Hospice jubilant as major new build completed
Caption: (L-R) Matt Wood, Project Manager, Speller Metcalfe, John Bawden, Chair of Governors at St Richard’s Hospice, John Christophers, Senior Associate at Associated Architects (credit St Richard’s Hospice)
A Worcestershire hospice is celebrating the completion of a £5.2m building project and giving ‘a huge thank you’ to kind-hearted supporters who helped make the vision become a reality.
St Richard’s Hospice, which cares for adults with a serious progressive illness, embarked on the Build 2020 Appeal to grow hospice care for Worcestershire three years ago.
Speller Metcalfe completed stage two of the building programme and with John Christophers of Birmingham-based Associated Architects, officially handed back the development to the retiring Chair of Governors, John Bawden and hospice Chief Executive June Patel this week.
Mr Bawden, who steps down from his role at the end of this month after 17 years of dedicated service to the hospice, said he was incredibly proud of the build project and the benefits it would bring to patients and families across Worcestershire.
“I’ve been honoured to work on the Build 2020 project and it’s been a massive team effort with hospice staff, supporters, volunteers and the community coming together to achieve a fantastic result,” he said. “Now we have a bigger hospice we can better support our current patients and reach the unmet need of thousands of local people in the future, offering the right care and support when they need it most.”
The extended and renovated hospice now includes The Green, a central courtyard at the heart of the hospice, which is surrounded by Living Well therapy rooms including an exercise studio, art studio, horticultural therapy room as well as an occupational therapy training kitchen and music and film therapy room.
The bigger, multi-purpose spaces will mean St Richard’s can support more patients and their families and offer a wider choice of activities to help people manage their illness.
Hospice Chief Executive June Patel said the government’s roadmap to easing lockdown in England offers the hospice team, “a chance to look ahead and plan how they might safely welcome out-patients, loved ones, volunteers and visitors back to the hospice.”
As well as partnering with the hospice through the build, Speller Metcalfe took part in fundraising and sponsorship programmes including the annual Malvern Hills walk and ‘Jail and Bail’. These events help to support the hospice’s activities which cares for over 3,300 patients, family members and bereaved people in Worcestershire.
Matthew Bailey, Small Works Manager at Speller Metcalfe, said: “Having worked on a series of projects for the hospice over the years and with our own personal connections to patients and staff, this has been a significant project for Speller Metcalfe. It has been an absolute pleasure to have had a hand in a build that will prove invaluable for the hospice in the years ahead.”
St Richard’s is an independent charity and relies on donations and gifts in Wills for the majority of its income with the remainder funded by the NHS.
For more information about St Richard’s Hospice visit www.strichards.org.uk
