FORTY-years-ago this month St Ann's Hospice opened its doors.

And to mark the special anniversary the Ceremonial Mayor Cllr Ronald H Wilson, and Mayoress, Pat Wilson, joined staff, volunteers and patients from the hospice in Little Hulton.

In May of that year, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne officially opened it.

Eamonn O’Neal, Chief Executive of St Ann’s, said: "In April 1979, we opened the doors of our second hospice site in Little Hulton and started caring for patients there.

"The opening was the result of a huge Greater Manchester-wide fundraising appeal, which led to the amazing local community raising a massive £600,000 for the second St Ann’s hospice site.

"Our Heald Green hospice had already opened in 1971, and Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne, came to officially open the Little Hulton hospice site in May 1979, welcomed by many of our staff, volunteers, patients and families.

"We’ll be celebrating in lots of different ways this year to mark this special 40th anniversary, and we were pleased to welcome the Mayor and Mayoress to St Ann’s to kick start our activities.

"It’s a very exciting few years for the hospice as we’re ramping up to the 50th birthday of St Ann’s as a whole in 2021 ­— it’s a real privilege that our team is in a position to ensure the hospice remains fit for purpose and able to provide care for patients and their families well into the next century too."

A special birthday cake was commissioned to mark the anniversary, which was cut by the mayor and mayoress.

St Ann’s Hospice is one of the oldest and largest hospices outside of London, and staff care for patients with life-limiting illnesses from their three sites in Heald Green, Little Hulton and the Neil Cliffe Centre in Wythenshawe Hospital.

The hospice also runs a variety of community and outreach services, as well as providing training and support in palliative and end of life care to other organisations and health care professionals.

Mr O'Neal added: "Though hospice care has changed so much since the hospice first opened, our ethos and values remain the same.

"I’m proud to be part of a team that is committed to providing truly holistic care, treating each patient as an individual and responding to their own personal needs and wishes.

"As we look back at what has gone before, and plan ahead to ensure St Ann’s remains fit for future generations of patients and families too, we never lose sight of the core values that make us what we are. Thanks so much to everyone in the local community for the support they’ve given the hospice over almost half a century. We simply couldn’t care for our patients without you. Thanks so much for all you do for us."

For more information on St Ann’s, or to make a donation, please visit www.sah.org.uk/donate