Plaque to honour founders unveiled at Peace Hospice (in Watford)

Plaque to honour founders unveiled at Peace Hospice (in Watford)

A plaque to acknowledge and celebrate ten key people who were involved in setting up Peace Hospice Care, now known as Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, has been unveiled in Watford today.

The ten people named on the plaque come from a mixture of medical, faith and business backgrounds and include people from the first Peace Hospice Appeal established in 1991, including the first appeal Chair Gill Hollander; Doctors Patrick Russell, Robin Gain and Ann Horsburgh; the then leader of Watford Council Mike Jackson; solicitor Paul Nicholas; accountant Nigel Mundy; Chartered Surveyor David Hollingsworth; ex-chaplain at Peace Hospice Care Rev Michael Carter; and the appeal’s first CEO and their only paid employee, Helen Ellis.

The appeal resulted in the health authority finally agreeing in November 1992 to hand over the old Memorial Hospital Building in Watford to the hospice appeal.

Nigel Mundy, a member of the Peace Hospice Appeal and former Chairman of the hospice, who attended the unveiling event at the Rennie Grove Peace Inpatient Unit in Watford today, said, “I remember the tremendous joy we all felt when we found out our appeal had been successful, and that the hospice was to become a reality. While the Inpatient Unit was being built, we started providing a day service for patients in a portacabin in the grounds of the Peace Memorial Hospital. We were all volunteers, led by the founder Chair the late Gill Hollander OBE, working together for something we strongly believed in – for everyone to have the very best quality of life throughout their illness.”

The unveiling ceremony was attended by the former England and Watford FC footballer Luther Blisset OBE DL, who has been a Patron of the hospice since 2019. He first connected with our hospice when playing for Watford FC under Graham Taylor OBE, who was himself a patron for many years.

Luther Blisset OBE DL said, “Rennie Grove Peace supports people in our community with life-limiting illness, making every last moment something precious and full of care for them and their families. I feel honoured to have joined some of the early pioneers today to celebrate the original fundraising and campaigning efforts, which helped place Rennie Grove Peace at the forefront of the hospice movement. Thanks to the determination back in the late 1980s, local people today are able to receive the high-quality care and support they need and deserve, whether that be counselling, complementary therapies, outpatient services, hospice care at home, or specialist support in the Inpatient Unit in Watford.”

Stewart Marks, our Chief Executive, said, “Today we are honouring some of the original campaigners and fundraisers who through sheer hard work and determination, have helped make Rennie Grove Peace what it is today. Their efforts enabled us to support, last year, over 4,600 people with progressive life-limiting illness live better for longer through emotional, physical, and spiritual support for both them and their loved ones.”

Yamini Patel, whose husband Vijay was cared for in the Inpatient Unit in Watford in 2023, said, “Having Vijay cared for at the Rennie Grove Peace Inpatient Unit was an enormous comfort. The support and the way that things are done are from the heart. I knew he was happy and cared for and we could focus on time together as a family.”