We have broken ground!

On the morning of Monday 28th February, a formal ground-breaking ceremony took place to celebrate the start of the building work for the new Priscilla Bacon Lodge.

The event also marked the launch of the final phase of our fundraising campaign, “£2.2 for 2022”. We are appealing to the public to help us raise the final £2.2 million during 2022, to complete the building project.

Over 50 guests gathered at the hospice site, adjacent to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, including the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, The Lady Dannatt MBE, Lady Bacon, Patron of the Charity, and Robert Carter, Chair of the Board of Trustees, who formally broke ground with a ceremonial spade. The site of the new hospice was blessed by The Right Reverend Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich.

The ceremony marks the start of an 18-month building project, following a 3-year fundraising campaign which has seen over £10 million of the £12.5 million target raised to date.

Lady Bacon, Patron of the Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity, said: “It has been a dream for many years to build a new hospice, as there is a recognised need for a larger, more modern facility. We have had tremendous support from our partners at Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The new Priscilla Bacon Lodge will continue the proud tradition of staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to deliver exceptional care to patients and their families. Thanks to the generosity of the people of Norfolk, Waveney and beyond, the dream of a new cutting-edge specialist facility is now becoming a reality. Although this is a milestone in our campaign, we still have an urgent need to raise the final funds necessary to ensure that the facility opens on time and is able to meet the ever-increasing needs on services.”

Robert Carter, Chairman of the Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity, said: “Today is a momentous occasion, it is a proud moment for us all to be standing on the site where the new hospice will be built. This new location will mean that a larger facility can be built with greater capacity for inpatient beds, a larger day unit, along with a wellbeing centre with a gym and therapy rooms, and family dining room. There is space to host a community hub to provide ‘virtual ward’ services for people being cared for in their homes. The building will be surrounded by stunning gardens, which will enhance the environment in which hospice is set. We are delighted that Morgan Sindall Construction share our vision of delivering this wonderful facility.”

Hugo Stevenson, Head of Operations and Fundraising for the charity, said: “The generosity of our donors and supporters has given the Charity the confidence to commence the building project, but we urge the wider community to support us with “£2.2 for 2022”, to help us raise the final £2.2 million this year necessary to build the new facility. Whether taking part in one of the Charity’s events, or fundraising on behalf of the Charity, every pound raised gets us closer to achieving our goal and completing the new specialist hospice for Norfolk and Waveney.”

Please click here to see all the ways you can help to build the new hospice. Please contact us if you need any more information.

To donate to the appeal, please click the button below. Thank you!

Photos below by kind permission from Archant. See more photos from the day in our gallery here.