The Hospice of St Francis

The Hospice of St Francis We help 2,000 local people and their families to live their precious lives well.

Berkhamsted + Ashridge + Stocks = Hospice Golf Days 2026Which will you choose? 🏌️‍♂️ https://www.stfrancis.org.uk/golfBe...
18/01/2026

Berkhamsted + Ashridge + Stocks = Hospice Golf Days 2026

Which will you choose? 🏌️‍♂️ https://www.stfrancis.org.uk/golf

Berkhamsted Golf Day 👉 Thursday 25th June
Ashridge Golf Day 👉 Wednesday 2nd September
Stocks Golf Day 👉 Friday 23rd October

Last year, our two golf days raised a whopping £41,392, which could pay for a full time Specialist Palliative Care Nurse for a year! Help us fund even more care in 2026!

What a weekend! 🎄🎄We want to send the warmest THANK YOU to our supporters and volunteers for helping us to raise over £5...
15/01/2026

What a weekend! 🎄🎄

We want to send the warmest THANK YOU to our supporters and volunteers for helping us to raise over £50,000 from our Christmas Tree Collection. We collected 2,200 trees for recycling – more than ever before. Our goal was to raise enough to fund a nurse’s salary – and we have surpassed our goal! The additional funds could cover the Hospice’s utility bills for over two months.🤩

From the largest trees to the smallest, the driest to the completely hidden, our army of volunteers collected them, throwing them with vigour into vans hired from the incredibly accommodating Imperial Vehicle Hire Berkhamsted ready to be recycled at Veolia - UK , Hemel Stags Rugby League Club Limited and Amersham Household Recycling Centres. Additional thanks to Tree Monkey Tree Care Ltd for chipping trees for us (they will donate the proceeds from the chippings to Hector's House ).

We’re truly grateful to everyone in our community for donating so generously and volunteering their time, effort and resources to help turn Christmas trees into care for patients and families in 2026. 🥰🥰🥰

Yesterday, we said goodbye to Kate Phipps-Wiltshire, our Chief Executive. Over the course of 8 and a half incredible yea...
15/01/2026

Yesterday, we said goodbye to Kate Phipps-Wiltshire, our Chief Executive. Over the course of 8 and a half incredible years of leading the Hospice, Kate has driven developments in our care, guided the organisation through the pandemic and financial challenges, achieved sustainable retail, fundraising and commercial income, and embodied the values that make The Hospice of St Francis a special place.

A Hospice is a gift the community gives to itself.

For Don, a simple walk through Chesham with his wife Greta in 2020 led them to notice the newly opened Chapter Two. Havi...
14/01/2026

For Don, a simple walk through Chesham with his wife Greta in 2020 led them to notice the newly opened Chapter Two. Having already raised funds by trekking in Australia, he stepped inside and offered his help. That decision sparked an ongoing five-year commitment to the community bookshop and, in turn, the Hospice.

After a career in accounting, Don retired and sought meaningful ways to contribute. At Chapter Two, he found a role that combined his love of reading with his desire to make a difference. “At heart, I’m a book enthusiast,” Don explains. “I have had a lifelong interest in books and I like to see what price we can get for the books.” Over the last five years, Don has helped to list some 11,500 books, helping raise thousands of pounds for community care at the Hospice.

Don also uses his knowledge as a philatelist to sort and sell donated stamp collections of local residents. His most recent initiative involved a considerable amount of his time sorting stamps and contacting various dealers, eventually raising over £1,000. His varied endeavours highlight how personal skills, knowledge and passion can be transformed into meaningful charitable impact.

Don values fostering a sense of community, purpose, and camaraderie, “All the people in the shop are so enthusiastic. They really do think of Chapter Two as ‘their bookshop’.” His manager Mark succinctly sums up Don as “a first-rate ambassador for the Hospice, both through the example he sets and the warmth and respect with which he treats others.”

When one of our shop volunteers spots a glimmer of gold inside a donation bag – even a broken chain or an unmatched earr...
09/01/2026

When one of our shop volunteers spots a glimmer of gold inside a donation bag – even a broken chain or an unmatched earring – they set the item aside to be sent on to our specialist eBay team. 🚛

The eBay team can then examine, research and weigh the item or bring it to local jewellers Daisy Chain Jewellers, Boxmoor to be authenticated.

Some call it magic – but our teams regularly transform unwearable and broken gold into funding that provides care for local families living with life-limiting illnesses.

No matter how small or broken your gold may be, we’d welcome your donation at any of our charity shops. ♥

You can donate in our shops from 9am – 4pm Monday – Saturday.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support – and for helping us to turn forgotten jewellery into care in your community. 😍

KingsLangley HospiceShop Bovingdon Owned Amersham Owned Highfield HospiceShop Berkhamsted HospiceShop Marshalswick HospiceShop Greenway Owned AbbotsLangley HospiceShop

Join a fun and friendly running group led by Erica and Heather that will help you get from couch to 5k. New course start...
08/01/2026

Join a fun and friendly running group led by Erica and Heather that will help you get from couch to 5k. New course starts on Tuesday 20th January! 🏃‍♀️

📅Tuesdays, 10.30am - 11.30am
📍Berkhamsted Area

£30 for 10 sessions. Sign up here👉www.jogonrunning.com

All proceeds go to our special care at The Hospice of St Francis.

