HER royal Highness, The Princess Royal, visited Dorothy House Hospice in Winsley last week to celebrate the charity’s 40th birthday.
Anne, Princess Royal, is the hospice’s official royal visitor and opened its site in Bath in 1987 and the Winsley home eight years later. Last week was her seventh visit to the charity.
HRH met patients, volunteers and staff during a tour of the hospice on Tuesday 21st June. She also opened the new 40th anniversary exhibition and film which is open to the public and will tour to 15 venues across Somerset and Wiltshire this summer.
John Davies, chief executive at Dorothy House said, “We were honoured to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to Dorothy House to celebrate 40 years of palliative and end of life care.
“She is a great advocate of the hospice and her visit provides a fantastic opportunity for us to reach out to more people across our 700 square mile region. The royal visit also helps us build awareness of the essential support and services we provide to 900 patients per day who are living with a life-limiting illness.
“Our mission is to pioneer care and support for the wellbeing and cohesion of our community, so we may all live well until we die and do so peacefully when the time comes. My thanks to all who make Dorothy House the special place it is.”
The hospice looks after thousands of people in the West Wiltshire and North Somerset area. It has cared for 45,000 patients, carers and families since 1976.
Tracey Bleakley, chief executive of national hospice care charity, Hospice UK said, “Celebrating 40 years of providing hospice care is a real milestone. It is incredible to think that over the last four decades Dorothy House Hospice Care has supported more than 45,000 people to receive high quality, compassionate care at the end of life.
“As a leading care provider in the Somerset and Wiltshire region, the hospice is renowned for its pioneering approach in palliative and end of life care.
“We at Hospice UK extend our congratulations to everyone at Dorothy House Hospice Care and are delighted that HRH The Princess Royal visited the hospice to mark this 40th Anniversary.”
Kate Tompkins, chair of trustees for Dorothy House said: “The new exhibition and film really got to the heart of what Dorothy House does best. The hospice connects patients with each other through a range of programmes and complementary therapies, also providing vital support for families and carers.
“Their outreach centres, day patient services and network of hugely popular Dorothy House charity shops make a real difference where and when it matters most.”
