A multi-million-pound wellbeing centre has opened at a hospice after 18 months of building work.

The new wing at the ellenor Hospice, in Coldharbour Road, Northfleet, was officially opened by Lady Annabel Colgrain, the Lord-Lieutenant of Kent and the county’s official representative of His Majesty, King Charles.

The operational lead for wellbeing at the charity, Andrew Lowden, explained the centre will allow them to host more and a greater variety of sessions for their clients.

He said: “It has been a long time coming. One of the things we found in the past was we just did not have the space to be able to deliver the groups we wanted to.

“Space is a premium and we realised we needed to expand. It has taken investment from ellenor to be able to do that.

“The wellbeing centre will allow us to deliver different groups in different ways. There are some really special places here in this new building.

“It allows flexibility and that allows us to support the needs of that community better.”

Work, led by Barnes Construction, started in May last year to build the new wing which has cost more than £5 million — £2 million of which was given by the Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust.

It features new counselling rooms, upgraded play therapy rooms for children, a spacious multipurpose area for therapeutic activities and a 98-inch cinema screen installed by Together For Cinema.

It will also serve as an educational hub for health and social care professionals offering specialised training in end-of-life care.

Charity chief executive Michelle Kabia said: “It is showcasing what we can do as a charity going forward and for me, it is about investing in community, health, and wellbeing.

“It is also about raising awareness of hospice work and that people can use us earlier in their journey.

“The wellbeing services are about people thriving even though they might be having a very challenging time, thriving whilst they live as well as they can while they are here.”

Andrew added: “They are what I would informally call the living end of hospice care.

“Everyone understands that hospices provide end-of-life care at the dying side but I am working earlier on in the process.

“I am helping people to live their lives to the fullest. If you are told that you have got a certain amount of life left on this planet you want to make the most of it and ellenor wants to help you do that.”

The hospice is a charity and a specialist palliative care provider for adults and children in Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley.