Ann’s Hospice was pleased to come together with people from the local community to celebrate the first spade in the ground for the building of their new hospice in Heald Green.
Rachel McMillan and members of the project team spoke about the exciting plans and just how important the new hospice is for the future of the charity.
It was a day of great celebration, not only to officially welcome people onto the new land, but the charity also reached an important milestone in fundraising as well.
Thanks to the generosity of the public the Build it Together Appeal has now raised £900,000 and at the event Rachel McMillan shared her ambition to reach £1 million by this Christmas – taking the appeal to the halfway point of the £2 million target.
Construction is set to start in January and the new purpose-built hospice will replace the current Victorian building. St Ann’s new hospice will be a complete care facility in Greater Manchester that local people can access, from diagnosis of a life-limiting illness to treatment and beyond. It will be located on land next door to the current Heald Green hospice on St Ann’s Road North.
The new building will house a 27-bed inpatient unit including individual en-suite rooms and access to private outdoor terraces. The development will also feature modern outpatient and day therapy services, dedicated bereavement and family support spaces, all surrounded by beautiful, landscaped gardens.
In attendance yesterday was Vice Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, The Mayors of Stockport and Trafford, The Lord Mayor of Manchester, our local MP – Mary Robinson, and the leader of Stockport Council, who all celebrated with patients, staff, volunteers and local residents who came to see the exciting plans for the new build.
Jackie Oldham, Chair of the Board at St Ann’s hospice, began the event with a welcoming speech to attendees. Jackie said: “There have been many challenges and hurdles to overcome with this project, but the commitment from everyone who has helped us has been incredible. Thanks to everyone here today and those that have helped us to get this far, we are now able to bring to life our founder Moya Cole’s dream and develop the hospice of the future.”
