In September 2021, the Ayrshire Hospice unveiled plans for the £13m redevelopment to ‘future proof’ the Hospice for generations to come.

The Ayrshire Hospice has already successfully secured £6.7million towards the capital project. To enable our Racecourse Road home to be developed, The Ayrshire Hospice will temporarily decant all services for the duration of the construction period. Thanks to our partnership with NHS Ayrshire and Arran, our In-patient unit and associated ancillary functions will relocate to East Ayrshire Community Hospital. Community Services will have an administrative base in Lochranza Ward at Ailsa Hospital, and continue to develop community outreach and virtual services.

The new Hospice has been designed by architectural practice Austin Smith Lord and will re-open to patients and their families in autumn 2023.

To mark the launch of the public fundraising campaign, the Ayrshire Hospice achieved a national first by sending a time capsule containing a historic first staff photograph to the edge of space.

Sponsored by Cosh Niven, supported by our Corporate Pioneers and made possible by Sent into Space, our Near Space experts, the Hospice Pioneer mission saw Ayrshire’s largest charity reaching the edge of space, soaring over 50 miles (264,000 feet) above the Earth. That’s equivalent to nearly ten times the height of Everest, or 5 times higher than a jumbo jet flies.

Dr Suzie Imber, Associate Professor of Planetary Science at the University of Leicester and supporter of the Ayrshire Hospice said “Using near space missions to educate and inspire people to support this fabulous charity is such a different approach to fundraising and raising awareness, I’m thrilled to support the launch of the campaign. We want a Hospice that everyone can be proud of and we can’t do this without others’ help.

The Ayrshire Hospice’s public fundraising campaign aims to inspire, engage and encourage others to help raise £6.3 million for the Hospice redevelopment. We’re calling on our community, the people of Ayrshire and Arran and beyond to help Ayrshire Hospice continue to support those in our community when their lives are challenged by terminal illness and keep making today matter.