History of Prospect Hospice

We are proud that we have been serving the local community of Swindon and the surrounding area for more than forty years.

Our presence as a hospice in your community is thanks to the determination of our founder, the Reverend Derryck Evans, and those who shared his vision to see the kind of care pioneered by Dame Cicely Saunders at St Christopher’s Hospice in south London made available here.

Thanks to local people giving their skills and time, and some initial funding from people and businesses, the then Prospect Foundation was established in 1980. Initially operating a two-nurse, home-based nursing service, as our reputation grew and the demand for our care increased, we found a base at the Victoria Hospital in Swindon’s Old Town, which is now apartments on Okus Road.

Prospect’s reputation was – and is – rooted in our care, and soon the Prospect Nurses were caring for patients beyond Swindon: in Highworth, Royal Wootton Bassett and Marlborough and many places beyond. The more people whose lives were touched by our care, the more people began to show their appreciation of our work.

As Prospect Hospice moved into a second decade, we needed new premises, and launched a community appeal, led by our late honorary president David Margesson MBE, for a purpose-built hospice that would become a permanent base. The appeal to raise the £3 million needed to build the hospice achieved its target in 1995 and, later that year, Princess Anne officially opened the new Prospect Hospice.

Recent years have seen the development of new services, including the Day Hospice, Family Support Team, Therapy Team and Prospect@Home service, each reflecting our belief that care for people who are dying is about so much more than just their final days.

Prospect Hospice’s past was created by people who shared a vision to bring a hospice to our community – a community whose generosity enables us to bring our care to hundreds of patients and their families each year.