WESTERN Power Distribution have signed up as the first sponsor of a room at the new £5m St David’s Hospice Care in patient facility in Newport.

The leading power distribution business, a consistent and solid supporter of St David’s Hospice Care over the years, is sponsor of the first of 15 new in patient room at the hospice.

WPD is now urging others to follow its lead and sign up as sponsors of other rooms at the state of the art new hospice at Blackett Avenue, Malpas, which admits its first patients this week.

WPD’s corporate communications manager Paul Bishop said: “The new St David’s Hospice Care in patient building at Malpas is quite simply stunning. The facilities for patients, specialists, doctors, nurses, therapists and family members, are stunning. We are delighted and proud to be the first to sign up as sponsors of a room in this fabulous new hospice.

“The care put into the design and the quality of build of the new in patient hospice is simply superb. We’d now like to see other businesses show similar support for this incredible new flagship for Wales facility, which will serve people throughout our community, and to sign up to become a room sponsor.”

In recent years WPD has sponsored a range of events in support of St David’s Hospice Care such as the Three Peaks of Wales, the Unicorn bereavement project, Midnight Walks, and Santa runs.

For a second consecutive year WPD backed the Kolor Dash event at Tredegar Park.

WPD is the company responsible for electricity distribution in the Wales the Midlands and the South West serving more than 7.8 million customers and employing in excess of 6,000 members of staff.

Paul Thomas, WPD Gwent team manager based in Cwmbran, who has family experience of care from St David’s Hospice Care, cut the ribbon to officially open the new hospice room.

Emma Saysell, chief executive of St David’s Hospice Care, said: “I was delighted to know that WPD had underlined their superb and continued support for us by becoming the first to sign up to sponsor one of the 15 rooms we have here at our new in patient hospice here in Malpas. We’re proud to be able to say that this new hospice is the first purpose-built independent voluntary sector in-patient hospice constructed in Wales this century.

“Our care depends on receiving ongoing support from our local community which is why we are so very grateful to businesses such as WPD continuing to give us such tremendous and sustained support. We are now hoping that other businesses will follow WPD’s lead and sign up to sponsor a room at the new in patient facility.”

Emma said: “We are so grateful to the Welsh Government which is funding the building to the tune of £3m, Newport City Council, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and the Big Lottery for recognising and investing in our shared vision here in Newport."

The ultra-modern facility is being run St David’s Hospice Care, working in partnership with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and Newport City Council.

St David’s Hospice Care cares for more than 3,000 patients and their families every year free of charge. Staff operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year caring for patients with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses such as end-stage heart failure and motor neurone disease.

St David’s Hospice Care serves a population of more than 600,000 people from Newport, Caerphilly, Torfaen, Monmouthshire as well as Mid and South Powys.

The new in patient centre is linked to the current day hospice by a corridor, will be officially opened later in the year. The new in patient unit replaces the existing 10-bedded unit at St Anne’s, Malpas, Newport.

Each room in the new building leads onto a terraced area overlooking a garden to be used by patients and visitors. The new facility will also benefit from a social hub, a multi faith room and community café, served by a 50-space car park.

St David’s Hospice Care is putting the final touches to the operational plan to ensure the smooth delivery of the service and the success of the new hospice. New volunteering opportunities are being created, particularly in the new café at the centre and the charity says it is looking forward to working closely with the local community and its many supporters going forward.