PARKING facilities at the Great Oaks Hospice in Coleford are to be improved with a gift of nearly £9,000 from the Rotary Club of the Royal Forest of Dean.

The donation of £8,655 is also an opportunity for the club to remember the life and contribution of Phil Macfarlane who died last December.

Local Rotarians, led by Mr Macfarlane, decided to back an initiative to create a hospice in the Forest back in the mid-1990s.

And some 25 years on, John Freeman, chair of the Rotary community committee, presented a cheque for better parking to Great Oaks executive manager Ruth Keeble.

The links between the Rotary club and the hospice have been strong since those early days, said club spokesman Mark Yonge.

He said: “Rotarians, including Philip Macfarlane, Dr Arthur Hooper, Doc Lewis, Clive Bath, Malcolm Paterson, and many more, worked to research the needs, the possible alternatives, possible premises, and the necessary funding in cooperation with the relevant local-government and NHS bodies.”

When the project to fund a hospice was launched in March 1999 – led by Sheila Evans – the club was again

heavily involved with Doc Lewis seeking legal advice on the constitution, Clive Bath securing a suitable plot of land, Harry Kear locating the first charity shop and Malcolm Paterson – who is still a hospice director and trustee – co-ordinating fund-raising.

The club organised meetings to raise awareness and Phil Macfarlane organised a competition for children to choose a name and logo for the hospice, which opened in September 2004.

Mr Yonge added: “We warmly congratulate Sheila Evans on her remarkable leadership.”

The club raises money for local, national and international charities, with events including the hugely popular Forest of Dean spring and autumn half marathons.

Meetings are weekly at the Forest Hills Golf Club in Coleford.

Visit www.rotary-rfod.org.uk for more details.