Newly uncovered footage shows opening of popular Aylesbury charity over 30 years ago

Florence Nightingale Hospice has uploaded newly found footage uncovering the opening of the institution.

VHS footage has been remastered after it was handed in to a member of the hospice’s nursing team.

The footage shows the original news feature showing the then Duchess of Kent opening the hospice in December 1989.

The Hospice originally opened with 12 beds serving patients and residents in the day.

Over the past three decades it has grown to include a Lymphoedema Clinic and office space for an increasing team of nurses.

“We were thrilled to receive this mystery video, simply marked ‘Hospice Opening’ and to watch the original footage.

"[The] Duchess of Kent called it a ‘hospice with a heart’ and that ethos has not changed over the last thirty plus years,” says Bonnie Doe, marketing manager at the charity.

Inspired by the arrival of the mystery video the charity is reviewing its archive of historical items, press cuttings and photos.

Also, it wants people to come and discover the charity’s memorabilia on two Charity History Days.

People will be invited to share their own memories of the hospice on Tuesday 2 August and Friday 5 August.

These events will be held at the not-for-profit organisation’s head office on Walton Street.

“We have some great photos of our supporters and their fundraising activities, from the very beginning in the 1980s, right through the 1990s and into this century,” says Bonnie. “But we don’t have names for all the fantastic volunteers and fundraisers, or details of the stories behind the events

so we would love to speak to as many people as possible about their memories of supporting the charity and the hospice.”

More information on the hospice celebration days can be found on the charity’s website here.

The video is available to view on YouTube now.

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