The Arthur Rank Hospice team is delighted to announce that they will be hosting Open Days at their new home in Shelford Bottom, before doors open to patients next month. Those who register to visit on Wednesday 26 October, Thursday 27 October or Tuesday 1 November will be given a unique opportunity to see the building first hand, ask questions and gain a fresh insight into the future of hospice care in Cambridgeshire.
Since 1981 specialist care for those living with a life-limiting illness across Cambridgeshire, has been provided from the Hospice’s current facilities at Arthur Rank House on Mill Road. The principal belief of founder Dr Bratherton - that there should be specialist provision for people in the final stages of a life-limiting illness - has long underpinned how services have developed over the years and remains an important driving force behind the delivery of this new chapter in Arthur Rank Hospice’s history. Having recognised the increasing demand for the services offered by the Hospice, the Charity’s Trustees decided that new facilities were essential in order to cope with the county’s current and future needs. In 2013 the appeal was launched and by December 2014 the site at Shelford Bottom was secured from over 100 sites identified as the most suitable location for the new facility. Work commenced on the site in April 2015, with the actual build beginning in June 2015.
Arthur Rank Hospice’s new home, which now stands proudly opposite the Gog Magog Golf Club, is extremely well equipped to cope with Cambridgeshire’s future demand for supportive and specialist palliative care. Not only will it fully furnish the clinical inpatient and wider Hospice team with the enhanced facilities they require to keep delivering the excellent levels of holistic care for which they are well known, but it will additionally become a centre from where outreach work can be coordinated and a community hub functioning to break down the many misconceptions surrounding hospice care.
With a building footprint of 2500 m2 and a total floor area of 5000m2 over two floors, it has twice the number of patient beds of the current Hospice and around three times the amount of outdoor and garden space. The architects LSI, have incorporated elements from a wide range of admired buildings into the design, creating a light contemporary and homely space with the aim of creating clear spaces to connect whilst ensuring locations are easy to find. Alongside this, staff including those who provide direct patient care, have been given the opportunity to share their thoughts and input on user needs enabling a sense of shared ownership to develop as the building has risen from the ground.
Slots for the Open Day sessions at the new Hospice will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, with those visiting being able to view internal and external areas of the brand new building before it opens its doors to patients in mid-November. Visitors will learn more about special features of the new Hospice’s design, such as the desire to create a seamless connection between building and landscape, all in a facility which is low maintenance and energy efficient. Highlights will include: viewing the Inpatient rooms with ensuite facilities and stepping out onto specially landscaped private courtyards; exploring the communal spaces and Bistro, where patients and visitors will integrate as these areas become a community hub; a guide to the Education Suite which has capacity to accommodate 100 of the region’s healthcare professionals per specialist palliative care training session; visiting the comfortable family apartments with their wonderful balcony views of the Gog Magog Hills; experiencing the light and bright Day Therapy room; and being able to sit for a moment in The Sanctuary, designed for those of any faith – or no faith – in mind.
Dr Lynn Morgan, CEO of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity adds: “It has been amazing to see our new hospice building become a reality in front of our eyes. I hope that our supporters and the county’s residents will take this opportunity to see it for themselves and learn more about the care we provide, every step of the way, to those living with a life-limiting illness. Along with specialist facilities and bespoke spaces uniquely suited to our range and breadth of care, the Hospice has been designed to try and integrate the community in very real ways: it would be wonderful if even those who have not yet experienced our care for a loved one would come along to an Open Day, discover more about what we do and help us spread the word and dissolve misconceptions about hospices and hospice care.”
A total of £8.25 million has already been raised towards the £10.5 million project, thanks to the generous support and tenacious fundraising efforts of the Hospice’s supporters, with £83,108.77 (as of 4/10/16) having now been raised through Hospice Founders, who have made a one off donation of £100 or raised the amount as a group of ten each donating £10. Those contributing to the project in this way will have their name inscribed in the Founders Book which will be displayed at a later date within the publicly accessible Bistro of Arthur Rank Hospice’s new home. £2.25 million remains to be found and the Hospice will continue to fundraise through this and other means: if you wish to discover more about how you can contribute as a Founder Member, please visit http://arhc.org.uk/loveyournewhospice.asp
We would like to extend an invitation to local business people and organisation leaders to attend our Corporate Open Days. Each session will welcome up to 90 people in total and places must be booked, being allocated on a first come first served basis. To book your place now, please visit http://www.arhc.org.uk/corpod. Please note that bookings will be closed as sessions become fully subscribed or 48 hours ahead of each event.
As well as the Corporate Open Day sessions mentioned above, we shall be holding three public Open Days will welcome up to 1400 people in total across seven sessions and places must be booked, being allocated on a first come first served basis. If you are unavailable for the dates above, please come and join us on Saturday 29 October and Saturday 5 November at 9.00am-11.00am, 11.00am-1.00pm and 1.00pm-3.00pm, with an evening session taking place on Monday 31 October from 5.00pm-7.00pm. To book your place now, please visit http://www.arhc.org.uk/pod. Again please note that bookings will be closed as sessions become fully subscribed or 48 hours ahead of each event.