YORK'S St Leonard’s Hospice has received a cash boost from the York Gin company, following the sale of 350 special edition bottles of its award-winning London Dry Gin.

The limited edition St Leonard’s batch, with bespoke labels, was created to mark the 35th anniversary of the hospice.

Each 70cl bottle was sold for £35, with 10 per cent of each sale going to the local charity, raising a total of £1,204 for the hospice.

The special edition bottles were snapped up in record time, with York Gin also gifting the first six to St Leonard’s to use for other fundraising activities.

Dawn Clements, director of income generation at St Leonard’s, said: “A big thank you to the York Gin Company for creating our very own, special edition gin! We’re thrilled with how popular it has been and how many of our supporters have purchased a bottle as a keepsake to support the hospice.

“Our 35th anniversary year has turned out to be a lot different to what we had planned, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We had to cancel a lot of events and, instead, look for new and innovative ways to raise much-needed funds for the Hospice. It is only through the support of companies like York Gin, that we are able to continue to provide the best quality of care for local people.”

York Gin co-founder, Pete McNichol, added: “We have supported St Leonard’s in various ways since 2018 and have first-hand experience of the excellent care and support it provides.

“We’re absolutely delighted that the special edition 35th anniversary gin has proved so popular, raising over £1,000 for the hospice. We’d like to raise a glass to the next 35 years!"