A groundbreaking ceremony has marked the start of construction work at the £17 million Ayrshire Hospice redevelopment project.
McLaughlin & Harvey is the main contractor on the initiative, with the facility due to open in summer 2024. Site clearing and demolition commenced in December.
Ayrshire Hospice chief executive Tracy Flynn was joined by representatives from NHS Ayrshire & Arran and the three local authorities to mark the milestone. She said, “This is a historic milestone for the Ayrshire Hospice and, as a team, we are so excited to start building our new hospice which will be a centre of excellence for palliative and end of life care for the people of Ayrshire and Arran, right here in Racecourse Road.”
John McClintock, McLaughlin & Harvey operations director – healthcare, added, “McLaughlin & Harvey is delighted to have marked the first official milestone of our Ayrshire Hospice project. We bring with us a wealth of previous healthcare experience, and look forward to undertaking the substructure and structural works on this meaningful project in the coming weeks.”
Tom Steele, chair of the Ayrshire Hospice board of trustees, commented, “The breaking ground ceremony is a seminal moment for our new hospice as work begins to lay down foundations. Although this sub-structure is something that people can’t see, it is arguably one of the most crucial points of the project from which our new infrastructure will be built.”
Andrew Baillie, Ayrshire Hospice trustee and chair of the capital project governance committee, said, “Breaking ground is the first major milestone in what will be an amazing new facility for the hospice. Over the coming months work will progress onto foundations, the superstructure and then the roof before moving into the interior fit-out. It’s exciting to be not only creating a wonderful facility for patients, relatives and staff but helping to contribute to our sustainable future.”
