Celebrating our new hospice at the House of Lords
In advance of opening the doors of our brand new state-of-the-art facility in Goldsworth Park Centre, Woking, we celebrated at a special House of Lords event on Tuesday 16 May.
Held in the Cholmondeley Room and Terrace and hosted by the Earl of Liverpool the event recognised the huge achievement of our charity completing our new build project. The event was sponsored by corporate partners VMware and Intel and also supported by our appeals patron Isabel Webster, who is pictured here with our Chairman Marc Riggs, the Earl of Liverpool and Nick Barratt.
Jayne Cooper, who was announced as the permanent CEO of Woking & Sam Beare Hospices at this prestigious event, commented: “We are on the eve of a very exciting advancement in specialist palliative care. Our new build has been designed to ensure we can offer the very best of care to our patients, but in an environment with the highest possible standards. I could not be prouder of what we have achieved. Our new hospice really will put Surrey on the map as a leader in specialist palliative care for terminally ill patients and those with life-limiting illnesses.”
The hospice, which delivers care to over 1,400 patients and their families each year across six Surrey Boroughs, opens its doors to its first in-patients at the new hospice on Tuesday 23 May. The Bradbury Wellbeing Centre, which has a physiotherapy gym, spa, beautiful day room with fully equipped kitchen and consultancy and counselling rooms, will be open to day patients by Tuesday 30 May.
Natalie Stephens, Group Managing Director of Optichrome pictured left, attended the event to shared her personal experience of our hospice care. In an emotional speech she said: “Losing Dad so suddenly and having to step into his shoes and take over the business was overwhelming. It was Fiona, one of the wonderful counsellors at Woking & Sam Beare Hospices, that got me through and who gave me the skills to support my three children with their grief.
“Going to the hospice on a weekly bases really opened my eyes. I had previously thought that it is a place people go to die. This is not the case at all. It is warm and vibrant, with the most incredible team of staff and I am delighted to be able to support this wonderful charity.”
Natalie, whose Father sadly passed away in 2013, was one of approximately 200 guests at the House of Lords event. It was a wonderful evening with many fantastic supporters.
Jayne Cooper added: “I would like to thank Natalie Stephens of Optichrome for speaking so beautifully. On behalf of the hospice I thank the Earl of Liverpool for hosting our event, Isabel Webster for her support and our event sponsors VMware and Intel. None of what we have achieved would be possible without such a dedicated and passionate team of staff and wonderful volunteers, as well as the generosity of so many supporters. To all of you, I simply say – thank you.”
Read more about how you can support our New Build Appeal here.
See other ways you can support us on our Fundraising pages or contact our Fundraising team on 01483 881752. You can also send an email to [email protected].