Stanley House Vets raise £2k in memory of colleague

Colleagues at a Lancashire veterinary practice have raised almost £2,000 for the hospice that provided palliative care to one of their team members.

Stanley House Vets colleagues have spent the year taking on a variety of fundraising challenges for Pendleside Hospice in Burnley in memory of former equine and farm vet Nick Johnson, who died of cancer in 2024.

The team has taken part in the Yorkshire Tough Mudder, the 12-mile Pendle Pub Walk and the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, the latter having had to be scaled back due to poor weather conditions on the day following mountain rescue team advice.

They have also sold sunflower seed packets at their Colne, Burnley and Barnoldswick practices, organised a sunflower-growing competition for clients and donated 25 bin bags of clothes to be sold across the hospice’s 10 shops.

‘Brought us together’

The colleagues have raised £1,550, while VetPartners have added a further 20% – £310 – to take the total to £1,860.

Stanley House Vets clinical director Leanne Duckworth said: “The fundraising has brought us together as a team and building that team spirit was another important reason for taking on the challenges.

“We’re delighted with the amount we’ve raised, but this is just the start. We’re already looking at doing even more fundraising events next year to raise money for Pendleside Hospice.

“The hospice holds a special place in our community and in all our hearts. Nick was a much-loved colleague, and he was very much in our thoughts throughout the fundraising.

“Cancer touches so many lives, and some of our colleagues have also seen friends and family benefit from the care and support the hospice provides.”