Celebrating 25 years of care at Pilgrims Hospice Ashford
Photograph: Sue Warren, Reception Volunteer
This year, Pilgrims Hospice Ashford marks a very special milestone: 25 years of care, compassion and community since opening on 4 January 2001.
As the youngest of Pilgrims’ hospices, Ashford was guided by the lessons learned at Canterbury (1982) and Thanet (1992), but it was the local community that truly brought it to life. By 1998, east Kent needed more specialist hospice care.
The tranquil meadows at Willesborough were chosen for a purpose-built hospice offering inpatient care, community services and therapeutic support for patients and their families.
The £3.5 million fundraising target felt daunting, but the community response was extraordinary. Businesses, schools, charitable trusts, groups and individual supporters rallied behind the Hospice on the Hill Appeal 2000.
What seemed impossible became reality because people believed hospice care close to home mattered.
At the heart of those early days was founder Ann Robertson OBE, famously taking to a JCB for the 1999 groundbreaking. Her determination mirrored the spirit of the community that built the Ashford hospice from the ground up.
Pam Pullen, Reception Volunteer, and Sarah Smith, Healthcare Assistant
That spirit continues today through staff and volunteers working together to create warmth, dignity and comfort. Reception volunteers Jeanette Woodcock, Pam Pullen and Sue Warren, catering assistant Wendy Wigglesworth, and Healthcare Assistant Sarah Smith all remember the hospice from its early days.
Every role, paid or voluntary, is part of the caring community supporting patients and families.
Recent improvements, including the beautifully refurbished lounge, were made possible by community fundraising, local businesses and charitable foundations, offering brighter, more welcoming spaces for families.
For the 25th birthday, displays of memorabilia and shared stories have celebrated the many lives touched by the Ashford hospice.
“Reaching 25 years is a proud and emotional moment,” says Martin Kemp, Hospice Services Manager. “It’s a chance to feel nostalgia for the past while seeing new projects and plans for the future. This birthday celebrates our community and acts as a springboard into the next chapter.”
Ashford’s story is one written by its community, past, present and future.
Wendy Wigglesworth, Catering Assistant, said:
“I feel very honoured to work at the hospice. I have met some amazing people, patients, relatives and staff over the past 25 years.”
