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News

Over half of UK adults don’t have a will – are you one of them?

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Last Will and Testament

Over half of UK adults don’t have a will - are you one of them?

Research from the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) shows that 53% of adults aged 50-64 and 22% of those aged 65 and over do not have a will.*

Life is full of milestones: house purchases, marriage, children, divorce…to ensure that your wishes remain current, your will should be updated. If you die without a will (intestate), your estate is distributed according to strict government rules, which may not align with your actual wishes.

Having an up-to-date will ensures that your wishes are met after your death. You can look after loved ones and support the causes about which you care most. What’s more, leaving a gift in your will can be a highly tax-efficient way of giving to charity and supporting your community.

This September, Oakhaven Hospice has teamed up with local solicitors and will writers who have generously agreed to donate their time and expertise for free to help you make or update your will, encouraging donations to Oakhaven.

How to take part in Oakhaven’s Write a Will Month from Monday 17th August:

Step 1: Visit www.oakhavenhospice.co.uk/write-a-will, where you will find the details of participating solicitors and estate planners

Step 2: Book an appointment between 17 August and 30 September to take place by 31st October 2026. Each firm has a limited number of appointments. Check before making the appointment if there are any specific criteria.

Step 3: Donate to Oakhaven Hospice (click here) on the website page above or by phoning 01590 677773.

Step 4: Take your email confirmation to your appointment.

Laura Eastwood, Oakhaven Hospice’s Director of Fundraising, said, “Write a Will Month is a great opportunity to make or change your will and support Oakhaven, as local solicitors generously support Oakhaven by waiving their fees to encourage donations to Oakhaven.

Every donation helps our specialist teams to provide end-of-life care free of charge to patients and their loved ones. Right now, we are caring for over 650 patients at any time, in the hospice and in patients’ homes throughout the New Forest, Totton and Waterside - and demand is growing. Your Write a Will Month donations will make a real difference and help you to keep your will and wishes up to date.”

Click here for more information and to make a donation, contact 01590 677773 or fundraising@oakhavenhospice.co.uk.

*maps.org.uk, 27 January 2025

Help hospice care live on

Leave a gift in your will and help protect hospice care for all, for now, forever.

Find out more

Volunteer for Oakhaven!

We welcome new volunteers in every department - get in touch to find out more!

Find out more

Is your will up to date?

Take advantage of our Write a Will Month - book your appointment from 17th August!

Find out more

Sway Open Gardens 2026

Make a donation

Managing Insomnia Workshop

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Lady in bed with insomnia

Join our workshop to help manage your insomnia

Are you navigating a life-limiting illness, caring for someone or living with a loss or bereavement?

Are you beyond tired? Struggling to think clearly or sleeping poorly?

Join us at the Coates Centre on Tuesday 27th October from 1.45-4.45pm to learn the No1 prescribed evidence-based treatment based on CBT-I and how the limbic system influences sleep. Explore natural remedies and relaxation techniques for deeper rest, renewed energy and improved wellbeing

Spaces limited, booking essential. Cost £20 per person.

Book your space today using the form below.

Alternatively, please telephone Lee Rand on 01590 613025 or email wellbeing@oakhavenhospice.co.uk.

Help hospice care live on

Leave a gift in your will and help protect hospice care for all, for now, forever.

Find out more

Volunteer for Oakhaven!

We welcome new volunteers in every department - get in touch to find out more!

Find out more

Is your will up to date?

Take advantage of our Write a Will Month - book your appointment from 17th August!

Find out more

Living well: signposting and support with Oakhaven Wellbeing

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Living well signpost

Living well is vital to your health and wellbeing

If you are living with a life-limiting illness, caring for someone, or navigating grief or bereavement, your wellbeing remains a vital part of living well.

Our next Living Well Hub will take place on Wednesday, 9th September, from 10am to 12.30pm, in the Coates Centre at Oakhaven, Lower Pennington Lane, Lymington SO41 8ZZ.

This bi-monthly drop-in session, organised by the Oakhaven Wellbeing team, gathers together important organisations to enable you to find relevant signposting and advice that you might require in order to live well.

The Living Well Hub is here for everyone in our New Forest, Totton and Waterside communities - you don't need to be a patient or family already known to Oakhaven. It will be an opportunity to ask any questions that you might have, or to simply come along and find out what sort of support might be available to you in the community.

At the Living Well Hub, you will find:

  • New Forest Disability Information Service, able to provide advice on benefits and forms, support at home, carer support and equipment for people affected by disabilities.
  • HOPe (Helping Older People New Forest), able to provide advice on attendance allowance, Blue Badge permits, managing paperwork, pension credit and allowances, taxation, benefit claims, disability rights, rent and utility bill problems.
  • CAP (Christians Against Poverty), offering free debt and personal support.
  • Princess Royal Trust for Carers, offering free help, advice and support (including in an emergency).
  • Estate Planning: a variety of professionals able to provide advice on Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, long term care and business succession.
  • Oakhaven Care: a member of our social enterprise home care provider will be in attendance and able to provide advice and guidance on adult social care.

