On Tuesday 11th February, Phyllis Tuckwell celebrated reaching an important milestone in building your new Hospice, with its Topping Out ceremony. Whilst this ceremony usually symbolises the highest point of a building’s construction being achieved, Phyllis Tuckwell chose to focus their celebration on the highest point of the In-Patient Unit roof.
Caption: The signed beam is lifted into place on the Hospice In-Patient Unit roof.
Among those who attended the ceremony were members of staff at Phyllis Tuckwell, donors and supporters, staff from the Beard construction team, and Chris Tuckwell and his wife Philippa. Chris is president of Phyllis Tuckwell and son of its founder, Sir Edward, and Phyllis. Everyone present signed one of the last steel beams to be used in the building’s construction, and witnessed it being lifted into place on the In-Patient Unit roof. Those signatures will remain on the beam, and be part of your Hospice, for the life of the building.
“Thank you so much to everyone who came along to our Topping Out ceremony, to help us celebrate this fantastic milestone,” said Sarah Church, chief executive of Phyllis Tuckwell. “Topping Out is more than just a construction tradition; it marks the incredible progress we’ve made together and brings us one step closer to opening our doors to those who need us most. This building will be a place of comfort, care and dignity, and we are deeply grateful for your support in making it a reality.”
“Our Topping Out ceremony is so important, as it acknowledges the efforts of everyone involved in helping to fund and build your new Hospice, including our staff, construction teams and supporters,” added Alison Huggett, chair of the trustees at Phyllis Tuckwell. “It is a truly wonderful way to share the achievement of how far we have come, with those who have supported us along the way.”
Your new Hospice, due to be opened for patients in 2026, will enable Phyllis Tuckwell to care for thousands more local people who need its specialist care and support, for generations to come. By 2040, deaths in our community will have risen by 25%, and the number of people needing palliative care will have doubled by 2060. This larger, bespoke designed and better equipped new Hospice will be a hub for hundreds of Phyllis Tuckwell’s specialist staff and volunteers – including doctors, nurses and therapists – to care for local people who are living with an advanced or terminal illness, such as cancer, and support their loved ones. It will include an 18-bed In-Patient Unit; wellbeing, exercise and education suites; therapy, counselling and family rooms; a multi-faith sanctuary; a cafe; and landscaped private and communal gardens.
Phyllis Tuckwell has already raised £5m of the £6m it needs to finish funding your new Hospice, but it needs your help to reach the final total.
All our services are free, but this is only possible due to the generosity of our amazing community. The Government/NHS only provide 25% of our costs, so we need to raise over £25,000 every day to provide our vital services.
Please donate what you can to help keep hospice care available to all those in our community who need us.
