Our story
St Catherine’s has been caring for people with life-shortening illnesses since 1985, following an incredible fundraising feat by the community to open a hospice.
There have been major advances and developments in treatments and therapies since then, but what hasn’t changed is the ethos of hospice care. There have also been many changes to our services, our buildings and grounds.
The hospice stands on the original site of Lostock Hall, which later opened as Lostock Hall Convalescent Hospital. Please read on for a more detailed timeline of our history.
1212: James de Lostock is registered as living in Lostock Hall, the property he built on the site where the hospice now stands today.
1764: The present old house is re-built by William Clayton, the banker of Preston.
1829: Death of William’s son George Clayton, who had inherited the house and lived there with his wife Dolly.
1881: The hall is purchased by Harry Dewhurst of Messrs Geo & R. Dewhurst, who lived there until 1918.
1922: The hall and its grounds – donated by Mr Dewhurst to Preston Royal Infirmary – open as Lostock Hall Convalescent Hospital for women and children, under the Lancashire Area Health Authority.
1980-82: Kitty Sharples instigates the founding of the first fundraising committee and chaired the meeting on 7th December 1981 when St Catherine’s Hospice (Lancashire) Limited is established as a charity.
Lostock Hall Convalescent Hospital, where the hospice stands today, closes.
St Catherine’s Hospice purchases the redundant house and grounds from the NHS and begins a programme of renovation.
1985: On 29th April – the feast of St Catherine of Siena – Day Care begins at St Catherine’s and on 8th July the inpatient unit (IPU) opens.
Visit by HRH Princess Alexandra.
1990-95: Light Up A Life celebration and memorial evening begins.
An extension to the IPU is opened by HRH Diana, Princess of Wales.
The hospice lottery begins – St Catherine’s was the first hospice to launch a lottery scheme in the UK!
1996-98: Therapy and rehabilitation services, clinical and administrative offices and meeting rooms open. Visit by HRH Duchess of Norfolk.
2005-08: Patient rooms are improved and converted from multiple-occupancy to more spacious single and double rooms with en-suite facilities including space for relatives to stay overnight. Visit by HRH the Countess of Wessex.
St Catherine’s appoints a Consultant in Palliative Medicine as Medical Director to further enhance care provision. The Chair of the Board, Cliff Hughes, is awarded an MBE.
The lower lawn area is created by Preston North and local rotary clubs from a disused overgrown ‘wilderness’ that had once been a vegetable garden.
The Woodside Clinic is opened to extend Lymphoedema and other outpatient services.
The Moonlight and Memories Walk is launched followed by the Santa Dash.
2009-10: St Catherine’s new education service commences its work.
Seven-day working is extended to the community Clinical Nurse Specialist team and further work is carried out to extend care for patients with life-shortening conditions in addition to cancer.
Reception and the gift shop are redesigned and refurbished into a brighter and more welcoming area along with a new safer driveway and a much-needed additional car park.
A refurbishment programme begins for the hospice’s charity shops.
2011-13: A new sensory garden is built and work on a wetland commences.
The first St Catherine’s Christmas Festival takes place.
2013-14: St Catherine’s Befriending Service is launched to support more patients and carers at home.
The Woodside Clinic is extended to include two more therapy rooms.
The Mill café and community hub opens.
2015: St Catherine’s celebrates its 30th anniversary. A packed programme of celebratory events takes place.
A Memorandum of Understanding is signed with the University of Central Lancashire, formalising the partnership between the two organisations.
2016: St Catherine’s Park is formally opened with a new footbridge and gateway, and an upgrade of the older footbridge.
2019: A Learning Zone providing new space for education and training of hospice staff and external colleagues is created.
A Memorandum of Understanding is signed with Runshaw College, formalising the partnership between the two organisations
2020: The Mill cafe is extended to include extra tables and function space to meet demand, as well as a new on-site shop.
Nurses Bernadette Baxter and John Jackson – who both started working at the hospice in the year that it opened – were presented with 35 years’ long-service awards. Here, they share some of their fondest memories from the early days of St Catherine’s.