In addition, various members of our Hospice Team will be on hand to answer any queries that you might have. This might include members of our Wellbeing team, Community Nursing team, Therapy team, Oakhaven Neighbours team, Patient and Family Support team, for example.

Oakhaven has a holistic approach to care and planning

At Oakhaven, our ethos is centred on placing individuals at the heart of their own care and planning. We adopt a 'what matters to me' approach, encouraging open, beneficial conversations that empower individuals to design living well ideas based on their unique values, needs and aspirations. When plans are shaped by individuals themselves, they are more meaningful, achievable and sustainable.

We support this through a range of opportunities, including one-to-one conversations, workshops, seminars, and tailored programmes. These are designed to promote tools, resources and pathways that help build a strong, self-supportive framework. We aim to enhance each person’s ability to

  • self-manage
  • establish goal-setting
  • foster motivation
  • and strengthen commitment to their own wellbeing.

We recognise that wellbeing is deeply personal and is unique to current circumstances. It encompasses physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, social, cultural, environmental and economic aspects, not always at once, but each contributing to a person’s overall experience.

A holistic approach to wellbeing fosters sustainable progress, not just for individuals, but also for families and communities.

Find out more about the groups, workshops and programmes available every month with Oakhaven Wellbeing at the Coates Centre by clicking here.

The first step is yours, and every step after that can be taken together…

For more information about our Living Well Hub, please contact Lee Rand, our Wellbeing Coordinator, at wellbeing@oakhavenhospice.co.uk or call 01590 670346.

Help hospice care live on

Leave a gift in your will and help protect hospice care for all, for now, forever.

Find out more

Volunteer for Oakhaven!

We welcome new volunteers in every department - get in touch to find out more!

Find out more

Is your will up to date?

Take advantage of our Write a Will Month - book your appointment from 17th August!

Find out more

If you are affected by a life-limiting illness, are a carer or are living with a loss or bereavement, we are here to support you.

Make a donation

Oakhaven fundraiser at Barton on Sea Golf Club raises over £30k

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Oakhaven Golfers at Barton on Sea Golf Club with Isle of Wight and Needles in the background

Oakhaven fundraiser at Barton on Sea Golf Club raises over £30,000 for hospice care.

On Wednesday 15th July, Oakhaven held its annual Golf Day, sponsored by Frampton Estates, at Barton on Sea Golf Club. With matched funding, the event raised over £30,000.

Thirty-one teams of four competed for The Oakhaven Charity Bowl and a host of other prizes generously donated by local businesses and individuals.

With England reaching the semi-final of the World Cup, the order of evening events had to be changed slightly; however, everyone enjoyed their delicious meal and guest speaker, international footballing legend Bruce Grobbelaar.

Jill West, Oakhaven’s Fundraising Manager for Community and Events, said, “Thank you to everyone who supported our Golf Day, in particular our volunteers and Barton on Sea Golf Club staff, without whom this popular event could not take place.

“We would like to thank the event sponsors, Frampton Estates and also Drain & Plumbing Solutions, Roof X Exchange, whose support helps to cover some of the event costs. Many thanks also to all local businesses and individuals who donated prizes and gifts in kind.

“Special thanks to Ed and Melissa Page who so generously donated our wonderful gold envelope prize of a trip to the USA with tickets for the US Open at Pebble Beach.

“Congratulations to the winning teams and individuals - we very much look forward to our next Golf Day on 14th July 2027.”

Demand for Oakhaven’s specialist services continues to grow each year. Currently, Oakhaven is caring for over 650 patients and their families at any time - in the Hospice and in patients’ homes across our New Forest, Totton and Waterside communities. In addition, Oakhaven Wellbeing supports everyone in the local area who is navigating a life-limiting illness or coming to terms with a bereavement.

Just 11% of Oakhaven’s funding is covered by the government. For the remaining 89%, the charity relies on your kind donations, fundraising, gifts in wills and income from the Oakhaven charity shops and its award-winning home care provider, Oakhaven Care Ltd, a social enterprise that donates 100% of any profits to the charity.

To find out more about how you could help Oakhaven with a donation, fundraising or a gift in your will, please visit www.oakhavenhospice.co.uk/support-us, or contact the Fundraising Team directly on 01590 677773 or fundraising@oakhavenhospice.co.uk.

Help hospice care live on

Leave a gift in your will and help protect hospice care for all, for now, forever.

Find out more

Volunteer for Oakhaven!

We welcome new volunteers in every department - get in touch to find out more!

Find out more

Is your will up to date?

Take advantage of our Write a Will Month - book your appointment from 17th August!

Find out more

Sway Open Gardens 2026

Make a donation

Pirate fun in the sun at our Family Fun Day

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Oakhaven Hospice Family Fun Day pirates

Pirate fun in the sun at Oakhaven’s Family Fun Day

On Saturday, 27th June, Oakhaven Hospice welcomed supporters from across the New Forest, Totton and the Waterside to a family fun day, with over 800 people braving the red-alert heat to attend during the course of the day. The popular annual event raised over £17,000, all of which will help to fund the hospice’s running costs.

Oakhaven’s traditional summer fayre had something for all the family, this year with an exciting pirate theme. A bubble show and fun workshops delighted children throughout the afternoon, along with inflatables and plenty of other activities for children and adults alike.

