Hospice UK 2025 Award Winners announced

The Hospice UK Awards, awarded over 9 categories and kindly supported by the National Garden Scheme, celebrate the innovative work taking place in hospices and palliative care organisations across the UK, and the people involved with them. 

As a much anticipated part of the annual national conference, they are a fantastic opportunity to recognise and celebrate the hard work that has taken place during the previous 12 months, and the long lasting impact that it will have.

For innovation and champion-based awards including Innovator in Care, Improving Inclusivity, Digital Champion, Innovation in Income Generation, Emerging Leader of the Year, and Michael Howard Team of the Year, judges looked for stand-out projects which will inspire other organisations, and those which show the wider sector the difference they’ve made to people facing the end of their life, and their families. 

The Conference Poster competition showcases content, design and innovation across poster submissions and oral presentations. 

Through the two Volunteer Awards, the special contribution to hospice care made by especially dedicated individuals is recognised.

Winner: Waggy Tail, North Devon Hospice

The Innovation in Income Generation Award celebrates a team who have had an idea that has raised significant income for their hospice or palliative care organisation by doing something different.

Judges look for examples that showcase innovation in practice, whether through fundraising initiatives, lotteries, retail endeavours, or social enterprise activities. 

This year’s winners are North Devon Hospice, who have transformed a previously unused 5-acre field into Waggy Tail, a secure, bookable dog-walking and training facility.

Waggy Tails Dog Field is a standout winner for its bold, original approach to income generation. Spotting a clear gap in the market, North Devon Hospice created a secure, bookable dog-walking field that meets a real community need with high dog ownership but limited facilities.

Developed in-house at low cost and with minimal ongoing expenses, it delivers sustainable income, engages new audiences, and offers a replicable model for other hospices, who might have land not being used. It’s fun, functional, and future-proof. An exemplary blend of creativity, practicality, and impact.

Judges commented, “Waggy Tail is a bold reimagining of how hospices can generate income while strengthening community ties. It’s a scalable, sustainable model that delivers both financial return and social value, a brilliant blend of creativity, practicality and impact.”

Winner: Olivia Bowskill, The Myton Hospices

The Innovator in Care Award recognises the work of an individual in a hospice or palliative care organisation who, through a novel approach, has improved the experience of people with a progressive and life threatening condition, their families and carers.

With the NHS 10 year health plan for England setting out a vision of a neighbourhood health service, the winner of this award is a clear example of innovation, partnership working and community engagement transforming patient outcomes and helping meet this goal to move palliative care into the community. 

The Myton Hospices’ GP Information Clinic represents a ground-breaking approach to improving access to palliative and end of life care. It has been developed in partnership with local Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and the clinic embeds specialist hospice support directly within GP practices, offering patients and their families timely, personalised guidance at a point when it can have the greatest impact. 

The clinic is led by Myton Hospice's Community Engagement Manager, Olivia Bowskill, a Registered Nurse with specialist expertise in palliative care. Olivia works directly with GP practices to deliver one-to-one consultations, exploring patients’ needs holistically and signposting to appropriate support. This community-based, collaborative model streamlines referral pathways, reassures patients and carers, and fosters a deeper understanding of hospice services among GPs and practice staff.

With measurable impact demonstrating how early engagement with hospice services benefits patients and carers while building confidence among healthcare professionals to make timely referrals, Myton Hospice is helping to influence national improvements in early access to palliative care and inspiring other hospices to explore similar community-based initiatives. The long-term vision is to embed the model sustainably as a standard part of community-based palliative care, creating a replicable blueprint for hospices nationwide.

Judges commented, “The Myton Hospices have shown how innovation, partnership working and community engagement can transform patient outcomes. Their work has measurable impact and they are helping to influence national improvements in early access to palliative care and inspiring other hospices to explore community-based initiatives.”

Winner: Liz Jones, Associate Director of Capital Build, Communications and Marketing at St Michael’s Hospice (Hastings & Rother)

The Emerging Leader of the Year Award, kindly sponsored by ACEVO, recognises individuals who demonstrate exceptional potential, promise, and leadership qualities early in their careers.

Despite only joining the hospice sector less than three years ago, Liz Jones of St Michael’s Hospice (Hastings & Rother), has made a phenomenal impact across an incredibly diverse range of projects, campaigns and initiatives across the charity.

Moving quickly from Head of Business Support to Associate Director at the hospice, Liz has been integral in the transformation of marketing and communications, a brand refresh, a new digital strategy, a capital build, environmental sustainability, and a social value report to quantify the positive impact her hospice is having on the community. 

Her drive for change is clearly grounded in an inclusive, supportive leadership style, building trusted relationships right across the organisation, from top to bottom.

Liz also has a clear and ambitious vision to become a senior leader in health and care, and is considering an MBA in healthcare as part of her professional development. Her ability to manage challenging situations, maintain morale, and keep teams focused on compassionate care, is a testament to her strength and character.

Judges commented: “Liz’s passion for change shines through her inclusive and supportive leadership style, building relationships across the organisation. Through her work in transforming the marketing team, developing the new digital strategy and leading many other projects, it is clear she has made a significant impact in less than three years in the hospice sector.”

Winner: Crafting Volunteers Team, Helen and Douglas House

The Michael Howard Award for Hospice Team of the Year, kindly sponsored by MDDUS, recognises the importance of collaborative partnerships and services to reach more people and deliver better outcomes at the end of life. 

