External construction of Sutton Coldfield’s new £1.4m hospice facility is now almost complete, with the new centre designed to help those living with cancer and other serious illnesses set to open in the first quarter of 2007.

St Giles Hospice and Sutton Coldfield Municipal Charities (SCMC) are working together to redevelop the SCMC-owned Lindridge Road site - with The Muriel Saveker Trust providing extensive funding to fit out the facility and provide a St Giles Nurse dedicated to working in the town.

And on Friday (18th August) David Platt, Chairman of St Giles Hospice, together with other representatives from the hospice, SCMC and the trust celebrated the structural completion of the brickwork with the official ‘topping out’ ceremony.

Peter Holliday, St Giles Hospice Chief Executive, comments: “We are delighted that external construction of the new facility, which started just four months ago, is nearing completion.

“The topping out ceremony offered a moment to pause and thank all who have got us this far including the marvellous support from the public, local residents groups and health service providers, SCMC, and the design and building teams.

“Work will commence shortly on equipping the centre - for which we are extremely grateful to The Muriel Saveker Trust.”

Andrew MacFarlane, SCMC Clerk to the Trustees, comments: “This is a truly special day in the development of the centre, and we are very proud to have been involved with St Giles to turn a vision into a reality.

“When the new facility opens its doors to the public in early 2007 it will make an enormous difference to the provision of care for local people living with cancer and other serious illnesses.”

Derek Hughes, Chairman of The Muriel Saveker Trust, adds: “We are delighted to be involved in the creation of the new Sutton Coldfield hospice facility.

”The project is destined to be of great benefit to the local community and we are pleased to be able to provide funding for the hospice’s vital work in the town.”

The ‘topping out’ ceremony will be celebrated in the traditional style with a specially labelled ‘Topping Out Porter’ created by the Burton Bridge Brewery.

While St Giles Hospice already maintains a strong presence in Sutton through its visiting specialist clinicians, volunteers and fundraisers, patients from the town currently visit the main hospice in Whittington, near Lichfield.

The new centre will serve as a Day Hospice, provide a facility for outpatient consultation and treatment, and act as a base for St Giles staff working in the local community. It will also serve as a meeting and education centre, including use by other organisations and voluntary cancer support groups.

Under the project SCMC has provided the ideal site and more than £1.3m towards the planning and building of the facility, while St Giles will be fully in charge of operating the new centre, providing high standards of specialist care.