TWO patients of the Prospect Hospice’s Outreach Centre at Savernake Hospital in Marlborough have praised the care they have received and encouraged more people from the area to make the most of the local services.

After a successful opening of the centre last year, following a widely-supported appeal that saw people of Marlborough raise £260,000 in just four months, with Gazette readers raising £160,000 to convert part of the hospital into an end of life care facility, Brian and Sue have spoken out about the high standard of care they receive from the outreach programme.

Brian Staines, a former engineer, said: I was diagnosed with prostate cancer nearly two years ago. I can’t speak highly enough of the staff and volunteers here and the care they provide. I had been initially reluctant to come because I thought it would feel like the beginning of the end, but it hasn’t been like that at all. It feels to me as though they have turned darkness into lightness.”

Sue Harper, a former care home manager, has said that the personal and individualised care and support offered to her has helped manage the challenges she has faced since being diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I have felt as though the support I get here has turned my life around. If you have a life-limiting illness, this is where you want to be,” she said.

After receiving their care, Brian and Sue have addressed the initial stigma that people may think of when considering hospice services, stressing the Outreach Centre changes that perception.

“I can understand it because I was wary at first, but I know there are more people in Marlborough who would benefit from the Outreach Centre and the support that’s available here,” Brian said.

Sue Tumber from the Prospect Hospice team has agreed with what Brian and Sue have said, encouraging more people from the town and surrounding area to find out more about the service provided.

“The Centre opened thanks to the generosity of the people of Marlborough, and we want the people who would most benefit from what we have here to get in touch, even if it’s just to find out how we might be able to help them. As Sue and Brian have discovered, there is more here than people might realise. If people would like to come here to find out more then I’d love to hear from them. The kettle is always on,” said Mrs Tumber.

To find out more about the services that the Outreach Centre at Savernake provides contact 01672 541915 or email outreachcentre@prospect-hospice.net.