June 16, 2011
Halton Haven Hospice on Barnfield Avenue will this year celebrate a new milestone as the Hospice reaches its 30 year anniversary. Staff say this year will be the most exciting to date.
With 30 years experience in specialist palliative care, local charity Halton Haven Hospice has looked after thousands of patients and their families since the early 1980’s. To mark the occasion Halton Haven will be holding their normal annual events along with some special anniversary events over the year.
The Twilight Walk will take place on the 2nd July 2011 and Light up a Life on 2nd December 2011. Along side this, two new events already planned are a fabulous Black Tie evening event on 5th March at the Stobart Stadium in conjunction with Widnes Rotary Club and a race night with a St Patrick’s theme on the 12th March at Frodsham Community Center.
The Hospice is also planning a series of sponsored parachute jumps with over 90 people signed up so far and planning is starting for a Zip Wire from Runcorn Bridge. The Hospice is looking for as many local businesses to get involved as possible by adopting them as their charity for the year. Please contact the Hospice events team on 0151 495 2111 for more detail about how to get involved.
As well as major events taking place, Halton Haven’s four charity stores are proving a big success and things are sure to continue into 2011. As well as providing furniture, clothes and books at fantastic prices thanks to the generosity of the local people who donate them, the shops are also centres for recycling and have teamed up with Halton Borough Council and local housing associations to provide full packages of furniture for new tenants who were formerly homeless.
As the Hospice’s redevelopment continues into 2011, new improvements will be made to ensure the patients’ stay is as comfortable as possible. The redevelopment which includes a new environmentally friendly solar heating system, new disabled toilets, an extension to rear of building to include a new state of the art patient bathroom, new doors and windows throughout, and improvements to patient rooms, will be completed in February 2011.
The redevelopment is primarily funded by the Department of Health as well as generous contributions from local people and has not cost the Hospice a penny! The Hospice now has a team of 4 doctors leading its clinical care and it is anticipated that a consultant will join the team early in 2011 to continue to enable the very highest quality of care to be provided. In addition, new Patient and Carer support groups will be starting once a month from January which offer patient support, help and advice to anyone diagnosed with any life limiting illness and their carers. For further details contact Jan Grey on 01928 712728.
Shaun Pollard, Director of Corporate Services at Halton Haven Hospice explains, “From relatively humble beginnings 30 years ago when Dom Valdez first established it, the Hospice has gone from strength to strength. Once our current refurbishment is complete, not only the care but also the facilities will be first rate. Our service is completely free and we can only provide it thanks to the generosity of local people, community groups and businesses. Halton has a hospice it can be proud of!”