My Account
Rodney residents have dipped into their pockets to the tune of $3 million to help secure a new hospice facility in Warkworth.
Additional funding from grants and bequests mean Warkworth Wellsford Hospice is just $47,000 shy of its $5 million fundraising goal established three years ago.
Construction of Tui House, the new facility on the corner of Glenmore and Morrison Drives, began in May last year and is due to be completed in October.
Hospice staff are already planning a series of opening celebrations.
The hospice will bring services to Rodney that were previously only accessible by travelling to the North
Shore or beyond. Hospice general manager Kathryn Ashworth says rural people deserve the same quality of care as people in urban areas, and the new hospice will do just that.
“We will be able to offer services that help keep our patients close to home and may keep them out of hospital,” she says.
Tui House will provide new free services such as nurse-led clinics, daytime respite care, stress- and pain-relief therapies, along with programmes and activities to support families.
It will also include an education and community wing, where hospice nurses can give palliative care training to healthcare workers and members of the community.
This space will also be available for hire to the community for meetings, small events and private functions.
Warkworth Wellsford Hospice fundraising coordinator Lesley Ingham says the bulk of fundraising for the project so far has been achieved by volunteers approaching individuals for gifts of $3,000 or more.
But Warkworth Wellsford Hospice plans to broaden its approach to secure the outstanding funds by encouraging smaller donations as well.
To make a donation: Contact Lesley Ingham on 09 425 9535 or email lesley.ingham@hospicehouse.org.nz.
