New Hospice build hits major fundraising milestone

The building of a new Hospice for people in Surrey and Hampshire moves one step closer as Phyllis Tuckwell’s “Your New Hospice Appeal” hits a major £5 million fundraising milestone.

The charity is now calling for help to raise the final £1 million, to reach its £6 million appeal target, to complete this vital project.

The new Hospice will enable the local charity to deliver exceptional palliative care to thousands more local people, for generations to come.

At a cost of £17.5 million, this state-of-the-art hospice will help prevent thousands of people across Surrey and Hampshire dying before they receive the care they need and deserve.

Phyllis Tuckwell has already prudently saved enough money to cover most of the cost of building the new Hospice but needs support to raise the full cost, with only £1m remaining.

With its wellbeing and therapy suites, consulting rooms, and specialist 18-bed In-Patient Unit, the new Hospice will be a hub for hundreds of Phyllis Tuckwell’s specialist staff and volunteers – including doctors, nurses and therapists.

From here, they will be able to care for thousands of local people every year, who are living with an advanced or terminal illness, such as cancer, motor neurone disease and dementia, and help local families through grief and bereavement.

This much-needed facility will replace the old Hospice in Farnham, which was no longer fit for purpose, nor able to cope with the increasing demand for palliative care in our local area, which is being driven by our ageing population and the pressures facing the NHS.

Sarah Church, Chief Executive of Phyllis Tuckwell, said, “We haven’t received any NHS funding to build the new Hospice, so we took on the challenge of raising £6 million via a dedicated Capital Appeal, whilst continuing to raise the millions of pounds needed every year to fund our ongoing services. We are so grateful for the support we have received so far, with special thanks to The Edward Gostling Foundation who recently gifted an incredible £1.5 million. We hope our amazing local community, whose support is so important to us, will help us raise the remaining £1 million for the build, as well as continue to support our ongoing work.”

Denis Taylor, Chair of The Edward Gostling Foundation, said, “We were delighted to fund vital facilities in the new Hospice such as the Education & Training suite. These will impact local people for generations to come.”

With the NHS under increasing pressure, hospice charities will be relied upon to play an increasingly important role in local healthcare provision. The new Hospice will help Phyllis Tuckwell increase the number of people it can help each year, and provide vital services, free of charge, to as many as one in three people living in the local area.

Far more than simply a building with beds, the charity will provide a wide range of both inpatient and outpatient services from the new Hospice, as well as a specialist community team to look after people in their own homes, or care homes, where the majority of us wish to be at the end of our lives.

Justine, local GP and supporter of the Your New Hospice Appeal said, “Knowing that my patients will be able to access specialist care in the new Hospice, and when the time comes, that they can spend their final days being looked after in their own home, is a great comfort.”

Whilst raising the necessary funds to complete the build, Phyllis Tuckwell continues to offer its full range of specialist palliative care services, from various locations across the local area.

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