It is 30 years since the local health authority approved the building of a hospice on the site of the old Peace Memorial Hospital in Watford. What became Peace Hospice Care was born.

Work began and the following year a temporary building was located on the site to provide a Day Care Centre.

Following an extensive fundraising campaign, this was later transferred to the hospital building and was officially opened in 1996 by the Hospice's royal President, Princess Michael of Kent.

Despite the pandemic, the Hospice is determined to celebrate what it has achieved over the last 30 years and look forward to the next 30 years, raise the profile of hospice care and help many more people with life-limiting illnesses both understand and have access to the free services illness.

The following pictures and text are reproduced with the permission of Peace Hospice Care and largely taken from a brochure it produced to mark its 25th anniversary. Scroll through and read more about an organisation that has helped care for so many over the last 30 years.

Garston fireman present a donation to Hospice Appeal trustree and first chairperson Gill Hollander

Garston fireman present a donation to Hospice Appeal trustree and first chairperson Gill Hollander

The beginning - a non-stop fight

On 24th June 1991, a group of passionate pioneers from the Watford community set up The South West Hertfordshire Hospice Charitable Trust and ran an appeal to fund a new hospice. By 1992, the Health Authority agreed to a hospice on the then derelict Peace Memorial Hospital site. As a result of enthusiastic backing from the Watford Observer, and massive community support, the Appeal raised nearly £2 million within four years.

Fundraisers collect donations for the Hospice Appeal

Fundraisers collect donations for the Hospice Appeal

More fundraising for the Hopsice Appeal

More fundraising for the Hopsice Appeal

The first charity shop

The Hospice Appeal logo

The Hospice Appeal logo

The Appeal operated from above empty shop premises at 174 High Street in Watford. This became not only the first Peace Hospice Care charity shop but also the first ever charity shop on the High Street in Watford. It was run by a team of dedicated volunteers. There was no rubbish collection for the shop so any rubbish was taken to the tip by volunteers in an open top Rolls Royce and a brand new BMW estate car. The fitting room was made of copper piping, string, a hand-made curtain and a donated mirror. Transactions were recorded using a paper ledger until a large old-fashioned till was donated. The shop was frequently broken into and vandalised. Despite this, takings were good.

The first Hospice Shop - with the appeal office on the first floor - at 174 High Street

The first Hospice Shop - with the appeal office on the first floor - at 174 High Street

Watford Observer:

The Peace Memorial Hospital - the legacy

The Peace Memorial Hospital in the 1930s

The Peace Memorial Hospital in the 1930s

The Peace Hospice is part of the original Peace Memorial Hospital. The Hospital was built by public subscription as a memorial to those killed in the First World War. It was opened in 1925 by Princess Mary, the Princess Royal, and cost £90,000. Fundraising activities included local families raising money to build the Hospital by buying bricks for six shillings each.

Watford Observer:

Some of the earliest nurses to work at the hospital

In 1928, a War Memorial designed by local resident Mary Bromet and featuring three bronze statues was erected in front of the façade. In 1971, the War Memorial was relocated to beside the Town Hall where it still stands today.

The unveiling of the War Memorial designed by local sculptor Mary Bromet in 1928

The unveiling of the War Memorial designed by local sculptor Mary Bromet in 1928

During the Second World War, the Peace Memorial Hospital became part of the Emergency Medical Scheme under the control of University College Hospital which established Outpatients and Casualty Departments in one of the wards. The Hospital was protected by sandbags and survived bombings during the war although some bombs landed close by. A nursing school was in the grounds of the Hospital and in 1944, trainee nurses from Peace Memorial Hospital joined other trainees from London hospitals to nurse the wounded from the D-Day Allied invasion of Normandy.

Peace Memorial nurses celebrating VE Day in 1945

Peace Memorial nurses celebrating VE Day in 1945

The NHS was founded in 1948 promising free and improved health care for all. By the 1960s there was great demand for nurses in Watford with shortages at local hospitals described as ‘alarming’. During the 1970s, services were gradually transferred to the new Watford General Hospital and in 1985 the Peace Memorial Hospital was closed.

