Total income at the end-of-life care charity Marie Curie was up by more than £9m last year, new figures show.
The charity’s accounts for the year to 31 March 2020 show it recorded income of £165.6m compared with £159.3m in the previous year, a record high for the past five years.
Spending rose slightly from £152.7m to £157m.
The accounts show that voluntary income fell slightly, with donations dropping from £62.1m to £59.8m, but legacy income increased by nearly £10m to £42.6m.
Retail income was just under £16m, a six per cent drop on last year, as the charity felt the effects of last year’s March lockdown and a drop-off in consumer confidence before stores were forced to close.
The charity had reserves of £54.5m, a nearly £6m increase on the previous year.
Marie Curie cared for 35,999 people in 2019/20 through its nurses, and a further 8,781 people at its hospices.
The charity employs 2,057 nursing staff and runs nine hospices.
It spent more than £108m on staff costs, including contracted employees who work for the NHS but Marie Curie reimburses for their time.
Nearly £500,000 was spent on termination payments throughout the year, but total staff numbers rose slightly to 4,234.
In his foreword to the accounts, Vindi Banga, chair of Marie Curie, said the charity had reacted quickly to ensure its financial stability as the pandemic compromised fundraising avenues.
“We will continue to find new ways of raising the funds needed to support the delivery of the work we do,” he said.