What Dove House Hospice does

Dove House Hospice Limited (registered charity no. 509551) is a UK charitable company limited by guarantee that delivers specialist palliative and end-of-life care to adults aged 18+ with progressive life-limiting illnesses across Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire. Operating from a purpose-built campus on Chamberlain Road, Hull (opened 1990, formally opened by HRH Diana in 1992), the hospice runs an Inpatient Unit, outpatient clinics, complementary therapies, an MND Community Nurse service, family and carer support, and bereavement care including dedicated children's bereavement groups. In 2024/25 the hospice recorded 2,151 patient referrals, with 48% of patients presenting with non-cancer conditions and a 92% increase in respite admissions versus the prior year.

The business model is a hybrid of clinical service delivery and diversified charitable income generation. Clinical services are provided free of charge to patients and funded approximately 10% by NHS statutory sources, with the remaining ~90% raised through community donations, challenge events, and a broad portfolio of revenue-generating subsidiaries. These include 35+ charity retail shops (including specialty vintage, bridal, and Re-use shops), Your Charity Lottery (raising ~£10,000 per week and £8.6 million cumulatively over 25 years), the Little Owls nursery chain (two sites opened 2016 and 2019), The Kitchen by Dove House café (rebranded February 2026), and branded fundraising products such as White Dove Gin. Technology is not a core component; operations rely on CQC-rated clinical processes, a standard charity website, and e-commerce platforms (eBay, Depop) for vintage retail.

Revenue concentration is intentionally low — no single donor, corporate partner, or patient drives material income. The leadership team comprises Chief Executive Chris Sadler (appointed December 2020), Deputy CEO Sarah Cash, Chair of Trustees Philip Daniels, Director of Clinical Services Linda Johnson, and Head of Fundraising Laura Sadler, supported by long-tenured clinical staff including MND nurse Elaine Longley and Senior Sister Joanne Gillespie (both since 1991). The hospice is CQC-rated Good, holds a 5-star food hygiene rating for four consecutive years, and has been ranked 5th in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Not For Profit Organisations with 1st place in the leadership category.

Name

Dove House Hospice

Legal name

Dove House Hospice Limited

Website

https://dovehouse.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dove House Hospice is a Hull-based UK charity (no. 509551) delivering free specialist palliative and end-of-life care, therapies, MND nursing, and bereavement support to adults with life-limiting illnesses across Hull and East Yorkshire, funded ~90% via community fundraising, lottery, retail, and subsidiary businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Palliative Care Services

NAICS

Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (62331), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Home Hospice Agencies (HLAFAEAC), Community-Based Palliative Care (Home-Based Non-Hospice) (HLADAHAH), Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO), Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK), In-Home Hospice Nursing Visits (RN/LPN) (HSABAFAL)

Keywords

• Palliative care services
• Hospice charity
• End-of-life care
• Bereavement support
• Community nursing

Headquarters

HQ city

Sutton On Hull

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The hospice relies heavily on community donations, fundraising events, and individual giving. Every penny donated goes towards patient care. Fundraising channels include community events, challenge events, corporate fundraising, and direct donations.
2. Charity Lottery: Your Charity Lottery was launched in 1996 and has raised £8.6 million over 25 years, currently raising approximately £10,000 per week. Players pay to participate with weekly draws. The rollover prize can grow up to £10,000.
3. Retail Shops: The hospice operates 35+ charity retail shops including standard shops, Re-use shops (in partnership with FCC Environment), vintage/retro shops (No.87), The Wedding Loft, and the Reworked shop (collaboration with HMP Hull). All retail profits go directly to patient care.
4. NHS Statutory Funding: The hospice receives approximately 10% of its funding from statutory/NHS sources, with the remainder requiring fundraising from the community.
5. Little Owls Nurseries: Little Owls Day Nursery (at Dove House site) and Little Owls @ Ainthorpe provide early years childcare. All profits from both nurseries are donated back to the hospice.
6. The Kitchen by Dove House (Cafe): The cafe, originally Dulcie's Community Cafe opened in 2012 and rebranded The Kitchen by Dove House in February 2026, serves food and drinks to visitors, staff, and the community. All profits go back into patient care.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Dove House Hospice is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care to adults with progressive life-limiting illnesses in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire. The hospice delivers an Inpatient Unit, outpatient clinics, complementary therapies, a Motor Neurone Disease community nursing service, family/carer support, and bereavement services including dedicated children's groups. Operating revenues are generated through community donations, fundraising events, 35+ charity shops, two children's nurseries (Little Owls), a community cafe (The Kitchen by Dove House), and a weekly charity lottery, with approximately 90% of funding raised independently from NHS sources.

Product overview

Dove House Hospice operates as a single-site hospice charity providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care services to adults in Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio including inpatient care, outpatient clinics, complementary therapies, MND community nursing, family and carer support, and bereavement services including children's groups. Beyond clinical services, the hospice runs diversified income streams including 35 charity shops (with specialty outlets for vintage, bridal, and upcycled items), a community cafe (The Kitchen by Dove House), two independent nurseries (Little Owls), and Your Charity Lottery. Major fundraising events and branded products like White Dove Gin supplement donations and statutory funding. The hospice serves patients with cancer, neurological conditions, heart and respiratory diseases, and dementia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• White Dove Gin: A gin brand launched in support of the hospice, with 15% of each bottle sold going directly to the hospice. Produced by Kingstown Distillery.

