St Oswald’s Hospice

What St Oswald’s Hospice does

St Oswald's Hospice is a registered UK charity (Charity Number 503386) founded in 1986 and headquartered in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care to adults, babies, children and young adults with life-limiting conditions across the North East of England. Core service lines include an Adult Inpatient Service, the Focus on Living Centre, a Lymphoedema Service, a Children and Young Adults Service, a palliative care advice line, and family/bereavement support including employer bereavement training. Care is delivered free of charge and is supported by a workforce of 251-500 paid staff and a network of 950+ volunteers.

The organisation operates a diversified fundraising and commercial model. Revenue is generated through charitable donations, an estate of more than 20 charity shops across the North East, online sales via eBay, AbeBooks and Discogs, the St Oswald's Lottery and raffles, a legacy-giving programme (claimed to fund one day per week of operations), corporate partnerships (notably Sintons LLP as Charity of the Year 2026-28 with a £20,000 two-year goal), and ancillary commercial activities such as a free furniture collection line, a house clearance service, the 'Posh Frocks and Bridal Boutique' in Whitley Bay, and the 'the space' events venue in Ouseburn. A retail product line ('What I Want You to Know', an end-of-life planning guide) is sold in print-at-home (£5), digital download (£10) and printed booklet (£15) formats, and a new paid membership platform called 'Leading Well' was launched in April 2026.

The business is regulated by the Care Quality Commission and the Fundraising Regulator, governed by a Board of Trustees, and led by Chief Executive Steph Edusei. There is no technology platform of material scale, no AI/ML capability, no API or SDK, and no parent company or private equity involvement. Sub-brands include 'the space', the Better Together Business Club, the Focus on Living Centre, and the Posh Frocks and Bridal Boutique. The hospice is geographically concentrated in the North East of England, with a global online retail footprint via third-party marketplaces.

Name

St Oswald’s Hospice

Legal name

St Oswald's Hospice

Website

https://stoswaldsuk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

St Oswald's Hospice is a Newcastle-based UK charity, founded 1986, providing free specialist palliative and end-of-life care to adults, children and young adults with life-limiting conditions across the North East of England, funded via donations, 20+ retail shops, legacies, lottery, and corporate partnerships, with 251-500 staff and 950+ volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospice Care Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Hospice / Hospice House (Facility-Based) (HLADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK), Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO), Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)

Keywords

• Hospice care services
• Palliative care
• End-of-life care
• Bereavement support
• Charity retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The hospice receives charitable donations from individuals, corporate partners, and community fundraising activities including events, challenges, and direct donations.
2. Charity Retail Shops: Network of charity shops across the North East selling donated second-hand goods including clothing, furniture, books, and bric-a-brac. Also sells through eBay, AbeBooks, and Discogs online platforms.
3. Lotteries and Raffles: St Oswald's Lottery and various raffles including Big Car Raffle and Peter Rabbit Raffle generate recurring revenue from regular players.
4. Legacies and Wills: Gifts left to the hospice in supporters' Wills. According to the website, gifts in Wills support one day in every week at St Oswald's Hospice.
5. Gifts in Wills: Free Will writing services partnered with Octopus Legacy and local solicitors encourage supporters to leave legacy gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St Oswald's Hospice is a charitable hospice providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care to adults, babies, children, and young adults with life-limiting conditions across the North East of England. Care is delivered free of charge and includes inpatient services, day services (Lymphoedema Service and Focus on Living Centre), children's and young adults' services, family support, and bereavement services. Care is funded primarily through donations, fundraising events, a network of more than 20 charity shops, an online shop, lotteries and raffles, and legacies.

Product overview

St Oswald's Hospice operates as a charitable hospice organisation providing a portfolio of interconnected services centred on specialist palliative and end-of-life care for adults, babies, children, and young adults with life-limiting conditions across the North East of England. The core offering includes inpatient care, day services, lymphoedema treatment, and family support including bereavement services. Supporting the hospice's free care provision is an extensive retail operation of 20+ charity shops, an online shop selling 'What I Want You to Know' planning guides in multiple formats (printed booklet, digital download, print-at-home), and a events venue called 'the space' in Ouseburn hosting pop-up sales and fundraisers. Additional fundraising mechanisms include lottery products, raffles, and the recently launched 'Leading Well' membership platform for leadership development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• the space: Events venue in Ouseburn for pop-up shops, fundraisers, markets and community events
• Better Together Business Club
• Focus on Living Centre
• Posh Frocks and Bridal Boutique

