What Martlets Hospice does

Martlets Hospice is a registered charity (charity number 256789) founded in 1997 and headquartered in Hove, East Sussex, that provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care free of charge to people affected by life-limiting illness in Brighton & Hove and surrounding areas. Its service portfolio spans an 18-bed inpatient ward in a purpose-built facility reopened in November 2023, community-based Hospice at Home services, outpatient pain relief, physiotherapy, counselling and social activities delivered in-person and via telephone/video, and a bereavement support programme that includes counselling, memory boxes, chaplaincy, and the Earthworks therapeutic gardening project. Complementary patient amenities include VR headset experiences that enable bedridden patients to undertake virtual travel and bucket-list activities. The organization also runs nine charity retail shops across Brighton & Hove as a fundraising channel.

The business model is community-led rather than transactional: services are provided at no cost to patients, with over 75% of income generated from public donations, community fundraising events (e.g., London and Brighton Marathons, Shaun by the Sea art trail generating over £850,000), charity shops, a hospice lottery, and gifts in Wills — the latter funding approximately one-third of patients cared for. The NHS contributes less than 25% of income, supplemented by occasional government capital grants (£621,000 received for 2024-25). Distribution combines direct clinical delivery (inpatient, community, outpatient) with retail and digital fundraising channels, supported by a multi-platform social media presence and an online shop. In 2025, Martlets completed a merger with St Barnabas Hospices and Chestnut Tree House to form Southern Hospice Group, creating a unified charity across Sussex with shared clinical expertise, scale efficiencies, and an integrated fundraising infrastructure while preserving Martlets' local identity.

Name

Martlets Hospice

Legal name

Martlets Hospice

Website

https://martlets.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Martlets Hospice is a registered charity providing free palliative and end-of-life care, including inpatient, community, outpatient, and bereavement services, to people with life-limiting illnesses across Brighton & Hove, funded primarily through community donations and now operating as part of Southern Hospice Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospice and Palliative Care Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (62161), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospice Care in Assisted Living / Residential Care Facilities (HLADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Non-Hospice Serious-Illness / Community-Based Palliative Care (In-Home) (HSABAFAF), Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK), Community-Based Palliative Care (Home-Based Non-Hospice) (HLADAHAH), Hospice/End-of-Life Respite (Caregiver Relief) (HLADAKAI)

Keywords

• Hospice palliative care
• End-of-life care
• Bereavement support
• Charity fundraising
• Community hospice services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hove

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. NHS Grant: The NHS provides a portion of funding to cover operational costs, though this represents less than 25% of total income.
2. Government Grant: One-off capital grants from the government for specific purposes such as building improvements and digital technology upgrades. Southern Hospice Group received £621,000 for 2024-25.
3. Charity Shops: Nine charity shops across Brighton & Hove sell donated goods, with the London Road shop raising nearly £1 million in five years. Shop ethos emphasizes sustainability and reuse.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Public donations, community fundraising events including marathons, art trails, and challenge events. Shaun by the Sea generated over £850,000.
5. Lottery: Weekly lottery program providing regular donations to support hospice operations.
6. Gifts in Wills: Legacy donations from supporters who leave gifts in their Wills, representing approximately one-third of patients cared for.
7. Corporate Partnerships: Business partnerships with local companies including Shaun by the Sea supporters and corporate sponsors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Martlets Hospice provides free hospice and palliative care to people affected by life-limiting illness, delivered through an inpatient ward in Hove, community-based Hospice at Home and outpatient services, alongside bereavement counselling and spiritual care. Care is offered regardless of ability to pay and is funded through charitable donations, NHS grants, lottery subscriptions, and a network of charity shops.

