St Catherine’s Hospice, Tesco and Groundwork, Woodland Walk project

St Catherine’s Hospice are now able to create a woodland walk and repair flood damage as a result of a funding boost from Tesco.

The hospice has received £12,000 from Tesco under the supermarket’s ‘Bags of Help’ scheme in which customers raise money through the 5p bag charge and is then reinvested back into the local community.

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The woodland walk will allow patients, visitors and the local community to venture through the scenic environment of the Lostock Hall Grounds.

The grounds need refurbishing after floods in 2015 have left lasting damage, and the hospice hopes to create a wheelchair-friendly woodland walk and wildlife haven.

The wetland and woodland reserve, and footbridge, are in particular need of upgrading.

Tesco customers in the local area voted for the hospice to be awarded the highest pot of money on offer for a dedicated ‘community project’ after St Catherine’s was shortlisted by Tesco and Groundwork UK  to receive grant funding.

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Director of Community and Income at St Catherine’s Hospice Lorraine Charlesworth said: “We are delighted to learn that we’ve been awarded this cash boost, which will go a long way towards making a real difference in refurbishing parts of our site.

“The money on offer is specifically for use in a project which will benefit the whole community; last summer we opened up our grounds to the public as we unveiled St Catherine’s Park.

“But improvements to the grounds also benefit our patients and their visitors, who have told us time and again that one of the most uplifting aspects of their time at St Catherine’s is having access to our beautiful gardens, as we strive to offer people with life-shortening illnesses a good quality of life.

“We’re keen to develop that further and make all aspects of our site pleasant and peaceful for people to enjoy walking around and exploring, and we envisage developing a lovely woodland walk next to the river within our wetland reserve.”

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Lorraine added: “The river bank was damaged in the floods so we’re really keen to see that repaired. With this funding, we will also be able to enhance the wetland area and make it a real haven of wildlife, promoting biodiversity and providing a focal point for people to stop and admire as they make their way around the pathways, which are already well stocked with benches and resting points.

“We’re excited to make a start on the project and look forward to unveiling the woodland walk to our supporters later this year.”

Have you visited the Lostock Hall grounds? What do you think about the Tesco funding? Let us know in the comments below.