The hospice, which has facilities in Stockton and Bishop Auckland, is a key employer, with 250 staff and 500 volunteers, supporting 1,700 people and their families each year.

About 100 business leaders attended the event at Rockliffe Hall, near Darlington, which is one of the new partners.

The chief executive of Butterwick Hospice Care, Graham Leggatt-Chidgey, said: “Our corporate partnerships are very important to us, especially in these testing times, and they benefit both the hospice and the organisations.”

The hospice provides free specialist palliative care in Teesside, County Durham, North Yorkshire and Wearside to those with lifelimiting illnesses, and their families.