Celebrating 20 years of high quality hospice care
9 January 2012 marks a significant milestone for Poole’s Lewis-Manning Hospice, as 20 years ago to this day, the hospice opened on Evening Hill in Lilliput overlooking Poole harbour.
The late Marjorie Lewis-Manning, a local woman who dedicated her life to helping others coping with cancer, left her home to be a hospice and for 20 years Lewis-Manning has provided free support for local people living with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses.
Over the past two decades the charity, staffed mainly by volunteers, has become well established in the local community. Specialist staff provide a free day hospice service caring for people from diagnosis of a life-threatening illness to end of life, a lymphoedema clinic supporting people who have a swollen limb when the primary cause is cancer or the treatment of cancer and a breathlessness clinic.
Maria Tidy, Fundraising Manager said: “This year is exciting for everyone involved with the hospice and we will be marking it with a series of special fundraising events which we hope members of the community will get involved with.”
The hospice staff and volunteers have another extra special reason to celebrate this year as they prepare to move into a brand new state of the art hospice on the existing grounds in Lilliput. Since December 2010, the hospice has operated from a temporary facility on Constitution Hill Road in Poole.
The new hospice, due to open in April, will be an expansion to the charity’s existing services, but will also provide a bedded unit for rehabilitation, respite and end of life care.
The charity receives a third of its funding from the Poole and Bournemouth Primary Care Trust, and the remaining £50,000 a month needed to run the hospice comes from their hospice shops, fundraising initiatives, the hospice lottery and legacies.
Elizabeth Purcell, CEO at Lewis-Manning Hospice said: “This is a significant milestone for us and we are looking forward to providing care for even more people in the future. Thank you to the community for their extended efforts in helping to raise awareness and funds for the hospice.”
Help us to celebrate our 20th anniversary by donating £20 to the hospice. Click here to make your donation via Virgin Money Giving.
