A very Happy New Year to all our supporters.

It is going to be an exciting one for us here at Trinity Hospice and Brian House.

Work has started on the most ambitious refurbishment in our history, which is being funded by a grant from the Department of Health and generous contributions to our Hospice Heroes Appeal, in which we are partnered by the Gazette.

On New Year’s Day we broke through the £60,000 barrier, which was a huge boost for us, and there are many more fundraising events in the pipeline as we aim to raise £200,000 – that’s on top of the money we must bring in to meet our day to day running costs!

Support over recent weeks has been quite incredible – from 1,000 Santas dashing up the Prom to children filling jam jars with loose change – and it’s great to be able to see the refurbishment begin after weeks of careful planning.

On the adult in-patient unit we are creating more single ensuite rooms,  improving  the visitor day and overnight areas, the nursing stations, bathrooms and corridors, and generally bringing the hospice right up to date.

We are incorporating a variety of features to make the environment much brighter and better suited to all our patients, including those with complex conditions such as dementia.

In Brian House we are remodelling the kitchen and lounge, the former conservatory area is being replaced and every bedroom will be refitted with modern furniture.

Across the hospice we are replacing original window frames, many of which are way past their best, and taking the opportunity to fit modern lighting and new floorcoverings.

It’s a huge project, and as you can see from the initial interior design drawings, it is going to make a massive difference to everyone using our facilities.

With some parts of the building sealed off and the cement mixers on site, staff are working hard to minimise disruption to patients and visitors during the refurbishment.

There’s a lot of work still to be done, but the aim is to have the project complete by mid-year. Watch this space for more updates and for opportunities to get involved in fundraising in the coming months.

2014 is certainly going to be a big year for us at Trinity.

Wishing all our supporters a very Happy New Year – thank you for everything you do.