Pace Memorial Hospital nurses in the 1950s

Peace Memorial Hospital nurses in the 1950s

Watford Observer:

Patients in the hospital

The Peace Memorial Hospital - dereliction and resurrection

The demolition of the outer buildings of the Peace Hospice Hospital

The demolition of the outer buildings of the Peace Hospice Hospital

In 1991, at the start of the South West Herts Hospice Appeal, the Peace Memorial Hospital stood derelict. The building had been seriously vandalised and was falling into disrepair, inhabited by the homeless, addicts and the socially outcast. In 1988, the historic and much-loved clock had even been stolen from the façade in broad daylight. The destruction of this building was a source of ongoing distress for the local community. When the idea to use the Peace Memorial Hospital as a hospice arose, it seemed the perfect solution. More than this, the building’s central location and proximity to the town, as well as its iconic significance in the hearts and minds of local people, placed the Hospice at the centre of the community.

The derelict state of the old hospital before renovation

The derelict state of the old hospital before renovation

In a wonderful twist of fate, when the appeal organisers gained access to the building, they discovered it had been accidentally preserved by its illegal inhabitants. Broken windows and a fire on the marble floor had helped to helped prevent damp and air the rooms.

Gill Hollander and Helen Ellis checking the plans of the new Hospice building

Gill Hollander and Helen Ellis checking the plans of the new Hospice building

The Peace Hospice - early days

By 1993, the Hospice Appeal had raised enough money to start a temporary Day Care Centre into a temporary building alongside the Hospital. It was opened by entertainer and Hospice campaigner Roy Castle.

The portacabin was opened by entertainer and Hospice supporter Roy Castle and patient Michael Dawson

The temporary building was opened by entertainer and Hospice supporter Roy Castle and patient Michael Dawson

The next target was to transfer the Day Care Centre and office facilities into the old Hospital. The planning process highlighted the importance of preserving the memorial portico, central staircase and windows as well as the original Italian marble floor which is still in use today.

Designs for the new building were aspirational at the outset. They included building a second storey which would remain an empty shell until sufficient funds were raised at a later date. Building work began in 1995, and the new Day Care facility was officially opened in 1996 by our our Royal President, Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent.

Patients, volunteers and nurses in the portacabin

Patients, volunteers and nurses in the temporary building

Peace Hospice Care - meeting the needs of a changing healthcare landscape

Starlight Centre Day Services patients celebrate the Queens 90th birthday

Starlight Centre Day Services patients celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday

Over the years, Peace Hospice Care’s services have adapted to meet the changing needs of patients and their families. Developing treatments and higher survival rates means that patients can live longer with disease. We work to meet individual needs, supporting patients’ independence and confidence at different stages of their illness. Therapeutic days, outpatient clinics and even the Hospice garden have been designed with patient needs in mind.

Princess Michael opens the new Inpatient Unit in 2000 with Lottery Manager Terence Smith, then Chief Executive Graham Ball, Lady Fellowes and the then Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire Simon Bowes-Lyon

Princess Michael opens the new Inpatient Unit in 2000 with Lottery Manager Terence Smith, then Chief Executive Graham Ball, Lady Fellowes and the then Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire Simon Bowes-Lyon

In 2000, Princess Michael opened the new Inpatient Unit. By autumn 2002, the 11 bedded Inpatient Unit had cared for 164 patients.

In 2005, the Hospice at Home Service was launched, providing help at home for patients and their carers. By 2008, the Service had expanded to support an additional 80 patients each year.

In 2006, Day Care was redesigned in response to patient needs and three new day clinics were announced in 2007.

In 2009, Peace Hospice began working in four nursing homes, supporting staff with the challenges of dealing with end of life care. By 2012, this had been extended to ten homes helping meet residents’ preferred wishes for care at the end of life.

In 2012, services widened to help even more people, including increased provision to offer support to people with other life-limiting illnesses such as respiratory and heart failure, dementia as well as more support for carers.

By 2014, one of Peace Hospice’s main priorities was to reach more people at an early stage of their illness. The Starlight Centre was opened and became the base for our Outpatient and Day Services occupying the previously unused first floor of the Inpatient Unit building.

In 2014, Peace Hospice changed its name to Peace Hospice Care to reflect the evolving nature, and geographical spread, of its services. Developments in the wellbeing team allowed the Hospice to provide a range of therapeutic interventions to support patients living with their illness.