IT WAS a milestone event as a revamped £510,000 wellbeing centre was unveiled at a Basingstoke hospice.

Councillor Dan Putty, Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, officially opened the refurbished centre at St Michael’s Hospice, in Aldermaston Road, last Friday.

The revamp, which was funded entirely through a grant from the Department of Health, has delivered a new reception area, coffee lounge, patio area and a gym, as well as a visiting area for families to see their relatives.

In addition, the hub, which will see therapists work closely with patients and their families, will be used as a space to hold educational and training events for staff and volunteers.

St Michael’s Hospice chief executive David Monkman said: “We wanted to improve the facilities of day care because that was the last area to be refurbished.

“These changes have made it more flexible. We have got more space and it will enhance patient experience.

“The hospice has now got up-to-date facilities everywhere. The design was fantastic and part of it was to bring the garden into the building.”

Dr Lara Alloway, lead consultant in palliative medicine at the hospice, said: “For us, this building represents the next stage of the development of St Michael’s Hospice.

“It is fantastic. It will be a real asset for patient care.

“It is principally for outpatients and we run a number of therapeutic programmes and try to keep people as well as possible for as long as possible and support their families.”

St Michael’s Hospice cares for people with life-limiting illnesses, and it relies on financial contributions from its supporters and fundraising events to raise £2.4m a year to fund its services.