Hospice history book charts the last 30 years

Written by David Winpenny, who for almost 20 years has been the hospice's public relations adviser, the history describes how the hospice movement gathered momentum in the late 1970s, inspired by the work of Dame Cicely Saunders at St Christopher's Hospice in London.

In York nurses were inspired to campaign for a hospice for the city and the history describes the informal fundraising from 1978, with a steering committee under the chairmanship of Trevor Copley, a senior manager at Rowntrees - who remained chairman of the hospice trustees until 2001 – and the difficult search for a site before the current location on Tadcaster Road was identified.

The first appeal, launched by the then Archbishop of York, Dr Stuart Blanch, was for £750,000, to build and equip the hospice. His successor, Dr John Habgood, laid the foundation stone.

The hospice opened first, in February 1984, to day patients and then, on February 111985, the first in-patient was admitted. The new history describes the official opening by HRH The Duchess of Kent in June that year, and chronicles subsequent developments, including the Hospice’s £2 million Millennium Appeal, which resulted in major additions that were opened by the Duke of York in 2001.

Dawn Clements, Director of Fundraising at St Leonard's Hospice, said: "The day-to-day work of the Hospice of caring for local people and their families and of ensuring there is always money to fund our work could mean that our long and distinguished history is forgotten. So we are very pleased to have this new history, for which David has interviewed many of the key people from the early days of the St Leonard's and has presented it as a fascinating story of dedication and determination. As a newcomer to St Leonard's I have learned a great deal from it."

St Leonard's Hospice; A Brief History is dedicated to Trevor Copley, who died in March this year. It can be found on the hospice's website at www.stleonardshospice.org.uk.