We have to raise £10 million a year to keep Severn Hospice afloat - here's how we do it

At the start of each financial year, she begins with nothing. And it falls to her to generate £9 million, maybe £10 million, or even £11 million to keep Severn Hospice running for another year.

"This year it was £10.8 million, but it goes up every single year," says Tracie, who has spent the past three years as head of income generation at the Shropshire-based charity. 

On the plus side, she does have a few tools at her disposal, which can usually be relied on to help her meet the target. One of the biggest of these is the charity's chain of 32 shops, 28 across the county, and a further four in Mid Wales. Between them, these bring in £4.5 million of much-needed funds. The hospice lottery brings in a further £1 million a year. And donations left in people's wills can usually be relied on to bring in another couple of million.

That still leaves Tracie with between £3 million and £5 million to find each year, a situation not helped by the recent Budget.

"If the government does press ahead in April 2025 with the increase in National Insurance, that will cost the hospice an extra £500,000 more. That's a big increase on top of what we already have to find."

Faced with such challenges, it is just as well that Severn Hospice has a loyal following in the county, and a loyal band of supporters willing to raise funds.

"We're always optimistic that all our supporters will help us raise the funds we need, but it is daunting when you start with zero every April," she says.