Entrepreneur Donates £1m to Hospice

Hospice Isle of Man has been gifted £1 million by a donor in response to the current challenges around the charity’s financial position.

Ivan Soulsbury, a retired Isle of Man entrepreneur became aware of the need for support upon reading the reports in late December 2022 which described the financial challenges that Hospice was facing, Ivan decided that he had to act and do something proactive to help.

After a number of meetings with Hospice leaders, and much consideration, he has made an extraordinary and immensely generous gift of £1 million.

Ivan’s plea now is to other independently wealthy individuals on the island and to all corporate organisations to rally behind the hospice as it recovers from a very challenging period.

He said: ‘I recognised that Hospice is in need of urgent and immediate funding to help secure its future and ensure our Island continues to benefit from a world class organisation that provides such a range of services to patients and families not only at end of life but also from the point of a terminal diagnosis. We are truly fortunate as a small community to have a resource such as Hospice Isle of Man.’

John Knight, CEO of Hospice added: ‘Whilst this is clearly an incredibly generous gift it is also an opportunity to extend its impact even further as Ivan is open minded about his funds being matched by others. Whilst we are marking 40 years of palliative care provided to the community, we are also striving to map out the coming 40 years and ensure Hospice remains the core provider of palliative and end of life care on island.

‘I would appeal to anyone interested in matching even a part of Ivan’s gift, to get in touch and discuss how they can help the ongoing recovery of Hospice care for the island’s community.’