Products and services

• Hospice Care Services Specialist palliative and end-of-life hospice care for adults, babies, children and young adults with life-limiting conditions in the North East of England, delivered free of charge to patients and families. Includes Adult Inpatient Service, Day Services (Lymphoedema Service and Focus on Living Centre), Children's Service, Young Adults Service, and a palliative care advice line.
• Retail Charity Shops

Quantifiable outcome

• 950 volunteers donating their time
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Sintons LLPflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Newcastle-based law firm announced St Oswald's Hospice as their Charity of the Year partner for 2026-28. Set a fundraising goal of £20,000 across two years. CSR committee organizing calendar of fundraising events including charity golf day that raised over £7,000.
• Everyturn Mental HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2025Partnership to deliver specialist bereavement training for frontline staff across the North East region. Training session held at The Anchorage in North Tyneside focused on understanding grief and developing skills to support those experiencing loss. Part of St Oswald's wider effort to improve grief awareness in communities and professional settings.
• Octopus LegacycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to offer free Will writing services to supporters. Online Will writing service free of charge (usual price £90). Every Will checked by legal expert. Telephone and face-to-face services also available. Supports hospice legacy giving programme.
• Pitman TrainingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2025, partnered to offer hands-on, practical internships across multiple departments. Currently hosting Events Management Intern supporting retail events team at the space venue in Ouseburn.
• Local Solicitors (Participating Firms)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with local North East solicitors offering free face-to-face Will writing appointments. Participating firms include David Gray, W.S. Wills, Mincoffs, Hay & Kilner, Savaage Silk, Freeman Johnson, Yellow Legal, Yarwood & Stimpson, Browells, Yarwood Holmes, Mulcahy Smith, and Cartmell Shepherd.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Havens Hospices: Essex-based children's and adults' hospice charity operating inpatient, day, and community services funded through charity shops and community fundraising. Comparable in offering combined adult and paediatric hospice care under one charity.
• Dorothy House Hospice Care: Bath-area hospice offering inpatient, community, and bereavement services for adults and young adults, supported by a network of charity shops and fundraising events. Direct peer in hospice service mix and donation-retail funding model.
• North London Hospice: North London-based hospice delivering inpatient, day, community, and bereavement services funded through donations, legacies, and retail. Directly comparable single-region hospice with a similar service mix and fundraising approach.
• St Catherine's Hospice (Sussex): West Sussex hospice offering inpatient, day, community, and bereavement services funded through donations, legacies, and retail operations. Directly comparable hospice service portfolio and community-funding model.
• Trinity Hospice (Blackpool): Lancashire-based hospice providing inpatient, day therapy, lymphoedema, and bereavement services, funded through donations, retail, and legacies. Closely analogous mid-sized UK hospice charity peer.
• ellenor hospice: Kent-based hospice providing specialist palliative care, hospice-at-home, and bereavement support, funded by community donations, charity shops, and legacies. Closely analogous operating model to St Oswald's, scaled at a smaller geographic remit.
• Sue Ryder: UK charity operating hospices, neurological care centres, and community-based palliative support, funded through a network of charity shops and fundraising. Directly comparable hospice-care model with parallel retail-funded, multi-site community footprint.
• Marie Curie: UK-wide charitable hospice and palliative care provider offering inpatient hospices, community nursing, and information/support services. Directly comparable as a charity-funded hospice operating free care for adults with life-limiting conditions, with comparable reliance on donations, retail, and legacies.
• St Barnabas Hospice (Lincolnshire): Lincolnshire hospice providing specialist palliative care, hospice-at-home, and bereavement support with a network of charity shops. Direct peer with comparable regional footprint and free care model.
• Willowbrook Hospice: Merseyside-based hospice providing specialist palliative and bereavement care for adults, supported by charity shops and community fundraising. Direct peer in the North of England hospice charity segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stoswaldsuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ3tXJdYCS3dpQ1V1pSlK1A
• Facebookfacebook.com/StOswaldsRetail
• Instagraminstagram.com/stoswaldshospice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stoswaldshospice

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St Oswald’s Hospice