BUILDERS have moved in on Greenwich and Bexley Cottage Hospice to start work on extending it from 12 to 19 beds and expanding the day centre.
Cash for the extension was raised by residents through the Forget-Me-Not Appeal, launched in October 1999, which aimed to raise £1m.
Co-founders of the hospice, Don Sturrock and the late Pat Jeavons, realised the hospice would need to expand when it opened in the 1980s.
When the extension is finished, the lower ground floor will house the extended and improved day centre, with lift access to the ground floor.
The existing day centre on the ground floor will be converted into single, en-suite bedrooms.
The hospice will continue to provide all its services while the building work is done.
The extension is expected to be ready by next summer.
Hospice chairman Kathy Balcombe expressed her thanks to all the people who donated to the appeal and made the extension possible.
"The extended hospice will be a tremendous boost to the people of Greenwich and Bexley," she added.
December 4, 2001 12:45
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