What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 10am - 2:30pm Wednesday 10am - 2:30pm Thursday 10am - 2:30pm Friday 10am - 2:30pm Saturday 10am - 2:30pm

The Willows Café and Potting Shed Gift Shop

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The Willows Café and Potting Shed Gift Shop

The Willows is a beautiful community café located at Willow Burn Hospice in Lanchester. The Willows is a beautiful community café located at Willow Burn.

Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am - 2.30pm (Currently closed on Fridays)

Proceeds from the Willows Cafe fund the services at Willow Burn Hospice. The cafe boasts gorgeous views across Derwentside and an array of delicious home-cooked food. But don’t take our word for it… come and try it for yourself. The setting is perfect for catching up with friends and family, meeting clients or work colleagues or a family celebration. There is a variety of seating available inside and outside in our landscaped gardens. Parking is available onsite and payment is cash, chip and pin and contactless. We are sorry but tables are not able to be booked ahead, this is a walk-in service. The Willows Café first opened in 2016 and was refurbished with the development of the Helen McArdle Wing in 2018. The café is run by volunteers and all profit goes to support the vital care provided by the nurses at Willow Burn Hospice. The Potting Shed
The Potting Shed is our new plant and gift shop at Willow Burn. Come along and see the treasures you can find, every visit will be different! All purchases for The Potting Shed can be made in the Willows Café

Visiting The Willows Café
Please use the main entrance to Willow Burn when you visit the Willows Café. Here you will be asked for your contact information for track and trace. You will then be taken to a table, where we will take your order. Find Us
The Willows, Willow Burn Hospice, Lanchester Rise, Howden Bank, Lanchester
Turn into the Maiden View Estate and follow the road around to Willow Burn

Parking at Willow Burn
We kindly ask you to only park in the car parking spaces located at Willow Burn Hospice and be respectful of the residents of Maiden View. Please refrain from parking opposite the cul-de-sac at the front of the hospice. If you have difficulty finding a car parking space or our car park is full, please can you park in the space at the entrance to the hospice and ask the Reception Team for advice.

29/09/2026

We’re counting down the days until Willows Café re-opens… and we’ve missed you lots! 💚

We can’t wait to welcome you back for good food, cosy catch-ups and plenty of familiar faces.

But we want to know…

What have YOU missed the most? 👀

☕ Your favourite coffee?
🥔 Our scones?
🥪 A tasty lunch?
🍰 Something sweet?
💚 Or simply sitting down and having a catch-up with our fabulous volunteers.

Tell us in the comments! 👇

Just TWO WEEKS to go! 🎉

28/09/2026

💚 Exciting News! 💚

We are thrilled to announce that the The Willows at Willow Burn Hospice is due to reopen on Tuesday 13 October at 10.00am.

We can't wait to welcome you back and invite you to enjoy our brand-new Winter Menu. ☕🍰

The Potting Shed will reopen later in November as a Christmas Shop, before undergoing a transformation and relaunch in the New Year. 🎄✨

We're also still recruiting volunteers. If you'd like to be part of our wonderful team, volunteering opportunities are available and applications can be made online via the link in the comments.
We look forward to seeing you soon!

15/09/2026

Join the Willow Burn Hospice Team and Macmillan's Joining the Dots (County Durham) Adult Wellbeing Services

📅 Tuesday 22 September
🕤 9:30am to 12:00 noon

Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and discover how we can support individuals and families affected by cancer.

📍 Tea Hatch, General Outpatients, Shotley Bridge Hospital

What's On?
Tea and coffee
Information and support
Raffle

All funds raised will be shared between Macmillan Cancer Support and Willow Burn Hospice.

We look forward to welcoming you.

04/09/2026

We’re still aiming for an October reopening and our Facebook followers will be the first to find out when we have a date to share 💚

In the meantime, Hazel has been busy behind the scenes preparing our new Winter Menu and we think you’re going to love what’s coming.

We’ve got three brand-new winter warmers joining the menu:

🥔 Deep-filled jacket potatoes with a warming chilli
🥪 Hot roast sandwiches
🥣 And your favourite hearty vegetable broth

So, while we can’t quite welcome you back to the Willow Café just yet, we hope the thought of what’s coming keeps you warm in the meantime!

October… we’re counting down! 💚

02/09/2026

While others head back to school, why not start a new volunteering adventure at Willow Burn Hospice

The Willows Café at Willow Burn Hospice is getting ready for a new intake of volunteers, with new volunteer roles starting in October 2026.

As a Café Assistant, you’ll help with the day-to-day running of the Willows Café, serving customers, taking orders, operating the till, preparing drinks and serving food, while helping us keep the café welcoming, clean and safe.

And, most importantly, your time helps generate vital income for Willow Burn Hospice. 💚

Your timetable:
🕤 9.30am–3pm
📅 Roles available throughout the week
🎓 Full onboarding and mandatory training provided, including Food Hygiene Level 2.

Whether you're looking to meet new people, learn new skills, get back into volunteering or simply want to give something back, your place in the Willows Café is waiting for you.

Registration is now open for our October 2026 start!

📧 [email protected]
📞 01207 529 224
www.willowburnhospice.org.uk/volunteer

03/08/2026

We can't believe it's been over two weeks since we closed our doors and we are already missing all of our wonderful customers and friendly faces! 💚

While we count down the weeks until we reopen in October, we're celebrating our local heritage through the Brothers and Sisters of Leadgate Exhibition with Communities in Focus currently exhibiting in our gardens.

