During the awards ceremony it was clear that we could not have chosen a more deserving winner in the Community Impact category than Bury Hospice.

Most people who live and work in Bury are aware of the important work of the hospice and the high standards of palliative care they provide. Many of us know someone (either directly or indirectly) who has been in the hospice and it's a cause that's very close to our hearts here in Bury.

Bury Hospice provides invaluable care and support not only to people who are approaching the end of their life, but also to their families and friends. The care that Bury Hospice provides is simply outstanding, whether it is in-patient day care, hospice at home or outpatient support. The hospice helps people to achieve the best possible quality of life at a time when this is most important.

2013 was a fantastic year for the hospice, as the new building was officially opened in March 2013. The previous building on Dumers Lane only had capacity for five in-patient beds, making it the smallest hospice in the UK. A full-on fundraising campaign resulted in new state of the art facilities and an increase to twelve beds, allowing high quality care to be extended to all who need it.

The new multi-million pound hospice building quickly won the Best Community Build category in the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) awards after being nominated by officers at Bury Council. The hospice was presented with the award on Friday 26th April at a ceremony held at the Reebok Stadium.

It seems that the hospice continues their winning streak at our own Made in Bury Business Awards later in the year, winning the Community Impact category hands down.

Jacqui Comber, Chief Executive of Bury Hospice, commented:

€À¦Ã¢‚¬Å“We were absolutely delighted to win, it was a fantastic achievement and an amazing award ceremony.