Wednesday 21st September 2022 saw the grand reopening of the St Barnabas Hospice Wellbeing Centre in Louth, which has been closed to patients since the very first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.
The celebrations were attended by local businesses and organisations, staff, volunteers, supporters and special guests Mayor of Louth, Cllr Jeremy Baskett and his wife, the Mayoress Bridget Baskett.
Not only did the festivities include a look around the refurbished Wellbeing Centre, formerly known as the Day Therapy Centre, but it also marked the official opening of the renewed sensory garden. The therapeutic sensory garden, designed by local landscape gardener Caroline Stanley and Riseholme College students, was first showcased at the Lincolnshire Show earlier this year, where it won Highly Commended. 
Elements of this beautiful garden have now been laid into the existing garden of the Wellbeing Centre for patients and their families to enjoy. The existing Louth garden was designed by Caitlin McLaughlin and displayed at Tatton Park RHS show in 2016.
Mayor of Louth, Cllr Jeremy Baskett, commented: “Today I have the honour of officially opening the Wellbeing Centre and its beautiful new garden, and it is great to see so many people here today to mark the occasion.
“I come from a healthcare background, and the way St Barnabas operates is the way of the future; providing healthcare not just from a base such as this fantastic Wellbeing Centre, but also offering care in the community and people’s homes. St Barnabas has a great reputation, and rightly so.”
Throughout the day, St Barnabas staff were on hand for tours of the building. The Wellbeing Centre is not just a site where patients can receive medical appointments, advice, and care; it is intended as a community hub for all local people, volunteers, and staff to come together, find support in one another and enjoy socialising.
The Centre has multiple therapy rooms and large spaces that nurses, patients and families can use for a wide variety of services. It also boasts a Hub space with comfortable chairs and a kitchenette, which will be open for visitors to drop in every Thursday morning from 6th October and enjoy a free-of-charge coffee morning.
The Wellbeing Centre hopes to restart the services offered before the pandemic, including arts and crafts therapies, gardening, gentle exercise classes, and much more. To help make these ideas a reality, St Barnabas is looking to recruit volunteers who can help deliver these valuable services to the community.
Steve Bond, Head of Volunteering, comments: “Volunteering is a great way of giving back to the community, gaining new skills, and meeting interesting people. Our volunteers often stay on to support us for years as they enjoy it so much!”
Local distillery Pin Gin was in attendance at the reopening, offering visitors tasters of the special rum and gin flavours they recently created to commemorate the charity’s 40th anniversary. The Ruby Gin and Ruby Rum are available to purchase from the Pin Gin website at £35 per bottle, with £14 of each sale donated straight to St Barnabas.
Warm beverages were provided by Lincoln Tea & Coffee Company. The company has partnered with St Barnabas on their Care for a Cuppa campaign, which was represented at the reopening by St Barnabas’ Fundraising Officer, Ellie Carter. Ellie baked a variety of delicious cakes to sell to the attendees on the day and raise money for the charity.
Care for a Cuppa is a feel-good fundraising initiative that encourages supporters to put the kettle on and host a coffee morning/bake sale to raise vital funds for their local Hospice. People who sign up receive a free fundraising pack including bunting, cake flags, games, posters and two delicious recipes by renowned Lincolnshire chef Rachel Green.
To find out more and host your own Care for a Cuppa, visit https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/care-for-a-cuppa/
St Barnabas Hospice is thankful to everyone who attended the successful reopening of the Wellbeing Centre in Louth and would like to encourage volunteers and the general public to get in touch to get involved in upcoming services. Please email [email protected] to find out more.
If you are interested in joining us in Louth as a volunteer, please visit our website: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/get-involved/volunteer/