insideKENT Magazine Issue 87 - June 2019 | Page 151

NEWS
COLYER-FERGUSSON HAS GIFTED LAND TO ELLENOR HOSPICE
AS PART OF ITS 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
ellenor hospice has been officially gifted the land on
which its building sits, by the Colyer-Fergusson
Trust. The gift will have an immense impact for
the hospice.
ellenor hospice provides the best hospice care and
support to families facing terminal illness in Kent.
They’re the only charity in the county providing
hospice care to people of all ages. Their care includes
pain and symptom relief, palliative care, end of life
care, respite, bereavement support and emotional
and spiritual care.
The history with the Colyer-Fergusson Trust goes
back to 1991 when the Trust offered the Lions Club
a suitable site on which to place the hospice in
Gravesend. Thanks to that initial support ellenor
was able to be built, opening its doors to care for
terminally ill adults and support their families. Since
those early days the hospice has grown, and ellenor
last year provided hospice care to 2,874 local babies,
children and adults facing terminal illness, in the
home and hospice.
The team at ellenor were absolutely delighted to
have been gifted the land on which the building sits.
Vikki Harding, Interim Chief Executive said:
“Colyer-Fergusson have always been there, a quiet,
valued supporter in the background, so when we
heard that as part of their 50th anniversary
celebrations they wanted to sign the land over to
ellenor, we were surprised and delighted! What a
wonderful gift!”
ellenor unveiled a commemorative plaque stone in
the grounds of the hospice, recognising the gift of
the land. There followed a special celebration with
ellenor staff, patients, supporters and trustees from
Colyer-Fergusson.
INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN MARK LAUNCH OF
BLACKHEATH HIGH’S NEW SCHOOL
Blackheath High School GDST’s £18 million
redevelopment was officially opened in May with a
star-studded line-up including prominent women’s
rights campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez and
ITV news anchor Charlene White.
Criado-Perez, author of Invisible Women and who led
the campaign to put Jane Austen on the £10 note,
was invited by the school to mark the official opening
of its new facilities.
Addressing Blackheath High parents, teachers,
alumni and students, Criado-Perez’s speech touched
on the need to give women the freedom and power
to flourish, saying: “The way for women to escape
the straight jacket society puts them in isn’t to
denigrate them, but to empower them.”
Channelling Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own,
the campaigner concluded her address by saying she
hoped the all-new Blackheath High School would
provide the necessary space for girls to maximise
their full potential: “I hope these spaces opening
today give the room for girls to flourish for generations
to come.”
Criado-Perez’s speech was part of the Blackheath
High’s ongoing ‘Wollstonecraft Speaker Series’ where
inspiring figures are invited to the school to speak
to the students about their lives and careers.
Joining Caroline in marking the occasion was former
Blackheath High alumna and ITV London news
anchor Charlene White. Together with the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST),
Blackheath High school has invested £18 million
over five years to provide new state-of-art the facilities.
Charlene said “Hello” to her old teachers during a
pre-recorded spoof news show filmed at the News
at 10 studios where she now presents. As well as investing in the girls’ learning development,
the school has created a wellbeing Sedum roof garden
for girls to relax and enjoy which sits above an
architecturally designed courtyard with "Mini-
Louvre" at the heart of the school. Also added is
‘The Pod’, a contemplation space for meditation
and idea generation.
The film was shown to students at a special assembly
prior to the evening reception.
The evening was officially opened by CEO of GDST,
Cheryl Giovannoni, whose vision is to shape the
future of girls’ education.
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