It opened 25 years ago today with just four beds, but in the intervening quarter of a century the Heart of Kent Hospice has provided compassion and care to nearly 10,000 people facing the challenges of a life-limiting illness.

It was built in 1991 as the result of a £1.3m fundraising campaign led by people dismayed at the level of care being offered to people at the end of their life.

A year after its first patient was admitted, Diana, Princess of Wales, officially opened the Hall Road site.

And while its purpose hasn’t changed, its services have transformed beyond recognition, now caring for 1,000 patients every year in an operation which costs £5m to run.

Chief executive Sarah Pugh said: “The difference the hospice has made to our local community, and in improving the field of palliative care as a whole, cannot be overestimated.

“We believe that every day matters and that people shouldn’t have to suffer and be in pain towards the end of their lives, or end their days on a hospital ward.

“When the hospice first opened there was a small in-patient unit – now we have 10 beds but are also helping nearly 500 people out in the community.”

As well the expansion of its inpatient unit and day therapy centre, in 2009, a new garden room and therapy rooms were added in 2011.

The charity has also seen its network of charity shops grow to 14 while more than £35m has been raised by members of the public who have run, swum, walked, cycled, and even climbed mountains, all in support of the hospice.

Mrs Pugh added: “We face two great challenges as we look ahead, and to the next 25 years.

“One is that we will have to find a way to support a growing elderly population and people who are developing multiple illnesses.

“The other is raising money. We have seen our NHS funding go down from 23% to 18% over the last five years so we very much rely on the public’s generosity to keep going and are so grateful for their support.”

One of those families whose lives have been touched by the hospice is that of Dr James Wilson, whose wife Clare, passed away on April 22, 2015, from a brain tumour, aged 36.

She was first diagnosed around eight years ago, but despite seemingly successful treatment, sadly the tumour returned. She died two and a half months after the second diagnosis.

Mr Wilson, 37, who lives in Discovery Drive, Kings Hill, said: “Clare improved hugely when she was in the hospice compared to the hospital.

“She had her own room, all of her own clothes, and she could be in her own environment. She even started talking a little bit and was much, much happier.”

The hospice also helped the couple’s children, Eleanor, six, and four-year-old Max after Clare passed away.

Mr Wilson added: “Max initially was hiding under a table, so he has done some art therapy.
“Eleanor had about 10 sessions with a child bereavement specialist, which helped her tremendously.

“It was a terrible tragedy. But if things aren’t treatable at least you want to die in a comfortable, dignified environment, which she did with all her family around her.”

Doreen Martin has been a healthcare assistant at the hospice since it opened.

The 71-year-old, from Crowther Close in Staplehurst, has seen many changes, with bays being turned into en suite rooms and the growth of the clinical nurse specialist and family teams.

She said: “It is quite different now but the one thing that’s more important to me than anything is that the care is to be second to none. That’s never changed.

“The job is very, very rewarding and I think of it as an absolute privilege actually to be allowed into the lives of these people at such a time.

“I love giving the care to these people and the support to patients and relatives.
“It’s a particularly special place.”