Mayo firm Pamex backs Sunflower Children’s Hospice with 2026 charity partnership

Pamex Ltd has selected the Sunflower Children’s Hospice as its Charity of the Year for 2026, in partnership with the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation.

The eight-bed hospice, which will be located in Castlebar, will be the first children’s hospice serving the Western Seaboard. Construction is due to commence in late 2026 and will mark a significant milestone for families across Mayo and seven other western counties.

As part of its fundraising efforts, the Pamex team will undertake a major sponsored walk in June, travelling from Dublin to Castlebar — the future home of the hospice. The route is designed to symbolise the long and often difficult journeys families must make to access specialist hospice services.

Funds raised through the partnership will support the development of the Sunflower Children’s Hospice, which will provide specialist palliative and respite care for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses. The facility will also offer emotional, practical and bereavement support for families across eight counties in the west of Ireland.

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Plans for the hospice include family accommodation, hydrotherapy baths, play therapy and sensory rooms, and garden access for each bedroom. A multidisciplinary team of medical professionals will be based on site to deliver round-the-clock care.

Founded more than 30 years ago by Tom and Mary Murphy, Pamex has operated in Castlebar since 1995 and has grown into a leading Irish-owned healthcare sales, marketing and distribution partner. The company works closely with pharmacists and healthcare professionals nationwide, managing the importation, warehousing and distribution of niche pharmaceuticals, medical devices and over-the-counter products.

Tom Murphy of Pamex said the partnership reflects shared values between the business and the hospice movement.

“We are delighted to partner with the Sunflower Children’s Hospice as our chosen charity for 2026 and there are parallels with both organisations. The Hospice Movement makes a positive difference in people’s lives and here in Pamex, we distribute and promote products which also make a positive difference for people,” he said.

“It’s wonderful to see that construction of the new Children’s Hospice will begin later this year here in Castlebar, and our goal is that by that time, all of us in Pamex will have done our utmost to ensure a substantial financial contribution is raised to help this very worthy cause.”

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Martina Jennings, CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, welcomed the announcement and paid tribute to the company’s local roots.

“I am delighted that Pamex Ltd has chosen the Sunflower Children’s Hospice as their Charity of the Year for 2026. As a family-owned healthcare company rooted in the West of Ireland, Pamex’s focus on supporting patients, families and frontline healthcare professionals closely reflects the values at the heart of our work,” she said.

“I would like to sincerely thank the entire Pamex team for choosing to fundraise in support of the Sunflower Children’s Hospice. Partnerships like this bring us a meaningful step closer to making this long-held vision a reality for so many families across the Western Seaboard.”

For over three decades, Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation has provided palliative care services to people with life-limiting illnesses and their families in Mayo and Roscommon. To date, more than 25,000 patients and their families have been supported by its palliative care teams. Both Mayo Hospice and Roscommon Hospice were developed and funded entirely through fundraising, with a combined €15.3 million raised by local communities.

The latest initiative is expected to galvanise further support across Mayo as the region prepares to deliver a long-awaited specialist facility for children and their families.

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