The Hospice charity provides end-of-life care to patients around Hertfordshire will honour all the fond-memories and anecdotes of the vital service in the past 30 years.

In 1992, the Local Health Authority agreed to a hospice at the site of what was the Peace Memorial Hospital. Formerly known as The Peace Hospice, the service continued to serve Hertfordshire residents thanks to the help of dedicated volunteers and the generous community.

And the hospice, which generally relies on community events to help fundraise and support the service, had to undergo major internal changes to continue operating in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But despite the structural changes, Peace Hospice Care hopes to continue celebrations through various events - many online – that will step back in history, share memories from its archives, having the community come together for new artwork, and in general honour all the hard work over the years.

’30 Ways’, a fundraising initiative, will also launch this year as part of the 30th anniversary.

Jackie Tritton, CEO at Peace Hospice Care, said: “2021 marks the 30-year anniversary of Peace Hospice Care and we are so grateful to the local community for supporting us over those years. All our services are free, and the vast majority of our funding comes from the local community – what we do is only possible because on the individuals, groups, businesses and other organisations who have supported us over very many years. Our heartfelt thanks to them all.”

Speaking on the hardships of the pandemic, she said: “This year has reminded us all of what’s important. Never have I seen that more clearly than in the dedication of our clinical staff, on the front line, caring for patients, some with Covid-19, and ensuring that families could be with them, safely, when it mattered most.

“It’s what our staff do day in and day out and it’s why doing this work is so important. The weeks and months ahead will still be hugely challenging for us. I urge the local community to continue to support us, and get behind our fundraising activities, so we can carry on delivering our free services to those who need us for many years to come.”

While upcoming fundraising events are subject to change depending on the Covid-19 restrictions later in the year, anyone wishing to keep up-to-date with the 30th anniversary activities should visit: https://www.peacehospicecare.org.uk/supporting-us/fundraising-and-events/