New hospice in-patient facility officially opened

Soap star unveils new in-patient facility at hospice

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Springhill Hospice’s new  in-patient facility was opened by former Corrie star Michelle Holmes today (Friday 11 March 2011).

The ribbon-cutting officially unveiled four new single rooms, extra two and three-bed rooms, a nurse’s station and a tea bar. The work was completed in just 22 weeks.

Mrs Holmes, who was born and raised in Rochdale, played Tina Fowler on Coronation Street in 1989 and 1990. When asked about the new facility, she said: “It’s amazing; and it only took 22 weeks! It’s fantastic.”

Support Services Manager and project coordinator Sarah Ford was happy with how the refurbishment turned out, and explained how important it is for the hospice: “The improvements for staff, volunteers and patients will be massive,” she said. “It means people have more choice. Some people do want to be together but some want to be separate. Now they can have it how they want.”

The event was opened with a speech from Chief Executive Christine Webb, who thanked everyone who helped make it happen. She said: “It’s so nice to say to people “come and share this with us”. We wanted this to be shared by people in Rochdale.”

The funding came from a variety of sources, but the majority came from the government: “We got £500,000 from the Department of Health, and as a tax payer, that makes me feel really good,” Ms Webb added.