Cynthia Spencer Hospice opened on 15 May 1976 and provides care and support, in the hospice and in peoples homes, to patients and their families with life limiting illnesses.
Cynthia Spencer Hospice Charity was founded by Janet Pacey in 1990. Initially called the Friends of Cynthia Spencer, the charity has grown from funding small items to support the patients in the hospice to become joint Commissioners of End of Life Care in Northamptonshire.
Cynthia Spencer Hospice owes its origin to the formation of a Northampton committee which was set up in 1972 to provide cancer relief in Northamptonshire and to raise funds for continuing care. Under the inspired leadership of the late Dr Ben Jolles, by the end of 1975 the committee had raised enough funds to build an in-patient facility of 16 beds which was then opened by the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in May 1976.
At the time Cynthia Spencer Hospice was one of the first modern hospices in the country. The 7th Earl Spencer agreed to be Patron of the committee, and Cynthia Spencer House (as it was then called) was named after his late wife, Lady Cynthia Spencer DCVO OBE.
The Cynthia Spencer House Trust was set up to provide continued support for the unit, and in the next decade it led to a fundraising campaign to build a day unit which was opened by the late Diana, Princess of Wales, on the 29 March 1985.
In 1990 the Friends of Cynthia Spencer Hospice were formed, to raise funds to support the Hospice patients and to raise the profile of the Hospice in the local community.
During the late 1990s it soon became clear that the facilities at the Hospice fell well below those needed to provide a modern and acceptable standard of care. The sale of part of the land on which the Hospice stood created a unique opportunity to develop new facilities.
The allocation of money from the sale of the land however fell short of the £10 million total project cost so a fundraising campaign for the balance of £1.5 million was launched. The people of Northamptonshire took the campaign to their hearts and generously donated the required amount and the new hospice building as we know it today was opened in 2005.
Simon Schanschieff was instrumental in the original build of the hospice in the 1970s as part of the committee who campaigned and fundraised to build a dedicated place for end of life care.
Simon sadly passed away in 2019 at Cynthia Spencer.
In 2023, a grant from The Philips Foundation, a legacy left by Jayne Hill and kind donations from our supporters provided the funding to open a new Woodland Room. A sanctuary for our patients and families, a place to continue our wellbeing and bereavement services and to provide training for our clinical team.
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