When Dr. Luke joined the Hospice team in August, he was looking for more than just a new role – he was seeking a place w...
07/01/2026

When Dr. Luke joined the Hospice team in August, he was looking for more than just a new role – he was seeking a place where care goes beyond medicine. After qualifying from Southampton Medical School in 2023 and spending two years at Watford General Hospital, Luke felt the pull toward a more holistic approach to healthcare.

Unlike the fast-paced hospital environment, where time with patients and families is often limited, the Hospice offers something rare – the gift of time. “The service here is very person-centred, holistic, and caring,” Luke explains. “It’s about providing care that’s right for each individual.”

Luke describes his most rewarding moments as those spent sitting with patients and their loved ones, answering questions, easing worries and truly understanding their needs. “It's really rewarding just to dispel some of the myths or concerns about what's going on,” he says.

For Luke, joining the Hospice wasn’t just a career move – it was a chance to make a meaningful difference. His story is a powerful reminder that compassionate care can transform not only patients’ lives, but also the lives of those who provide it.

📢Christmas Tree Collection is now FULLY BOOKED!📢Registration has now closed for our Christmas Tree Collection. Thank you...
05/01/2026

📢Christmas Tree Collection is now FULLY BOOKED!📢

Registration has now closed for our Christmas Tree Collection. Thank you so much for your incredible support!

Our volunteers will be out collecting over 2,000 Christmas trees this Friday – Sunday.🤩

If you’ve already registered for our collection, all you need to do is leave your tree outside your home on Thursday 8th January.

Thank you to the local businesses taking part in the collection – and to our teams of amazing volunteers.

✨Free will writing service. Please SHARE this with someone who’s been meaning to make a will. ✨The Hospice has partnered...
04/01/2026

✨Free will writing service. Please SHARE this with someone who’s been meaning to make a will. ✨

The Hospice has partnered with Octopus Legacy to offer a free will writing service. This service is completely free, easy, and can be done online, by phone or face-to-face with a participating solicitor.

There’s no obligation to leave a gift to the Hospice, but any support you may give will help us provide our special care for those who need it the most. 🥰

If making a will is one of your resolutions for 2026, please SAVE this post and use this link to access our free service👉 stfrancis.org.uk/octopus

UPDATE: Sign-ups for our Christmas Tree Collection are now CLOSED! We are fully booked. Thank you for your support. 🙏🙏Th...
03/01/2026

UPDATE: Sign-ups for our Christmas Tree Collection are now CLOSED! We are fully booked. Thank you for your support. 🙏🙏

There’s still time to sign up for our Christmas tree collection. 👉Stfrancis.org.uk/treecollection

We’ll be out between Friday 9th January and Sunday 11th January collecting trees from the following postcodes:

• Harpenden (AL5)
• St Albans, Redbourn & Markyate (AL1, AL2, AL3, AL4)
• Hemel Hempstead (HP1, HP2, HP3)
• Berkhamsted (HP4)
• Tring (HP23)
• Chesham (HP5)
• Amersham (HP6)
• Kings Langley (WD4)
• Abbots Langley (WD5)

Turn your unwanted Christmas gifts into hospice care by dropping them at one of our charity shops. 🎁😇All profits from ou...
02/01/2026

Turn your unwanted Christmas gifts into hospice care by dropping them at one of our charity shops. 🎁😇

All profits from our shops go towards the amazing care and support that we provide 365 days of the year to people living with life-limiting illnesses. In 2025, the Hospice supported 2,466 local people.

Our shops take donations from Monday – Saturday from 9am – 4pm. (Returned to Glory and Chapter Two take donations from 9.30am).

You can find your nearest shop here 👉stfrancis.org.uk/shop

Instead of starting 2026 with a cluttered space full of unwanted gifts you can give the gift of care to your local community. Thank you so much for your ongoing support!

Berkhamsted HospiceShop
Amersham Owned Bovingdon Owned Highfield HospiceShop
AbbotsLangley HospiceShop Marshalswick HospiceShop
Greenway Owned
KingsLangley HospiceShop

Address

Spring Garden Lane
Berkhamsted
HP43GW

Telephone

+441442869550

Website

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Every Life is Precious

The Hospice of St Francis is here to help people live their precious lives well. Our free care has many meanings and is defined by each person's need, needs that may change many times. We care for the whole person or family unit for however long we are needed – days, weeks, months or years.

We love what we do and we love your support too. Volunteering, sharing stories from your preciouslife, shopping with us (@ReturnedtoGlory / http://www.stfrancis.org.uk/shop-with-us), taking part in a fundraising challenge or simply donating to us, from coins in a home box to leaving a gift in your Will, all helps us raise over £5 million annually to fund our free care. Every penny is needed to do what we do.