Jo Pavey to open new day hospice in Honiton

We are thrilled to announce that Exeter athlete Jo Pavey will officially open our new £1.2m Kings House Day Hospice in Honiton next month.

Jo, who grew up near Honiton, says she is delighted to open the new centre which provides much needed support to terminally ill patients and their families living in East Devon and which is already oversubscribed.

Glynis Atherton, Hospiscare chief executive, said: “Jo lives locally so we are thrilled she has agreed to open Kings House which is proving so popular with local people.”

Jo, 41, won the 10,000m gold medal at the 2014 European Championship in Zürich, ten months after giving birth to her second child, to become the oldest female European champion.

Award winning runner, Jo trains with the Exeter Harriers and was also honoured with the Freedom of the City of Exeter and a honorary doctorate from the University of Exeter.

We are a local charity and raised the money to build the new day hospice from a government grant, grants from charitable trusts and fantastic fundraising support from the local community who raised £260,000.

Local doctors have referred so many patients to Kings House that we are now offering more day services.

Our Hospiscare community specialist nurses are also based at Kings House as well as a team of trained volunteers, care navigators who befriend and visit patients in their homes.

Last year we supported 2,226 patients, of which 1,498 were new patients, across Exeter, East and Mid Devon. We also provide support for their carers. We have a 12 bed hospice and day centre in Exeter and two day hospices, in Tiverton and now in Honiton.