, and today we celebrated in style!

The shop was buzzing with a large team of staff and volunteers, as well as enthusiastic shoppers. From delicious homemadee cakes to a bit of high-stakes fun cracking the code on our gift card safe, the atmosphere was brilliant.

Director of Retail, Gavin Anderson-Terry, said:

"A huge thank you to the local community who continue to support our shops by donating quality items, volunteering, or coming in to shop with us. Here’s to many more years promoting sustainable shopping in the heart of Swanage!"

30/03/2026

"It can be difficult, but every day you come away with a sense of what’s important ... you see a lot of human strength and resilience, which really stays with you.”

Dr Helen Parsons has been part of the team at Weldmar for the past 22 years, based at our Inpatient Unit in Dorchester as Lead Consultant, and says no two days are the same: "I work with patients who are here at the Inpatient Unit, and that involves lots of conversations with them and their families and some quite complex decision making. I’ll assess difficult symptoms such as pain or shortness of breath. I also help to support and advise other teams who provide care to patients, such as our Specialist Hospice at Home service out in the community.

“Palliative care is quite different to other branches of medicine, as it’s not about finding a cure. It’s about getting to know a person and finding out what matters and what is important to them, and the key thing is trying to help them lead as good a life in a time of great uncertainty. It’s also about conversations. Listening to people, making sure they feel heard and understood, and supporting families – so lots of holistic support as well as through medicine."

Helen is pictured here alongside trainee GP Luke Martin, and Dr Matt Coffin. Read more about her role, and what it means to her to be a consultant at Weldmar, on our website - link in comments.

29/03/2026

As part of Autism Acceptance Week 2026, from Monday 30th March to Saturday 4th April Weldmar Hospicecare's shop in Wool will have a specially curated selection of stock on display, and will be making some small changes to help make charity shopping even more accessible to those of all ages who need it.

Throughout the week there will be a daily quiet hour from 11am to 12pm to help shoppers who may find regular retail environments overstimulating.

"We're proud to be supporting an autism-friendly week in our shop, including a dedicated quiet hour." says Shop Manager, Tina McGavin.

"It's a small change that can make a big difference. It's important to be kind and inclusive because everyone deserves to feel welcome."

The week holds a personal significance to Tina, whose son is autistic. She has been the driving force behind the week, drawing on her family's experience to create relevant and helpful stock displays, and suggest accommodations to foster an even more inclusive shopping environment.

"As a mum, I’ve learned that what might seem small to others can be a big achievement. I’ve learned the importance of patience, routine, and seeing the world through someone else’s eyes." Tina says.

"But most of all, I’ve learned how powerful acceptance really is."

To read more about the week, please see the link below.

29/03/2026

Get ready to DANCE TO THE MUSIC - Last few tickets remaining!
🕺✨

If you’re looking for a night of GOOD VIBRATIONS, we’ve got just the ticket. The current Mayor of Weymouth, Councillor Caroline Nickinson, is hosting a groovy 60s/70s themed disco at the Centenary Club in Weymouth on Friday 10th April.

Now, I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE that some of you might not know her history, SWEET CAROLINE was actually one of the founders of Weldmar and served as Director of Fundraising for many years. As Mayor, she has selected Weldmar Hospicecare as her chosen charity for this civic year. Talk about earning some serious RESPECT!

So put on your grooviest outfit and get ready to take to the dance floor, it’s certainly going to be a night to remember. After a few songs, I’M A BELIEVER that you won’t want to leave!

Caroline has also organised a raffle, which is £1 to enter, and the first prize is £200 cash kindly donated by Agincare , with other top prizes of £100 cash kindly donated by the developers of Brewers Quay, and £100 in Hall & Woodhouse vouchers.

You can purchase tickets for the disco, and raffle tickets, on our website at the link below.

28/03/2026

LAST FEW SPACES REMAINING FOR 2026

Friends, family, colleagues - if there are a group of you up for a challenge, our abseil is a fantastic event to sign up for as a team.

With expert instruction from , there's lots of encouraging one another, loads of fun and a shared memory of achieving something brilliant together against the beautiful backdrop of the Jurassic Coast.

If you'd like to take part though, be quick! Spaces tend to fill up before the deadline.

When: Sunday 10th May
Where: Portland

For more information and to sign up, see the link in the comments.

28/03/2026

ELEPHANTS NEVER FORGET AN ANNIVERSARY! Weldmar Hospicecare's Stampede By The Sea began one year ago today! An eight week Wild in Art trail featuring sixty brilliantly designed elephants around Bridport, West Bay and Lyme Regis! 🐘

💙💚 The trail raised £182,500 towards care for local people with a life limiting illness.

