The postwar 'baby boomers' population bulge, now arriving at retirement age in the early years of the new century, is expected to add further to the number of people approaching the peak age for developing cancer.

The strong message from these factors is that it was right to press ahead!

As reported elsewhere, our new combined inpatient wing, Phase 1, has settled down well and our new Barbers' Day Centre, Phase 2, "zoned" away from the in-patient area, with its own entrance and therapy rooms, opened this summer. It is much admired. The Chairman has mentioned the financial collapse of our main contractors, an unwanted challenge for those of us who had to steer through the legal minefield that followed.

The business and fundraising side of the Hospice is also moving forward to increase sustainable income streams to pay for the extra nursing and medical resources as we expand.

Currently we are grateful for - and depend heavily on legacies - but in our fundraising planning we need to prepare for future uncertainties as old age healthcare costs reduce people's ability to leave us money. Also, there remain anxieties over what will happen to our grant under the Primary Care Trusts, set up under the Government's local health service restructure.

Your Local Hospice Lottery
We have already begun to put into action plans to increase our fundraising. A long term fundraising investment with the CHASE Children's Hospice, after just one year has over 6,400 members and will produce income this financial year. Our thanks to David Britten and his team (see above). If you haven't yet joined, at £1 a week, it is an easy way to help our 2 Hospices - and have a bit of fun at the same time. You stand a much better chance of winning than the National Lottery, which has done little for hospices!

More Shops
Since last year, our chain of shops has grown from 5 to 7 with premises in Camberley and Bagshot. We have just moved Ash, doubling its size. We plan to open soon in Aldershot centre and elsewhere in the Hospice's catchment area. Managing this expansion could not be achieved without more resources and we have taken on a Shops Coordinator, Tim Osborn, from a commercial retail background. He is assisted by Lindy Taylor, Retail Development Manager, with experience from one of the national charity shop chains.

We have developed plans to launch a number of new fundraising opportunities, but these require more people, our existing 'upstairs' team being already stretched to the limit. Over the last year it has become clear that our expanding clinical side needs more administration resources to function efficiently.

As well as fundraising, we are currently appraising the needs in all areas, including personnel management, IT, and Hospice estate management.

Having optimised the Hospice's buildings, the Trustees and Management are currently undertaking a review of our overall personnel structure to make sure the organisation, too, is set for the years ahead. But more of that in next years review. In summary it has been a year of great progress - but there is much still to be done!

David Kinnear
General Manager