Dad enjoys special last Father’s Day at Dr Kershaw’s Hospice

As hospices across Greater Manchester face a growing financial crisis, a daughter has thanked Dr Kershaw’s Hospice for helping her dad to enjoy a peaceful last Father’s Day with his family.

Sue McEwan’s father, Brian Swann, was admitted to the hospice’s inpatient unit for end-of-life care in June 2022 after battling prostate cancer.

Here, the 87-year-old Oldham Athletic fan was cared for by a specialist team of nurses.

With support from Dr Kershaw’s, he was also able to enjoy a touching Father’s Day celebration with loved ones.

Now Sue wants to share his story to raise awareness of the need for hospice funding and enable other families to create treasured memories.

Sue said: “When someone you love is dying, the last thing you need is to worry about the care they are receiving."

On Dad’s last Father’s Day, shortly before he died, he had the most perfect day.

He was wheeled into the beautiful gardens and shared a three-course meal with myself and two of his grandchildren.

The room was decorated with Father’s Day banners and the atmosphere was relaxed.

It became one of the most precious memories we have of our final times with Dad.”

Moments like this are increasingly at risk as worrying figures reveal the deficit in hospice funding across the UK.

Hospices in Greater Manchester provide palliative, end-of-life and bereavement care to over 10,000 patients each year.

However, according to Hospice UK, nearly 6 in 10 English hospices have made or are considering cuts to frontline services.

Released in March 2026, the Public Accounts Committee’s report into the financial sustainability of England’s adult hospices also concludes that there is an ‘urgent need for reform’.

Like many other hospices, Dr Kershaw’s Hospice is not fully funded by the NHS, and relies on fundraising and donations to keep services running.

Since her father died, Sue has supported Dr Kershaw’s by signing up for its lottery and making dedications in Brian’s memory for its annual Light Up a Life event.

Earlier this year, she supported the hospice’s collaboration with Hospice UK to highlight the impact of gifts in wills.

Sue said: “If there is a perfect place for someone to pass away, it would be Dr Kershaw’s Hospice.

“Dad felt loved and cared for, and it’s hard to imagine him being anywhere else at the end of his life.

“I hope that by supporting the hospice, it will continue to be there for other families.”

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