The first spade has been dug into the soil on the site of the new hospice in Farnham, kicking off this vitally important project to build a larger, modern facility which will enable Phyllis Tuckwell to provide expert supportive and end of life care for thousands of local people across West Surrey and North-East Hampshire.
As the population ages, 80% of us will need specialist care at the end of our lives. Phyllis Tuckwell is building a new, larger, modern hospice to meet that demand, and work has begun! The new hospice will include an In-Patient Unit with 18 single ensuite rooms, wellbeing, exercise and education suites, therapy rooms and outpatient facilities, enabling Phyllis Tuckwell to care for more people both there and in the community.
On 1st May, Sarah Church, chief executive of Phyllis Tuckwell, and Alison Huggett, Chair of Trustees, joined E.W. Beard Construction on the site of the new Hospice for a ground-breaking event! Together they put the first spade in the ground, signalling the start of the building work to construct this amazing new hospice.
Hospice President, Chris Tuckwell, son of Phyllis Tuckwell, placed a letter to a future President, explaining the history of the organisation and what it means to the local community, into a time capsule. The time capsule, containing the letter and all the farewell messages left by local people when the site was vacated in summer 2023, will be buried in the new Courtyard Garden, a safe space for patients and loved ones to enjoy.
Sarah Church said “Around 17,000 people had been cared for on our In-Patient, let alone the many thousands of others cared for at home, since the Hospice was launched. As demand increases, this new chapter in our history means we will be able to care for many more thousands of local residents who will need us in the years to come.”
Chris Tuckwell said “I am delighted, together with my wife Philippa, to be part of this momentous day. It is very exciting to see how far the charity has expanded over the past 45 years and the founders would be proud to see the development of this new Hospice, built on the site of the original.”
Tom Jenkinson, Guildford Director of Beard Construction, who are building the new Hospice said “Many of our team here live locally, so they are really enthusiastic about the difference this building will make to the local community. We are thrilled to be involved in this build, and look forward to seeing it as it emerges from this ground-breaking event. It’s a great opportunity to utilise our expertise and experience in building high-quality, specialist healthcare facilities across the region and further afield.”
If you would like to find out more about the new Hospice, please visit www.pth.org.uk/new-hospice.
Image: Chris and Philippa Tuckwell on the hospice site
