St Ann’s Hospice has launched a new public appeal to raise the remaining £2 million needed for a new hospice building to “transform end of life care” for Greater Manchester residents.
The hospice group has today launched the ‘Build It Together’ appeal, and is urging local people to come together to help raise the final £2 million needed to build its “ambitious” £21.5 million flagship new hospice in Heald Green, Stockport – which it says will be a leading facility for end of life care in the UK.
The current hospice building is more than 150 years old, and St Ann’s says it is “outdated” and no longer fit for purpose” due to limited air-flow, small rooms with limited natural light, and narrow corridors.
The plans for the new “bright and airy” purpose-built modern facility would see it built on land adjacent to the current site, and the hospice says its “desperately needed”.
If new hospice isn’t built, palliative services in the area may be forced to close.
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“We’re hoping that the public will get behind the campaign so building work can start later in the year,” the hospice said in its appeal statement.
What a morning! Thank you to everyone who has been sharing news of our appeal, and to everyone who has donated too.
We need to raise £2million to build the new St Ann's. If you're able to support, please donate now at https://t.co/1vwKxWmOIB
Plans for the new £21.5 million hospice building include a 27-bed inpatient unit – including 21 en-suite bedrooms with access to private outdoor terraces – modern outpatient and day therapy services, dedicated bereavement and family support spaces, offices, a café that’s also open to the public, landscaped gardens, and improved car parking.
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It will also be home to the only non-university immersive healthcare training suite in the area, with integrated technology and the capacity to simulate real life scenarios.
This will allow experts from across St Ann’s to share their specialist knowledge with other organisations, and help drive excellence in palliative and end of life care both locally and nationally.
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St Ann’s Hospice has launched a public funding appeal to raise the £2 million needed to provide end of life care in Greater Manchester / Credit: St
“In Greater Manchester we’re used to doing things differently and leading the way,” explained Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive at St Ann’s Hospice.
“We’re proud that we provide world-class hospice care from right here in this amazing city, and as the needs of patients change, we need to evolve too to make sure we can continue to give them the truly personalised care that they deserve – but we simply can’t continue to care for local people in our current building.
“It is no longer fit for purpose and we’re in real danger of having to close services in the near future if we don’t complete this project.”
A new £21.5 million purpose-built modern hospice facility would be built on land adjacent to the current site / Credit: St Ann’s Hospice
She added that the hospice knows £2 million is “a big ask” for the community.
“But that same community has always been here for us – we never take that for granted, and we’re proud to have such deep roots in the areas we serve across Greater Manchester,” she concluded.
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You can make donations to St Ann’s Hospice here, or text LETSBUILDIT to 70085 to give £20 now, and also call 0161 498 3631 to speak to a member of the team.
Featured Image – St Ann’s Hospice
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Work finally begins on site of UK’s first majority LGBTQ+ housing scheme in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Work has finally got underway on the start of the UK’s first majority LGBTQ+ housing scheme here in Manchester.
The exciting new £37 million flagship development – which is being built on the site of the former Spire Hospital on Russell Road, in the Whalley Range area of Manchester – will be comprised of 80 one and two-bedroom apartments for older people over the age of 55 for social rent, alongside an additional 40 affordable shared ownership apartments.
Plans for the scheme have been co-produced in partnership with the Russell Road Community Steering Group, Manchester City Council, and the LGBT Foundation.
Delivered in partnership with contractors Rowlinson, and funded through Great Places, the Homes England Strategic Partnership, GMCA Brownfield Housing Fund, and Manchester City Council, the high-quality and sustainable building will offer a ‘safe and welcome feel’ with an ‘inviting presence’.
While the goal is to create an inclusive space, the scheme has also been designed to respect the surrounding conservation area.
On top of this, the low carbon scheme will also feature shared communal facilities including lounges, treatment rooms, and landscaped gardens.
The Council says the new scheme is part of its ambitious target to deliver at least 36,000 new homes across the city region by 2032 – at least 10,000, of which, will be social rent, Council, or considered ‘genuinely affordable’ housing.
It comes after more than 800 ‘Extra Care’ homes have been built in Manchester in recent years, and are another 1,000 are in the pipeline – to meet the demand for older people in the city.
A CGI of the newly-approved LGBTQ+ Extra Care housing scheme development in Whalley Range / Credit: Manchester City Council
“This is a real milestone moment for this development,” commented Cllr Gavin White, who is the Executive Member for Housing and Development at Manchester City Council.
“The Council has believed in the positive impact an LGBTQ+ majority housing development could have for this community for many years, and to celebrate the social rent homes officially starting on site is a great moment for the city.
“Working with the LGBT Foundation, we know that older LGBTQ+ people worry about being able to access appropriate and inclusive housing later in life. Although we hope all older person’s accommodation is welcoming to everyone, this scheme will provide safe, secure and affordable housing for LGBTQ+ people to live with dignity.
“We look forward to the completion of these homes that will complement and enhance this part of Whalley Range, and be an important part of this community.”
The project is scheduled to be completed in Summer 2027.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Parklife shares statement after festival’s brand-new stage closed down before headliners
Daisy Jackson
Parklife has released a full statement after the festival was forced to close its newest stage, and cancel two headline performances.
The huge Heaton Park festival had been running smoothly all weekend, with blistering performances from 50 Cent, Pawsa, Jorja Smith and plenty more.
But on Sunday, local lad and rising star DJ Josh Baker took to the brand-new Matinee stage to enormous crowds.
Although Parklife installed a queue system to manage numbers inside the enclosed festival stage, the crowds outside became very large, very quickly, and the decision was made to shut the stage down for everyone’s safety.
Several people have shared videos on TikTok, like the one below, that show the scenes around the Matinee stage and audiences being told the area would need to be evacuated.
The stage was shut down for the remainder of the evening, meaning a headline performance from Chris Stussy was also cancelled.
Parklife has said this decision was taken to ‘remove the risk of any potential incidents’ and to prioritise the safety of festival attendees.
Josh Baker told fans: “I deeply apologise. I can’t really put into words what today was going to mean to me.”
Chris Stussy said in a statement on his Instagram: “Really gutted I’m unable to perform at Parklife tonight, flew straight from Barcelona to play a 3 hours closing set but due to safety reasons and the stage being over crowded, the organisation decided to shut the stage down as it may have caused unsafe situations for those who were there.
“Despite being disappointed, safety comes first and we will make this right very soon.”
Parklife hasn’t publicly addressed the incident but has shared this statement: “As a result of crowd movement at the Matinee Stage and on the advice of our safety team to remove the risk of any potential incidents, Parklife made the decision to close the stage for the remainder of the final day of the festival.
“Unfortunately it has been impossible to relocate Josh Baker’s and Chris Stussy’s performances to a new stage.
“Our teams worked quickly and diligently to address the situation and the safety of our festival attendees is always our utmost priority.”
Emily Sergeant -
28th June 2022 
