Local man donates half of hospice lottery winnings back to support patient care

A man from Hertfordshire recently won £2,000 in the Local Hospice Lottery, which supports more than 40 hospices, including ours, nationwide. Before even getting his hands on the cheque, he already had his own cheque book out, pledging to give back £1,000 to Garden House.

Mr Chetwin has been supporting us by playing the lottery for a number of years. He recalled his surprise at receiving the phone call to announce he had won and said it was a ‘no brainer’ to give something back:

“I’ve played the lottery for years and have never won anything - and my wife has been playing for even longer than me - so I couldn’t believe it when I got the call. We know a few people who have been cared for at the Hospice; I was part of the lottery before then but it certainly enticed me to keep playing.

“I’m aware of the financial situation they are currently in and straight away decided to donate half of my winnings back to them. We’ll probably use the other half to go on holiday - we like walking holidays in the UK, so maybe Ben Nevis!”

Mr Chetwin was presented with his winning cheque at the Hospice in February

We announced a £1.178m funding shortfall back in October 2025. Our team presenting the cheque were ‘touched’ by his donation, which will help ensure our services remain available to local families.

Lizzie Kennedy is Director of Patient Services at Garden House Hospice Care:

“We were left speechless by Mr Chetwin’s generosity. It’s such a kind, thoughtful gesture and one which will make a real difference to our patients. The prize couldn’t have gone to a more deserving winner.

“On behalf of everyone here, we would like to say a huge thank you and congratulations.”

Playing the Local Hospice Lottery is simple way to help Garden House Hospice Care raise the £8.5 million needed every year to fund our services. The regular income can secure the future of their care, meaning we will be here for patients of today and tomorrow.