Twenty-one years after The Dalemain World Marmalade Awards first began, it has raised almost £350,000 for Hospice at Home, Carlisle and North Lakeland.

Every year the winner can choose a charity to donate money to and 2025 Homemade winner, Hitomi Wakamura from Japan also generously nominated Hospice at Home, Carlisle and North Lakeland as her charity of choice for 2025.

The charity was presented with a cheque for the amount raised from the 2025 awards of £23,791, this is made up with a percentage of the sales of the winning marmalade at Dalemain which is £2031 will go towards the work they do.

Director of The Dalemain World Marmalade Awards, Beatrice Hasell-McCosh, “A third of a million pounds raised for Hospice is a brilliant reason to celebrate our twenty first birthday.

“We are in debt to our sponsors Fortnums, Westmorland Family, Adfin and Lycetts for helping us realise this dream.

“Marmalade is such a force for good and I wish everyone entering in 2026 the very best of luck.”

The cheque presentation ceremony to Hospice at Home took place at Dalemain Mansion, with volunteers and local judges, many of whom have supported the Awards since their creation.

Representatives from Hospice at Home included Lady Elizabeth Leeming and a hospice nurse received the cheque from Jane Hasell-McCosh, Joy Pemberton Piggott, a number of judges and friends of the awards who also attended.

Charlie Douglas of Lycetts said “We are delighted to see such an incredible total raised for Hospice at Home.

“At Lycetts, we are proud to support the Dalemain World Marmalade Awards and to work alongside the Dalemain team in helping this much-loved event deliver a real and lasting benefit for a vital local charity.”

While Lady Elizabeth Leeming, President, Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland said: “This wonderful donation of more than twenty three thousand pounds from the 2025 Dalemain Marmalade Awards is more needed than ever due to the many challenges facing Hospice funding.

“The loyalty of everyone who contributes to the Awards, through their time, energy and marmalade making skills, is greatly valued by all at Hospice at Home Carlisle & North Lakeland.

“We’d like to say a very big thank you to everyone at Dalemain, in the community and those further afield who enabled this extraordinary sum to be gathered.

“As a result, there will be many patients and their families in our local area who will benefit from day and night nursing care and our wide range of other services when one of their own is nearing the end of life.”

Sarah Dunning, Chairman, Westmorland Family added: “It is wonderful that the Marmalade Festival has made another valuable contribution to Carlisle and North Lakeland Hospice at Home this year.

“As well as being a marvellous celebration in its own right, the festival’s charitable contribution to such an important cause in Cumbria across 25 years is significant.”

A new category for this year is the Adfin Tea Marmalade for anyone who add’s tea to their recipe, so if you think that oolong goes well with oranges or matcha makes the best addition to their marmalade, this is the category for you.

As well as this the Prisons Marmalade Category returns for it’s third year alongside the Westmorland Family Local Flavours and Lycetts Signature Savoury Marmalade.

Entry forms can be downloaded from the website.

The competition opens on January 1, and closes on February 2.

The winner of the 2026 awards will be announced at the Marmalade Festival on Saturday, April 25, with thousands of marmalades on display, Artisan marmalades to try and buy, talks, tours and a visit from national treasure Paddington Bear.