The remarkable Crafting Volunteers Team at Helen and Douglas House stood out for their extraordinary blend of creativity, compassion, and practical impact. They produce a wide range of handcrafted items for the hospice, from neckerchiefs that bring dignity to mealtimes and reversible bucket hats for hospice parties, to intricate quilts that become treasured keepsakes for families.

Working collaboratively with teams across the organisation, they ensure their skills are utilised wherever the hospice needs them most. Despite being a small and dedicated team, they work tirelessly to bring joy, dignity, and comfort to Helen and Douglas House patients and their families.

Judges commented, “the Crafting Volunteers team stood out for their creativity, compassion, and practical impact. From making neckerchiefs that bring dignity to mealtimes, to reversible bucket hats for hospice parties, and intricate quilts that become cherished keepsakes for families, their handcrafted items make a real difference for families and the hospice."

Winner: Mike Rymer, Southern Hospice Group

The Anne, Duchess of Norfolk Volunteer of the Year Award is given in recognition of the dedication and commitment made by an individual to their local hospice or palliative care organisation.

Impressed with the high calibre of entries for the Volunteer of the Year Award, the judging panel described it as ‘humbling’ to read of the dedication, commitment and skill that hospices’ wonderful volunteers provide each day, allowing hospices to deliver a first-class service to people in their local communities. 

It was difficult to select a winner out of so many deserving people. However, after careful consideration, the Panel selected someone who has impacted not one but many hospices – indeed the nomination was submitted by six Sussex hospices. 

The winner of the Anne, Duchess of Norfolk Volunteer of the Year Award 2025 was awarded posthumously to Mike Rymer. Devoting over 12 years as a hospice trustee, most latterly as Chair, Mike’s tenure was marked by visionary leadership and a deep personal commitment to the values of hospice care. 

Most notably, Mike led the strategic merger of St Barnabas Hospices and Martlets Hospice, forming the Southern Hospice Group - the UK's largest local hospice group. This transformative achievement would not have been possible without Mike’s foresight, diplomacy, and unwavering belief in the power of collaboration to improve end-of-life care, and has allowed the people and communities of Brighton & Hove, to continue to access essential hospice services. 

Judges commented, “the Panel recognised someone who has influenced not just one hospice, but many in the region and beyond.
“Over 12 years as a trustee, and Chair, Mike showed visionary leadership and a deep personal commitment to the values of hospice care. Through his foresight, diplomacy, and steadfast belief in collaboration, he has helped ensure that the people and communities of Brighton & Hove can continue to access vital hospice services.”

Winner: Debby Veigas, Wakefield Hospice

The Digital Champion Award, kindly sponsored by Purple Tech, recognises the work of an individual who has passionately promoted the use of technology or digital ways of working in a hospice or palliative care organisation.

The panel were hugely impressed by the drive, determination, creativity and collaboration shown by all nominees for this year's Digital Champion Award.

This year, entries showed clear, positive impacts from digital initiatives. Hospices are using technology to save time and money, improve services and improve patient experiences.

Once again, our digital champions come from every part of our hospices. They are not techies, they are change makers, colleague supporters, quality improvers, community and partnership builders, and passionate about patient experience.

The panel explain that they were particularly impressed with entries which showcase how hospices are using data, reporting and visualisation tools to create insights, help decision making and improve how they work.

Debby Veigas of Wakefield Hospice is the Digital Champion award winner this year. Debby introduced wearable devices for dementia patients, providing reassurance and safety. The project has received national and international interest, with measurable benefits and strong community engagement. The solution is scalable and replicable, and Debby’s leadership and promotional efforts have been instrumental in its success. 

Judges added, “the panel were impressed by Debby’s dedication and determination in introducing wearable devices for dementia patients, providing them with reassurance and safety. She shows that digital champions can come from every part of an organisation, and her project has attracted national and international interest. The model is scalable and replicable, with clear, measurable benefits and strong links to the community.”

Winner: Multidisciplinary Hearing Loss Group, Royal Trinity Hospice

The Improving Inclusivity Award recognises the work of an individual or team in a hospice or palliative care organisation who, through a novel approach, has addressed inequality in their community and/or promoted equality, diversity and inclusion within their organisation. 

One in four adults in the UK have hearing loss, rising to 80% of the over 70s, yet the needs of deaf people within palliative care are not well understood and may be overlooked. In this widely relevant and collaborative work, the Multidisciplinary Hearing Loss Group at Royal Trinity Hospice have worked to support patients, staff and volunteers through the development of clinical skills, advocacy and changes to the physical environment. An emphasis on community engagement extends the impact of this work to people living in care homes and beyond.

Judges commented, “the Multidisciplinary Hearing Loss Group at Royal Trinity Hospice have carried out widely relevant and collaborative work, supporting patients, staff, and volunteers through enhanced clinical skills, advocacy, and improvements to the hospice environment. By focusing on community engagement, their impact reaches beyond the hospice, benefiting people living in care homes and the wider community. Well done.”

The Volunteer Gardener of the Year Award, kindly supported by the National Garden Scheme, is given in recognition of the outstanding contribution made by an individual to a hospice or palliative care organisation's gardens.

Penny Hall’s compassionate leadership, innovative gardening, and unwavering dedication has transformed St Raphael’s Hospice garden into a sanctuary of peace and healing for all who enter. She is a deserving winner of the Volunteer Gardener of the Year Award.