A SPECIALIST hospice in-patient room has been named after a symbol of hope to help provide comfort for families of terminally ill patients.
The Rainbow Room, one of 10 state of the art rooms within St Teresa’s Hospice’s new £1.2 million in-patient unit, was named by Darlington resident Wendy Goold.
Mum of two Wendy, 45, who entered the room naming competition after seeing it advertised on Facebook, said: “I was really surprised when I got the call to say that my name choice had been chosen.
“I took inspiration from a small plaque in my bedroom ‘When it rains look for rainbows, when it’s dark look for stars’. I thought that was quite fitting and would offer families a symbol of hope, something good in stormy times.
“Even though I live only a couple of miles away it’s the first time that I’ve visited the hospice and my first impressions are that it is a really warm and welcoming place.”
The room, funded by a £35,000 donation from Darlington Building Society, opens out onto the hospice gardens and is equipped with an en-suite wet room, energy-efficient under-floor heating, modern ventilation, wall mounted television and controllable mood lighting, as well as medical equipment including piped oxygen supply and built-in hoists.
Darlington Building Society chief executive Colin Fyfe said: “As part of our 160th anniversary celebrations we asked our members which organisations they would like to support and a vast majority chose ‘people who help people’.
“St Teresa’s Hospice is a fantastic example of an organisation here in Darlington that does just that by providing specialist palliative and at-home care, in addition to supporting family members of those with life-limiting illnesses.”
In addition to the new in-patient room, funds donated by Darlington Building Society will also be used by the hospice to establish a new ‘sharing the memories tree’ located within the in-patient unit reception.
This will allow personal memories and messages of support to be engraved on metallic leaves and fixed to the tree in memory of loved ones.
Chief executive of St Teresa’s Hospice Jane Bradshaw added: “It’s vital to the future of the hospice that we have the support of local organisations like Darlington Building Society.
“To raise such a substantial sum is amazing and we are extremely grateful to them for working with us to create a modern environment for our patients.”