📸 Can you name the local hero in this picture?
Comment below with your answer for a chance to win a £15 Willows Café voucher to use when we reopen in October🍀 One lucky winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries.
Good luck and thank you for all your continued support. We can't wait to welcome you back soon!

Terms & Conditions
• Competition closes at 11:59pm on Sunday 9 August.
• To enter, comment on this post with the name of the local hero shown in the photograph.
• One winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received before the closing date.
• The prize is one £15 Willows Café voucher.
• The voucher can be redeemed when Willows Café reopens in October 2026.
• The winner will be contacted via Facebook within 7 days of the competition closing.
• No cash alternative is available.
• Open to UK residents aged 18 and over.
• This competition is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook.
• By entering, participants agree to these terms and conditions.

AI Caption

28/07/2026

Next Tuesday at Willow Burn Hospice - Dementia Support Service

On the first Tuesday of every month, come along as a carer, with or without the person with dementia you care for, and meet other people. Our day centre team can provide care, interaction and activities for your loved one while you have a coffee and a chat with other carers.

There will be a member of the team available from from the Alzheimer’s Society who can provide information, advice, support and signposting to other groups and resources available to you. You will be on hand should you or your cared for person need support or reassurance.

Time - 1pm - 3.30pm

We are going through some construction work in parts of the building but please come to the main Reception entrance as usual.

For further information visit:
www.willowburnhospice.org.uk/our-events/monthly-dementia-support-service

17/07/2026

Yesterday we served our final orders before our temporary closure and we'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has volunteered, visited, supported and enjoyed the café 💚

The Willows Café will now be closed while refurbishment works take place at Willow Burn Hospice and we look forward to welcoming you back when we reopen in mid-October.

Although the café is closed, please keep following this page! Over the coming weeks we'll be sharing:

🌿 Weekly competitions
🌿 Volunteer opportunities
🌿 Hospice news, updates and much more!

Willow Burn Hospice remains open throughout the refurbishment for in-patient care (day services has moved temporarily to Shotley Bridge Hospital and counselling down to Lanchester Community Centre). Our Reception team will be here to welcome you if you need to:

💚 Drop off volunteer application forms
💚 Make a donation
💚 Pick up your copy of Will O'Burn's new book
💚 Make general enquiries

The monthly Dementia Carer Drop-In will still take place on the first Tuesday of every month too at Willow Burn Hospice

Our beautiful hospice gardens also remain open for everyone to enjoy, including:

🌸 Memories in Bloom
📸 Communities in Focus Exhibition – Sons and Daughters of Leadgate

Please feel free to visit, take a peaceful stroll through the gardens and enjoy these special spaces.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding. We can't wait to welcome you back to the Willows Café in mid-October 💚

10/07/2026

Just a reminder that The Willows Café and Potting Shed Gift Shop will be closing this Thursday at 2.30pm until mid-October to allow us to do some construction and development work at Willow Burn Hospice.

You have Saturday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to make the most of your favourite café and we can't wait to welcome you all.

Use next week as an opportunity to get your scone fix and to catch up with our fabulous volunteers.

Although we are closed from Thursday, you can enjoy our beautiful gardens throughout the summer, take in this fantastic exhibition from Communities in Focus and visit our Memories in Bloom poppies.

30/06/2026

💚Update from Willow Burn Hospice & the Willows Café💚

We’d like to let our wonderful supporters know about some upcoming changes at Willow Burn over the summer which will impact the Willows Café.

Willow Burn Hospice is rightly recognised as one of the best hospices in the country for its design, the quality of its buildings and the beautiful environment surrounding it. However, to ensure that the high standards are maintained, we will be undergoing a period of refurbishment works from mid-July. The work is expected to last for approximately 10 weeks, running through to mid-October.

The work will largely take place in the Sir Tom Cowie Health and Wellbeing Centre but unfortunately this means the The Willows Café and Potting Shed Gift Shop will be closed during this period from 16 July at 2.30pm

This has been a difficult decision as we know it is a much-loved community hub, however the safety of our visitors must be a priority. Please keep an eye out on this page for pop up Willows events.

Our Gardens Remain Open
Our beautiful hospice gardens will stay open throughout for quiet reflection and relaxation. Throughout the summer, our gardens will also host:
• Memories in Bloom from 20 July
• Communities in Focus Exhibition : Sons and Daughters of Leadgate

Please feel free to bring your own coffee, take a stroll and enjoy these peaceful spaces.

Our other services will operate as follows:
💚The Helen McArdle In-Patient Wing will continue to operate as usual for patients and their visitors.
💚Day Services will temporarily move to Shotley Bridge Hospice.
💚Counselling Services will temporarily move to Lanchester Community Centre
💚Reception will remain open for general support/hospice enquiries, donations and volunteer enquiries.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding, it truly means so much.

Address

Howden Bank
Durham
DH70

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 2:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 2:30pm
Thursday	10am - 2:30pm
Friday	10am - 2:30pm
Saturday	10am - 2:30pm

Telephone

+441207529224

Website

https://willowburnhospice.org.uk/willows-cafe/

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