1. King Charles III

King Charles III is Patron of Weldmar Hospicecare, a role that he has held since April 1994.

Built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, the then Prince of Wales took a keen interest in the building of the hospice in Dorchester. he first visited on the 19th May 1992, three weeks after the first turf had been cut at the site by Sir Joseph Weld. He inspected the early work, the drawings and plans, and also attended the first AGM of the fledgling ‘Dorset Respite and Hospice Trust’.

The future King personally chose the type of bricks used for the building and the roof finials. Once built, his first official visit was in May 1994, where he met staff and patients. He has returned on a number of occasions, and here are the memories of some of those who have met him on those visits:

Dr David Sloan was the charity’s first Medical Director, and says, “His visits were private – he didn’t want the publicity or the kudos for visiting the hospice. He genuinely enjoyed coming, and often at the end of a busy day visiting the project at Poundbury. His bedside manner was amazing. It would be quite easy just to sit and ask ‘how are you’, but they were very much two way conversations with patients and relatives where he was quite candid. It was a great thrill for everyone when he did come.”

Caroline Stevenson was Head Chef when the Inpatient Unit opened, and recalls: “He was very interested in the workings of the kitchens, the menus we had planned and was keen to see how we adapted the various dishes to meet patients’ needs, be nutritious and look appetising. I remember him being the most caring, relaxed and down to earth person. He was happy to laugh and joke with you and was approachable. He always visited the whole building, speaking to all staff and patients and was always really appreciative of everything everyone did. I had the pleasure of making him a cake one year as his visit coincided with his birthday. He was very grateful but apologised as he said he didn’t eat anything on his visits, however his bodyguard ate his slice!”

Caroline Nickinson, a founding Trustee and former Director of Fundraising recalls just how personable he was with those receiving care at the hospice: “The thing that most struck me when HRH came to visit was his ability to immediately talk meaningfully with the patients and their visiting relatives, none of whom he had ever met before and who were all going through probably the most difficult times in their lives. He chatted to them, putting them at ease and genuinely showed them that he cared”.

Chris Barrett was part of the original nursing team, and today is a Sister at the Inpatient Unit – one of two staff who is still with the charity thirty years on. She remembers his first visit well: “It was all kept secret that he was coming. The first thing we knew that something was happening was when his bodyguards came to inspect the building, which caused a lot of interest! He spent time with patients and that gave them such a boost. They could be so poorly, but he would sit at their bedside and talk to them. He then came into the Nurses’ Station and had tea with the staff. We were also invited to Highgrove. A coach of us went, and that was amazing, that says a lot about how much he values what we were doing.”