After a stormy week, the Edward Hain Centre is about to deliver its first health services
Exactly two months after our celebratory launch weekend, the Edward Hain Centre’s doors will soon open to its first clients. On Thursday, November 9th – in just two days time – the motto on our website, ‘A New Dawn in Health and Wellbeing in St. Ives,’ will become reality. At last!
This landmark day brings NHS Diabetic Eye Screening to the Centre. For several years, many have had to make the 50-mile round trip to Treliske in Truro to receive this service. . . but not any more. They will now be able to go ‘up the road’ to the Edward Hain.
This is the culmination of 2 months of hard work by our centre manager. She hit the ground running in September, and waded through a mountain of tasks to prepare for this day. (Truly a mountain. See our last blog post about it HERE ). The latest on her list are repairs and decoration: getting the first rooms ready to rent out, and creating a more pristine welcome in some of the common areas. All those little holes and dings, the evidence of years of hospital wear and tear? With Maple Leaf Construction on the case, they are going. . . going . . . gone! (At least from these areas. There is lots more still to do.)
‘With a little help from our Friends 🎵’
Not that it’s been plain sailing. You know the English proverb, ‘There’s many a slip t’wixt cup and lip’? It proved its point last Thursday, November 2nd, with a rather large slip: Storm Ciaran, which tore down a tree in the rear car park, ripping a light down with it. Nice timing, Ciaran! Just a week before opening, too . . . .
Better than a day before, however; and soon remedied thanks to the swift responses of a local tree surgeon, and electrical firm Delve & Nankervis. Both immediately grasped the urgency of our situation: the tree was cleared and the light repaired the next day. The storm has gone, and debris is in the process of being swept away by our excellent Friends volunteers. So far, they’ve filled six huge bags!
There is still more to clear up, though, so if anyone reading would like to pull out your Halloween brooms and lend a hand, you’ll find bags tied to the railings in front. Just email our centre manager at centremanager@edwardhaincentre.org.uk before going, please, to check what, if anything, still needs doing. Thank you.
And finally… a new dawn!
So now we are ready to open our doors to the first of our health services, two days from time of writing. We are, necessarily, starting small – but there are many more health and wellbeing providers in the wings, with paperwork and logistics under review. More repair and decoration is needed. Nevertheless, this really is a new dawn for The Edward Hain – and for our community. And to those of you who will soon be receiving eye screening, you are the vanguard. Welcome.
With gratitude…
…to the National Lottery Community Fund’s AWARDS FOR ALL, whose £10,000 donation contributed towards the repairs, refurbishment and emergency clean-up in preparation for opening to our first NHS clinical services.
