A HOSPICE fighting for its survival has launched a £1million Recovery Fund to ensure they can meet future demands.

St David’s Hospice has revealed the charity will face a total financial loss of more than £1 million, even after the government’s help.

The charity, which cares for patients living with life limiting illnesses in North West Wales, has been forced to cancel all its summer events and close 26 shops and two cafes in Llandudno and Llangefni.

Trystan Pritchard, CEO at St David’s Hospice said: “Our much loved local hospice is in a fight for its survival. We have faced difficult financial challenges in the past, but nothing as extensive as the losses we face due to Covid-19

"At the very start of the pandemic, we had no choice but to send our income generation and volunteer workforce home. This means that 90 per cent of our income will be lost in the months of May, June and July and there is no telling how long it might take to get back to where need to be.

"I know now that we will be £1 million short of what we need to run the hospice this year, even after the government’s announcement of help.”

In April, the Welsh Government allocated a specific fund of £6.3m to help hospices keep clinical services running throughout the pandemic.

Of this, £600,000 was granted to St David’s Hospice to support its clinical provision costs for the months of April, May and June.

Beyond that, the hospice must rely on the communities it serves to keep its doors open in the future.

Trystan added: "The support given by the government is no doubt a lifeline and it will enable us to keep our inpatient and outreach services open throughout the pandemic, but it will not sustain our future.”

Each year the hospice needs to raise more than £4 million in order to carry out its work.

The hospice provides services which are not available through the NHS and works alongside health and social care colleagues to look after the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in the communities.

Just 14 per cent of funding normally comes from the NHS and government; the hospice already relies on more than £3.5 million being fundraised.

In a bid to recover losses, the hospice has launched a 'Recovery Fund' to try and raise £1 million by the end of the year to ensure that the facility can remain open.

"As a charity we are very aware of the struggles that businesses and individuals face, and we must face that fundraising will be harder than ever," Trystan said.

Individuals can support the hospice by joining its weekly lottery for £1 with the chance of winning up to £1000 in the draw.

For further suggestions on how to help, visit www.stdavidshospice.org.uk/recoveryfund or email enquiries@stdavidshospice.org.uk.

The charity have raised thousands after launching their ingenious Abbey Road goat-t-shirts; following global coverage of mountain goats taking over the deserted streets of Llandudno, St David's Hospice, which is located on Abbey Road, created t-shirts which feature a design inspired by the classic Beatles’ album cover.

There are now shopping bags to match.