📢 Just as importantly, it raised awareness of Weldmar's range of services, such as the Specialist Hospice at Home in the west of the county - 76% of trail goers said they understood more about hospice care.

👨‍👨‍👦‍👦 An estimated 129,694 people engaged with the trail, which contributed an estimated £2.5m to the local economy!

👩‍🏫 24 local schools participated in our Learning Programme - giving teachers the tools to look after children experiencing bereavement, and each designed a Baby Elephant for the trail.

👐 Herd Hero volunteers gave more than 1,100 hours of their time to make it all happen.

Thank you to everyone who was a part of this amazing project for Weldmar Hospicecare.

Share your favourite thing about the trail, and let us know if you'd like us to do another one...

27/03/2026

Help us turn your pre-loved treasures into hospice care. 💙💚

In all of our shops we're so lucky to have such incredible local support! Your amazing donations continue to help us to raise the vital funds we need to provide specialist end of life care and support to patients and their loved ones.

If the recent sunshine has you in spring cleaning mode, we’d love to take items you're looking to declutter! To help our retail team make the absolute most of every item, we have a few quick tips to help you

1. Make sure everything is good, clean and in working order
2. Bring in what you can comfortably carry - it doesn't take long to fill a stock room!
3. Feel free to phone ahead before dropping off donations - sometimes we have to pause briefly while hardworking volunteers and staff sort through them.
4. And finally if you're a UK taxpayer, please register for Gift Aid with us. Once you've registered, we can claim an additional 25% on top of what your items sell for.

Every donation helps us provide comfort and care when it's needed most. Thank you for thinking of us!

26/03/2026

The future of specialist end of life care in Shaftesbury and the surrounding area has been secured following a landmark donation of £880,000 to Weldmar Hospicecare.

This substantial sum comes from the local charity Cedars Castle Hill, following the sale of its Cedars Nursing Home and Castle Hill House.

The donation will directly fund the services provided by Weldmar’s Specialist Hospice at Home North Dorset hub. This vital service allows local residents with a life limiting illness, and their loved ones, to receive care and support from the charity’s team of nurses, doctors, therapists, counsellors, and other healthcare professionals.

Caroline Hamblett, CEO of Weldmar Hospicecare, said: “We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Cedar Castle Hill Trustees. At a time when hospice funding is under immense pressure nationally, this injection of funds is a lifeline. It ensures our teams can continue to provide comfort and reassurance to families in Shaftesbury and the surrounding area when they need it most.

Cedars Castle Hill has been providing exceptional care for people in Shaftesbury for over forty years now, and we are delighted that their gift will provide a solid foundation for the continuation of care and support of the local community.”

Martin Thomas, Chairman of Cedars Castle Hill, added: “As Trustees we’re delighted that Cedar Castle Hill’s legacy will lead to the strengthening of local care and support services so ably provided by Weldmar.

“We are also proud to have achieved our twin goals of securing continuity of care for our former residents and job security for our staff, in response to a very challenging economic environment.”

Watch and read more about this incredible donation on our website.

25/03/2026

Looking to set yourself a challenge? Choose your own distance for the Jurassic Coast Ultra Challenge in May and support hospice care in Dorset!

📅 16-17 May
🥾 Choose a distance between 10km and 100km
👊 Support for training and fundraising
👫 Ideal as an individual, small or large group challenge

Enter the code SPRINGDEAL50 at the checkout for over 60% off of the sign up fee for most distances, applicable to Full Charity Sponsorship places.

We'd love to have you, your family, friends, or work colleagues sign up as part of

24/03/2026

For Jean - who is currently in Weldmar's care - the arrival of Danielle, one of Weldmar’s complementary therapists, is a highlight.

“The reflexology is brilliant,” says Jean. “I did have it many years ago so I was familiar with how it works, with each part of the body represented on the foot. Danielle came to see me and asked if I’d like reflexology or Indian Head Massage – I told her she’s not messing my hair up! So reflexology it is, and it really helps.”

Complementary therapies at Weldmar are designed to work alongside medical care provided by our doctors and nurses. They help manage physical symptoms like nausea, pain, and insomnia, as well as stress and anxiety.

“When you know pain is coming, you tense up,” Jean explains. “This is the opposite. As much pain as I might be in, I can feel myself becoming calm, and that’s what I need. If I have pain, it seems to ease. Danielle sits on a stool in front of me, and when she’s doing the treatment, I feel as if I could just fall asleep.”

Read more about the difference that Weldmar is making to Jean - link in comments.

Address

Herringston Road
Dorchester
DT12SL

Telephone

+441305215300

Website

http://www.weldmarhospicecare.org/

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