Opening of the new Lewis-Manning Hospice Care Family Support and Bereavement Suite at Kingsman House in Bournemouth
An official opening of the new Lewis-Manning Hospice Care Family Support and Bereavement Suite took place at Kingsman House in Bournemouth.
The LuxuryCare Group, which runs Kingsman House, is supporting their local community hospice by gifting the use of a fabulous suite of 4 rooms at the Bournemouth care home on Branksome Wood Road in the town.
This fantastic donation has enabled the hospice to expand their ever-growing Family Support & Bereavement services into Bournemouth and will be run by the existing team and volunteer supporters.
An official opening took place on Monday 16th September and was attended by hospice supporters, staff and volunteers, Mrs Jacqueline Swift DL representing the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset and Patron of LMHC and the Mayor of Bournemouth, Cllr George Farquhar. They were given a tour of the 3 new counselling rooms and lounge area, which will be used for group counselling sessions and meetings. Lewis-Manning’s Family Support and Bereavement Lead Jo Sharkey talked to the gathering about the work of the team and the impact that they are having with the individuals and families that they support. This was followed by tea and cake and the opportunity to chat with the Family Support and Bereavement team.
CEO Clare Gallie said, “We are incredibly grateful that LuxuryCare have allowed us to open this suite at their beautiful Kingsman Care Home. It’s an impressive space which we’ve renovated to put our own mark on it and to give it the appropriate feel for an intimate space where we can deliver our counselling. It has allowed us to expand our Family Support & Bereavement services into Bournemouth and to support families and patients with the counselling that they need at a difficult time. The rooms will also be available for our staff and extended teams to use for meetings, so it’s a brilliant addition to our existing facilities and allows us so much flexibility. It’s a great opportunity to work so closely with the Luxury Care Group at one of their fantastic care homes.
“Our team has been hard at work with the renovations, and we’ve had some wonderful support from businesses in the local community; Poole Lighting, Travis and Perkins, Farrow & Ball, Insignia Shade & Shutter Co, Dunelm, John Lewis Partnership Branksome, Dunelm, B & Q Poole, Homesense Branksome, Towngate Gallery, Curry’s Poole and artist, Harriett Sheppherd.
“Huge thanks to all concerned.”
Operations Director Samantha Hoskins at Luxury Care said, “We are delighted to be supporting Lewis-Manning Hospice care. We are great admirers of the extraordinary care that they deliver across East Dorset, Purbeck, Bournemouth and West Hampshire. It’s good to be collaborating with them and making a difference to the services that they offer.”
The Mayor concluded, “It was a privilege to meet the Lewis-Manning team and officially open the family and bereavement suite. This important service provides families with a safe space to receive support. I’m amazed by the generosity and support of LuxuryCare Group and the local community in making this new suite possible.”
LuxuryCare operate six care homes in the Bournemouth and Poole area, offering a range of care services, including residential care, dementia care, nursing care, and palliative care.