Ten years of care at our Telford hospice have been celebrated with the formal reopening of a newly refurbished Alexandra ward.

Volunteers, supporters and partners were among the guests invited to share in the anniversary at our Apley Castle home.

As well as adding another bedroom, the revamp includes a new room for families staying over with loved ones, Apley’s first dementia-friendly room, a new conservatory and upgrades to other areas.

The work has built in capacity for further expansion later, with plumbing and electrical work for two more bedrooms carried out now for use in future.

Telford’s upgrade is part of our £5 million response to meeting future patient needs. Severn Hospice now cares for four out of five patients in their homes rather than on its wards, with more people being looked after for longer, and with a greater range of conditions and more complex needs.

Chief Executive Heather Palin, who formally took up the reins of her new role this week, said: “I am so proud our services at Telford have been helping the community for all this time. We are there for them and they are there for us every time they make a donation or take part in an event.

“The improvements we’ve made now are part of our plans for the future of hospice care and I’m delighted to know they’re already able to help people today.”

Mayor of Telford and Wrekin Cllr Raj Mehta, who has personally raised £10,000 for the hospice, formally reopened the ward.

He said: “I am always impressed by what the hospice does for our community and I was delighted to help them and their supporters celebrate this anniversary milestone.”

We are expanding our sites in Telford and Shrewsbury so they offer more services to people who need its care but are not staying overnight, with the most recent work about adding capacity.

Planners have approved proposals at Telford which will allow the building to be further extended, enhancing visitor and communal spaces, and allowing a larger therapy area for day patients.

Meanwhile, at Bicton, Shrewsbury, we have approval for a new building to house therapy suites, treatment rooms, visitor facilities, learning resources and rehabilitation services.

The schemes at Telford and Shrewsbury are jointly part of the hospice’s ‘Living Well’ concept – where patient care and support extends well beyond wards and inpatient services, enabling and supporting people to live as well as they can within the constraints of a terminal illness.

The community is being asked to show its support by continuing to donate and fundraise in support of the plans.