We campaign

Our history

St Oswald’s was founded in the 1970’s thanks to the drive and determination of our founders, who felt so strongly that the people of the North East of England should benefit from hospice care, that they set about campaigning for it.

Following a launch appeal in 1982, the hospice opened it’s doors in 1986.

Over the years, our campaigning role has involved forging partnerships and driving forward an agenda to mainstream hospice care.

Today, we work with a number of partner agencies, most notably Hospice UK and Together for Short Lives, to campaign collectively with other UK hospices about issues affecting adults, young people, babies and children with life limiting conditions.

Most recently, we’ve campaigned for better provision of transition services for young adults.

Our campaigns

In 2012 we devised and published a report called “Living longer than you thought I would” with support from Marie Curie Cancer Care Young People and Transition Programme. The report aimed to better understand the situation, needs and aspirations of young people with life limiting conditions who are growing into adulthood. The publication was launched at a high visibility event in London, aimed at government ministers and policy makers, as well as local MP’s to garner their support.