Hospice at home charity HAHAV Ceredigion is celebrating its return to its headquarters and Living Well Centre at Plas Antaron, in Penparcau near Aberystwyth, after completing the first phase of a major refurbishment.
The refurbishment has involved installing a new lift to make the building more accessible to users, a fully equipped Art Room, refurbishment of the main Function room, now named the Axford room, new toilets and significant work on the infrastructure of the building.
Among those present at the official opening will be local Senedd Member and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Elin Jones MS, Ceredigion Council Leader Cllr Bryan Davies and HAHAV Ceredigion honorary president Dr Alan Axford.
The whole of this latest project has been funded with capital grants from the National Lottery Community Fund, Welsh Government, the Moondance Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation and UK SPF. The total cost was around £800,000.
Chair of trustees Gwerfyl Pierce Jones said:
“As we officially reopen the Living Well Centre I would like to place on record our thanks to all the funders who made this work possible and allowed us to renovate the building to be a purposeful centre to suit the needs of people across Ceredigion suffering from serious life limiting conditions.
“While noting our gratitude, it is important to emphasise that HAHAV receives no regular core funding towards running the charity. We rely on donations and fundraising activities as well as profits from our retail arm, the shop in Pier Street and warehouse in Llanbadarn, both of which are going from strength to strength.
“However the demand on our services is ever increasing, and as the only county in Wales with no dedicated hospice service, we need to ensure this service continues to be available free of charge for those who need it.
“While much of our focus so far has been on offering home services, our hope is that, starting this autumn we will also be offering a dedicated day hospice respite service and the new centre will offer a warm welcome to our clients and volunteers alike.”
Graham Rees is one of the volunteers wth HAHAV Ceredigion who visits clients in their homes as they face their illnesses.
He said:
“It is a privilege to spend time with and help people who are facing the most difficult of circumstances. We often have challenging discussions, however, it is also special to hear the stories of their amazing past experiences and help to facilitate the best quality of life for individuals and their families which may involve finding ways to have fun. There is also a need for individuals to navigate difficult arrangements, at a time when they may feel least able to do so.
“In offering a range of living well services, I believe HAHAV Ceredigion is delivering essential support. I, for one, am proud to be part of the team, supporting people when times are tough.”
Another service delivered by the charity and is in great demand is offering bereavement support to those who have lost loved ones. This varies from counselling services to more practical support with day to day administrative tasks or emotional support.
Following the loss of his life-long partner of 46 years, the harpist Robin Huw Bowen was grateful for the support offered, saying:
“Losing Pat left a huge void in my life. We had shared so much during our life together over the years, and suddenly I was very alone, and also quite in shock. HAHAV’s grief counselling offered me the opportunity to talk about my loss and discuss the course of my grief, helping me to understand what was going on in my heart and head, thus enabling me to move forward into this new life which I hadn’t asked for or expected, and was very unprepared for. I am extremely grateful for this specialist support, and I wish HAHAV every success as it embarks on this new chapter.”
The refurbishment of the new centre has been led by local architectural designer Stuart Ball, with LEB Construction undertaking the building works.
Stuart said:
“Much of the work focused on opening up enclosed spaces, bringing in more daylight wherever possible and improving circulation, while respecting and enhancing the character of the original house.
“It’s been a fascinating project to work on because Plas Antaron had already changed so much over time, from a private house originally and then as a hotel, with many alterations and additions along the way.
“People have said they find the building welcoming, restful and easier to navigate, which is exactly what we hoped to achieve.”