Everyone enjoyed browsing the Oakhaven fundraising stalls, including the ever-popular plant, craft and cake stalls, and trying their luck in the raffles and tombolas.

Oakhaven’s Community and Events Manager, Jill West, said: “We would like to thank everyone who came along to our Family Fun Day. It was great to see so many families enjoying a traditional summer fête in the sunshine. Many thanks to everyone who donated or baked items for us to sell or use as prizes. A big thank you also to all the volunteers who donated their time to help set up, man stalls, and take down the event. Without you, we simply wouldn’t be able to host such a wonderful event.

“In particular, we would like to thank our headline sponsor, John D Wood & Co, and Cinnamon Care (Mornington Court and Hartwood House) for sponsoring our Fizz Tent. Your financial support has helped cover some of the event costs.

“Demand for Oakhaven’s vital services grows every year, and at any time our specialist teams are caring for over 650 patients and their families - not just at the Hospice, but also in patients’ homes throughout our New Forest, Totton and Waterside communities.

“Oakhaven’s services are provided free of charge to all patients and their loved ones. Yet just a small proportion of our costs are covered by the NHS. For the remainder, our charity relies on your kind donations, fundraising, gifts in wills and income from the Oakhaven charity shops and home care provider, Oakhaven Care Ltd.”

Oakhaven Hospice Family Fun Day

Help hospice care live on

Leave a gift in your will and help protect hospice care for all, for now, forever.

Find out more

Volunteer for Oakhaven!

We welcome new volunteers in every department - get in touch to find out more!

Find out more

Is your will up to date?

Take advantage of our Write a Will Month - book your appointment from 17th August!

Find out more

Make a donation

Oakhaven Volunteers receive awards during National Volunteers Week

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Volunteer tea party

Oakhaven Volunteers receive achievement awards during National Volunteers Week

Five volunteers have been recognised for outstanding achievement in the 2026 Oakhaven Hospice Volunteer Achievement Awards.

National Volunteers Week, from 1st to 7th June 2026, provided the perfect opportunity for the trustees and staff of Oakhaven Hospice to thank over 450 volunteers who willingly give their time and expertise to support the hospice.

The charity held two special afternoon tea events to celebrate its volunteers, the first held in a marquee in the beautiful gardens of the Hospice, and the second at St John’s Church Hall in Hythe.

Oakhaven’s Chair of Trustees, Melville Kendal, thanked all the Oakhaven volunteers for their support - helping at the hospice, in the Coates Centre, in patients’ homes across the New Forest, Totton and Waterside community and helping the charity’s shops and events.

He said, “We really appreciate everything that our Volunteers do. THANK YOU for helping Oakhaven to make every moment matter.”

Leading up to the event, staff and volunteers were able to make nominations for the annual Volunteer Achievement Awards. The Awards are based on the Trust’s values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Empathy. Plus an award for Individual Achievement.

Congratulations to the 2026 winners of the Oakhaven Hospice Volunteer Achievement Awards:

  • The Award for Compassion was presented to Gillian Hill, who volunteers in the Day Hospice kitchen.
  • The Award for Accountability was presented to Linda Stevenson, who volunteers for Oakhaven’s Inpatient Unit and also serves as a Patient Safety Partner Volunteer.
  • The Award for Respect was presented to Pam Hyde, who volunteers in the Day Hospice kitchen.
  • The Award for Empathy was presented to Bill Miles, who volunteers as a driver.

An Award for Individual Achievement was awarded to James, who volunteers in the Oakhaven Retail team, identifying high-value pieces to sell on eBay, at auction houses and with specialised dealers to optimise the funds raised for the hospice.

New this year is a Team Award, recognising a volunteer team that demonstrates excellent teamwork, mutual support and a shared commitment to making a meaningful difference. The Complementary Therapy Volunteer Team received this award for providing an outstanding and essential service within the Hospice, delivering high‑quality complementary therapies and relaxation to patients and carers across outpatient clinics, home visits, the Inpatient Unit, and the Day Hospice.

In addition, all winners have been recognised with a Room To Reward Award for being hidden heroes for Oakhaven. Room to Reward is a unique volunteer-recognition charity created to say ‘thank you’ to their hidden heroes – inspirational volunteers who give up their time to make a difference to those who need it most. Room to Reward partners with hotels across the UK to offer complimentary one or two-night stays to nominated volunteers.

A number of volunteers also received recognition for over five years of service, with some volunteering for over 25 and even 30 years for Oakhaven.

The Oakhaven family is always looking for more volunteers to help in a variety of roles, for more information about volunteering for Oakhaven Hospice, please visit www.oakhavenhospice.co.uk/volunter, call 01590 670346 or email volunteering@oakhavenhospice.co.uk.

Help hospice care live on

Leave a gift in your will and help protect hospice care for all, for now, forever.

Find out more

Volunteer for Oakhaven!

We welcome new volunteers in every department - get in touch to find out more!

Find out more

Is your will up to date?

Take advantage of our Write a Will Month - book your appointment from 17th August!

Find out more

Sway Open Gardens 2026

Make a donation