A statement from Dallas Pounds, Chief Executive of Royal Trinity Hospice in response to the government's announcement of support for the UK's hospice sector:

"We welcome the government’s announcement this evening to pledge up to £200m to the UK’s hospice sector.

For Trinity as with many other hospices, these funds will be essential to keep us going in the short term. This emergency support will help in keeping our doors open and will enable us to continue providing outstanding care to patients at the end of their lives and supporting the NHS. The UK hospice sector is in a perhaps unique position among charities to help in the current climate by adding capacity to the NHS through both beds and expertise.

This funding is very welcome but does not mean we can take our foot off the pedal in our appeal for funds. Trinity is projecting a loss in income of £1 million/month over the next three months. We are anticipating that our retail and fundraising income will take time to recover in the months after restrictions are relaxed.

So, while we are thrilled at this emergency support, we are keen to highlight our continued need for support from our community, from whom around 75% of our income traditionally comes through fundraising and shops. Our community has helped us to raise nearly £200,000 in the past three weeks, which is phenomenal, but we’ll continue to need their support as the pandemic continues.

I would like to thank the charity Hospice UK which has been championing the importance of this support in recent weeks, and the government for recognising the vital importance of hospice care to the country’s healthcare sector.”

Donate to Trinity's Urgent Appeal for funds