A UK hospice is keeping its fleet of vehicles on the road thanks to 12V battery chargers donated by CTEK.

Willen Hospice provides free care for adults with life-limiting illness in and around its home town of Milton Keynes, where it was established by a doctor and a district nurse in 1981.

Paul Banner, Facilities Manager at Willen Hospice, reached out to CTEK for advice after problems with one of the vehicles in its fleet. Paul said: "We wanted to put preventative measures in place and better support the wider fleet moving forward."

The hospice's fleet includes cars for its Willen at Home care providers, vans to support its fundraising retail operation and even a lawnmower for its grounds. They are all used daily, including for the collection and transportation of medicines, blood samples and medical supplies.

In addition to supporting operational activities, the nine-strong vehicle fleet plays an important role in enabling Willen Hospice to deliver specialist palliative and end-of-life care to people across Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas. Having vehicles always ready to go is essential for delivering palliative and end-of-life patient care.

To help the hospice, CTEK donated two PRO25 chargers and one CS ONE charger and they are now being used as part of the hospice's vehicle management, enabling the team to safely and efficiently help and prevent vehicles experiencing 12V battery issues.

Paul said: "This additional resilience helps minimise disruption and supports the continued operation of estates services, retail operations and Willen at Home care teams, ensuring essential day to day services and care continue running smoothly.

"Willen Hospice would like to thank CTEK for ensuring the equipment arrived quickly so it could be put into immediate use. We are incredibly grateful to the CTEK team for their kindness, generosity and rapid support.

"These chargers will make a real difference in helping us maintain our vehicles and ensure we can continue delivering our services effectively. The CTEK chargers help maximise vehicle availability by maintaining battery health, particularly on vehicles that may experience frequent stop-start journeys."

Willen Hospice provides compassionate care and support to patients with life-limiting illnesses, as well as their families and loved ones. Services include inpatient care, the Willen at Home care service, wellbeing and therapeutic support, bereavement services, and a range of community-based programmes designed to help people live well for as long as possible.

Paul said: "As a charity, every act of support has a direct impact on the care we are able to provide to local people and their families. Partnerships and donations from organisations such as CTEK are invaluable, helping us reduce operating costs, improve efficiency and maximise the resources available for patient care."

At CTEK we were pleased to be able to support Willen Hospice with equipment to help maintain their fleet, so they are always able to provide the services that are so important to their patients. Reliable vehicle operation is essential for organisations delivering vital community services, and we're proud to play a small part in helping the hospice continue its important work.

Photo: The Willen Hospice maintenance team with their CTEK chargers