A hospice that saw its income dramatically hit by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has been bailed out by one of the UK’s biggest high street banks.

Dorothy House Hospice Care at Winsley received £1.75 million from HSBC UK to continue offering palliative care for hundreds of patients across Somerset and Wiltshire,

The hospice, which employs almost 1,500 paid and voluntary staff, secured the cash as part of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

Dorothy House, which was founded in 1976 to provide care for those with life-limiting illnesses, lost two key sources of income after closing its 27 charity shops and cancelling a number of its major fundraising events and activities when lockdown measures were announced.

It has used the funding to support its depleted cash flow, meaning it can continue to provide free care to around 600 patients at a time when demand for their services is increasing.

Tony De Jaeger, financial director at Dorothy House, said: “Since the beginning of the lockdown period, we have experienced a huge decline in our regular income streams, which are crucial for us to continue operating our hospices across the South West.

“We are pleased to have HSBC as our banking partner, which has already provided vital funding helping us support our cash flow and ensuring we can operate throughout these tough conditions to support those in our community that really need us.

“Our relationship director Paul Dowell has worked closely with us during these challenging times and was able to put the funding in place very quickly so we could adapt to the changing lockdown landscape.”

James Shepherd, head of HSBC’s corporate banking for Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, said: “Dorothy House is a well-established charity with deep roots in the south west and the number of people it supports across the region every year is astounding.

“We are pleased to play a part in supporting the team through this challenging time, enabling the charity to continue its excellent care despite the lockdown. We look forward to continuing our relationship in the future.”

DHHC operates hospices and charity shops across 700 square miles of the south west.

HSBC UK has allocated £5 billion to help businesses that need support during the coronavirus pandemic.