Product overview

Martlets Hospice is a charity providing essential palliative and end-of-life care services to people affected by life-limiting illnesses in Brighton and Hove and surrounding areas. The organisation operates a core care portfolio structured around multiple delivery channels: inpatient ward care in a purpose-built facility; community services delivering care in patients' homes; outpatient services offering pain relief, physiotherapy, counselling, and social activities; and bereavement support services. Complementary therapeutic offerings include spiritual care and chaplaincy, VR experiences for patients, memory box programmes, and the Earthworks therapeutic gardening project. The organisation also operates retail charity shops and fundraising programmes including lottery services. The hospice became part of Southern Hospice Group in 2025 following a merger with St Barnabas Hospices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inpatient Ward Care
• Community Hospice at Home Services
• Outpatient and Wellbeing Services
• Bereavement Counselling and Family Support
• Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy
• Martlets Charity Shops
• Martlets Lottery
• Virtual Reality Therapy Experiences
• Earthworks Allotment Project
• Memory Box Programme
• Education and Training

Quantifiable outcome

• £700 provides 24 hours of inpatient care
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 April 2025Global DJ and charity ambassador who officially opened the reimagined London Road charity shop on 24 April 2025. Has been a long-term supporter of Martlets Hospice, with the charity being close to his heart.
• Southern Hospice GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2024, three Sussex-based hospice charities merged to form Southern Hospice Group. Martlets joined with Chestnut Tree House (children's hospice) and St Barnabas House (Worthing hospice) to improve access to specialist palliative care, achieve greater efficiency, and benefit patients, families, staff and wider communities. The merger completed in 2025 creating the new joint identity.
• Chestnut Tree HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren's hospice for Sussex and South East Hampshire, now part of Southern Hospice Group alongside Martlets. Martlets joined with Chestnut Tree House for the first time at Brighton Pride 2025, marching together.
• St Barnabas HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospice for Worthing, Adur, Arun and Henfield areas, now part of Southern Hospice Group alongside Martlets.
• Mayor of Brighton & HoveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCouncillor Mohammed Asaduzzaman attended the grand opening of the reimagined London Road charity shop, showing civic support for the hospice.
• Shaun by the Sea SupportersflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerOver £850,000 generated through Shaun by the Sea art trail featuring Shaun the Sheep sculptures designed by artists and celebrities. Supporters included those who donated for trail maps, did themed fundraising events, sponsored Shauns, bought Shauns from shops, and attended events.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• St Barnabas Hospices (now Southern Hospice Group): Direct hospice peer covering Worthing, Adur, Arun and Henfield. Merged with Martlets in 2025 to form Southern Hospice Group, making it the most structurally comparable peer operating in the same Sussex catchment.
• Chestnut Tree House Children's Hospice: Sussex children's hospice that merged with Martlets and St Barnabas to form Southern Hospice Group. Direct peer in charitable governance, fundraising model, and Sussex geography, though specialising in paediatric palliative care.
• St Christopher's Hospice: Pioneering London-based hospice offering inpatient, community and bereavement services to adults with life-limiting illness. Closest historical and operational analogue to Martlets in terms of service mix, scale, and community-led funding model.

Broad incumbents

• Marie Curie Hospice: UK-wide charity operating multiple hospices and a national end-of-life care service. Comparable in mission and multi-channel fundraising (shops, donations, legacies) but materially larger in scale and geographic footprint.
• Sue Ryder Hospice Care: National charity running a network of hospices alongside neurological care services. Comparable hospice service offering and retail-led fundraising model, but with broader portfolio and regional coverage beyond Sussex.

Regional players

• Pilgrims Hospices: Kent-based hospice charity operating three inpatient units and community services. Comparable community-led fundraising model, service portfolio (inpatient, community, bereavement), and reliance on donations rather than NHS funding.
• Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care: Surrey hospice providing inpatient, community and bereavement care with comparable scale (~£10M income) and similar donation-dependent revenue mix. Operates in an adjacent South East catchment.
• Royal Trinity Hospice: London-based hospice offering inpatient and community palliative care. Comparable in service mix and community fundraising approach, but serving an urban London population.

Others

• Hospice UK: National membership and advocacy body for the UK hospice sector. Not a direct competitor but the principal industry association, policy voice, and benchmarking body relevant to any hospice operator.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Major UK cancer charity that funds palliative and end-of-life support, including hospice partnerships. Adjacent rather than directly competitive but a significant funder and brand in the same patient demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@martlets
• Facebookfacebook.com/MartletsHospice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/martlets-hospice
• Instagraminstagram.com/martletshospice?igsh=MWFsZTdnOGx0OHBybQ==
• Xx.com/martletshospice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Martlets Hospice