Products and services

• Hospice Care Services Specialist palliative and end-of-life care services for adults in Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire with progressive life-limiting illnesses, including cancer, neurological illnesses (e.g., MND), heart and respiratory disease, dementia, and HIV/AIDS. Free clinical services provided to patients.
• Inpatient Unit Bedded inpatient hospice unit providing specialist 24/7 nursing and medical care for patients requiring inpatient hospice services.
• Outpatient Clinics Outpatient clinic services for patients accessing hospice specialist palliative care without overnight stays.
• Complementary Therapies Complementary therapy services including aromatherapy, reflexology, and Reiki for hospice patients and their carers.
• MND Community Nurse Service Motor Neurone Disease community support nurse service providing care from diagnosis through to end of life for MND patients across Hull and East Yorkshire.
• Family & Carer Support Practical and emotional support services for the families and carers of hospice patients.
• Bereavement Support Bereavement care services for adults including support groups such as Welcome Wednesdays, Carers Group, and Friday Friends.
• Children's Bereavement Groups Specialised bereavement support groups for children who have lost loved ones, including the Smile Room facility; 268 referrals recorded.
• Your Charity Lottery Weekly lottery subscription programme licensed by the Gambling Commission, with rollover prizes up to £10,000; currently raising approximately £10,000 per week for hospice patient care.
• Dove House Hospice Charity Shops Network of 35+ charity retail shops across Hull and East Yorkshire selling donated goods to raise funds for patient care.
• Re-Use Shops Eco-friendly charity shops operated in partnership with FCC Environment, reusing donated items that cannot be sold in standard charity shops to reduce waste.
• No.87 Vintage and Retro Specialty vintage and retro clothing and goods shop located on Hull's Newland Avenue; also selling online via eBay and Depop (@No87VintageRetro).
• The Wedding Loft Specialty bridal wear shop selling donated wedding dresses and accessories.
• Reworked Shop Shop selling upcycled and refurbished furniture, art, homewares, and soft furnishings, created through a collaboration between the hospice and HMP Hull prisoners' workshop.
• Little Owls Nurseries Two independent children's day nurseries (Little Owls @ Dove House on hospice grounds and Little Owls @ Ainthorpe within Ainthorpe Primary School) caring for children aged 3 months to 5 years; all profits are donated back to the hospice.
• The Kitchen by Dove House Community cafe on the hospice site serving food and drinks to visitors, staff, nursery children, and the local community; all profits go back into patient care.
• White Dove Gin Branded gin produced by Kingstown Distillery with 15% of each bottle sold donated directly to Dove House Hospice.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,151 local people referred to Dove House; 268 children's bereavement group referrals; 92% increase in 24/25 respite admissions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 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 core and minor.

• FCC EnvironmentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with FCC Environment to operate Re-use shops in Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire. The Re-use shops accept items that cannot be sold in standard charity shops to reduce waste going to landfill.
• HMP HullcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with HMP Hull prison on the Reworked project. Prisoners work in a workshop to upcycle and rework donated items (broken or incomplete) into unique products sold in the Reworked shop. Project teaches prisoners new skills and raises funds for the hospice.
• The Charity Shop Gift CardcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDove House has signed up to The Charity Shop Gift Card scheme — the only nationally accepted multi-retailer gift card exclusively for charity shops. Accepted in all 35 Dove House hospice shops. A not-for-profit scheme developed with the Charity Retail Association.
• Kingstown DistilleryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhite Dove Gin launched by Kingstown Distillery in support of Dove House. 15% of each bottle sold goes directly to the hospice. Available online at kingstowndistillery.co.uk.
• Sisters of Mercy (Endsleigh)minorOthersIn 1983, the Sisters of Mercy at Endsleigh generously made a building available for the day hospice to begin, run with the help of volunteers.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sue Ryder: National charity running hospices and palliative care services across the UK alongside a large retail network — broader portfolio but directly overlapping hospice and charity shop operations.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Major UK cancer charity funding palliative and end-of-life services; overlaps with Dove House in patient support and bereavement, and competes for the same fundraising and corporate partnership wallet.
• Marie Curie: National UK hospice charity providing hospice care at home, inpatient services, and a nursing service — operates at much larger scale but overlaps on palliative care delivery, fundraising, and NHS commissioning relationships.

Others

• Hospice UK: National umbrella body for UK hospices — comparable through the shared mission and lobbying function, but ecosystem-level rather than a direct operational peer.

Direct peers

• St Gemma's Hospice: Leeds-based hospice offering specialist palliative and end-of-life care with a comparable retail and fundraising income model; same regional UK hospice archetype and broadly similar catchment profile.
• St Catherine's Hospice: Independent UK hospice providing inpatient, community, and bereavement palliative care in Sussex — same charitable hospice model, similar mix of NHS/statutory and community fundraising income, and directly comparable service portfolio to Dove House.
• Trinity Hospice: Blackpool-based hospice providing inpatient palliative care plus a network of charity shops and community fundraising events — same single-region hospice archetype and reliance on voluntary income.
• Farleigh Hospice: Mid-Essex hospice offering inpatient, hospice-at-home, bereavement, and therapeutic services funded through similar community fundraising, retail, and lottery channels — a directly comparable operating model.
• Martin House Hospice: Yorkshire-based hospice (Boston Spa) delivering specialist palliative care with similar charity shops, fundraising events, and lottery programs; comparable footprint and community fundraising dynamics.
• Saint Michael's Hospice: Harrogate-based hospice providing inpatient, day therapy, and community palliative care with its own retail and lottery income streams — structurally and operationally a near-clone of Dove House's community hospice model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQwTW9VTmIiRsOMMieIMm0g
• Facebookfacebook.com/dovehouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dovehousehospice
• Instagraminstagram.com/dovehousehospice
• Xx.com/Dove_House

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Dove House Hospice