Ayrshire Hospice celebrates £18million transformation with community opening

“This is your hospice” was the message to the people of Ayrshire and Arran as the ribbon was cut to mark the full opening of the Ayrshire Hospice after a multi-million pound transformation.  

Ayrshire Hospice Chief Executive, Tracy Flynn, along with long serving volunteers Barbara Houston, Barbara Cowan and Anne Swan – together contributing over 90 years’ service – and Specialist Palliative Care Nurse Maureen Fanning, who has been a member of staff for over 30 years, officially opened the Hospice to the public on Monday 18^th August.

Public spaces such as Gargowan Café and Gargowan Gifts are now open, offering welcoming spaces for the community to enjoy and helping to bring people into the heart of the Hospice.

Tracy Flynn, Chief Executive of the Ayrshire Hospice, said: “The community has been at the heart of this project from the outset.

“Without the extraordinary support we have received, the hospice as you see today would not be here. Since 1983, the people of Ayrshire and Arran have shown an unrelenting commitment and desire for a centre of excellence for speciality palliative and end-of-life care where their loved ones or friends can be cared for with dignity and compassion when they need it most. Today, that same spirit has created a hospice transformed for the future.

“Without the extraordinary support we have received, the hospice as you see today would not be here. Since 1983, the people of Ayrshire and Arran have shown an unrelenting commitment and desire for a centre of excellence for speciality palliative and end-of-life care where their loved ones or friends can be cared for with dignity and compassion when they need it most. Today, that same spirit has created a hospice transformed for the future.”

“As we welcome the community into these renewed spaces, I want to pay tribute to the dedication of our staff and volunteers, whose energy and commitment give this place its heart. Together, we now begin a new chapter in the story of the Ayrshire Hospice story.”

Tom Steele, Chair of the Ayrshire Hospice Board, said: “Today is a celebration of what has been achieved as we come together in our stunning home. At its heart, this is about the care we provide – care that has been a hallmark of the Ayrshire Hospice since 1989. As a Board, we’re incredibly proud of the efforts of staff and volunteers who have all played their part – whether big or small – in getting us here to this day.”

Set against the backdrop of difficult financial times for everyone, the Ayrshire Hospice has over the last three years undergone a substantial Capital Build Project to transform its home, ensuring the charity’s legacy for generations to come.

When the Ayrshire Hospice first opened in 1989 it was originally designed to care for 250 patients a year, in 2025 we currently have 350 patients a week on our caseload. These completed works have cost over £18 million, delivering Scotland’s first all-electric hospice, and a truly world-class facility.

Tracy added: “This project was both a healthcare milestone and a heritage restoration project – the first comprehensive, integrated redevelopment of the Category ‘B’ listed building in its 201-year history. While the Hospice building has undergone extensions, improvements and redecoration over the years, the layout and building services remained largely unchanged for three decades. This transformational project has created a restored, contemporary facility that ensures the Ayrshire Hospice can meet the rising palliative and end-of-life care needs of communities across Ayrshire and Arran for decades to come.”

Supporters and members of the public are warmly invited to visit the Gargowan Café, open Monday to Saturday from 8:30am to 2:30pm and Gargowan Gifts, open Monday – Friday, 8am to 8pm and Saturday – Sunday, 10am to 6pm.