PLANS for a day hospice in the Forest of Dean took a major step forward on Monday with a mechanical digger opening up the site on the outskirts of Coleford.
The building, to be sited on land near The Coombs Nursing Home, Gorse Road, is to be called Great Oaks, and will cost an estimated £600,000 with running costs expected to be about £90,000 a year.
It is hoped that construction will start within a few weeks, with a view to the hospice opening next year. It is envisaged there will be up to 16 places available each day, but initially Great Oaks might open for a few days each week, expanding as funds allow.
The hospice campaign was launched on March 1 1999, following a Royal Forest of Dean Rotary Club initiative, and is a cause Rotarians continue to support. On the way it has had to overcome planning setbacks and, said a spokesman, some resistance from within the medical world.
Members of the public and the Friends of the Hospice have worked tirelessly arranging fund-raising events, with funds boosted by successful hospice shops in Coleford and Cinderford, along with various grants.
Serving a population of 77,000-plus, it will provide a free service of day care and support to anyone with a life-threatening illness, and enhance their quality of life.
The need for a Forest Hospice has been underscored by the success of a 16 month-old pilot scheme at the Dilke Hospital. In line with the Hospice ethos of 'The Forest Caring For Its Own', the pilot scheme will end when Great Oaks opens.
As the digger bit into the one and a half acres of land, currently set-aside, acquired from Lionel Jones of Berry Hill Farm, chairman of the project's steering committee, Sheila Evans, said she was 'delighted' things were at last under way.
She also revealed plans for the individually designed low profile building.
"It will be beautifully landscaped and at the lower end of the land away from the road and with views across the golf course," she said.