I recently had the privilege of seeing inside a wonderful new facility for our area – its first inpatient hospice.
Of course, Herriot Hospice Homecare (HHH) has been doing wonderful work in North Yorkshire for those with life-limiting illnesses and their families for many years.
But as its name suggests, that service has always been offered in people’s homes and not in a conventional hospice.
In a sparsely populated area like ours, it has made sense to deliver that care where many patients prefer to be. For over 30 years HHH teams of nurses and healthcare assistants have looked after people in the last days and weeks of their lives in their own homes.
But there are circumstances where care in a hospice is more appropriate. Until now that was only available in Darlington, Harrogate, York or Teesside.
With the imminent opening of Herriot Hospice@The Lambert in Thirsk, this great charity now has its own hospice in a building which also serves as its office base and the centre from which the homecare service will continue to be run.
While the new hospice, which will be looking after patients by the end of the year, is not in my MP area, the majority of people who will benefit from its service will be.
The Lambert project has cost £1.8m, most of which was raised locally by friends and supporters.
But I am also proud that my Government contributed £250,000 towards that sum via the Community Ownership Fund.
That’s the fund I set up when Chancellor to help communities take on and run much loved community assets at risk of permanent closure or loss.
While the Herriot Hospice@Lambert was unlike the local community pub initiatives in North Yorkshire which received support from the fund – Hunton, Spennithorne and Hudswell among them – the eligibility criteria were framed in such a way that an established charity like Herriot Hospice Homecare could apply.
In my role as a local MP I backed the charity’s application to the fund and I was delighted to learn that it received the maximum grant available.
Incidentally, my colleague Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake made a significant contribution to the project too. Kevin helped ensure that the former Lambert cottage hospital building was not sold to the highest bidder when it became surplus to NHS requirements. Ultimately, that led to the building being gifted to Herriot Hospice.
HHH chief executive Tony Collins showed me round the fantastic facilities of the new hospice. I congratulated him and his team on what they have created whilst also making a little request – to revive a favourite Christmas ritual which has raised thousands of pounds for the hospice in the past.
The Herriot Hospice Santa Run used to take place every December on the Northallerton parkrun course and my family used to love donning our Santa suits to tackle the 5k – regardless of the weather!
Tony promised to see if this fun fundraising event in the hospice calendar could run again.
