Ardgowan Hospice: Supporting the Community for 45 years

An interview with Jean Galbraith

We sat down with Jean Galbraith, Ardgowan Hospice’s first Matron, who was first introduced to the idea of hospice care while working as a theatre sister at Inverclyde Royal Hospital. Throughout 1981-84, Jean followed the plans for a local hospice charity closely, and by 1985, Jean was appointed as the Matron of Ardgowan Hospice. Jean’s first role alongside David Foggie, then chairman of the Council of Management and a key figure in the development of Ardgowan Hospice, was to develop the initial day hospice service.

“I was struck by the inadequate way people nearing the end of their lives were cared for. I knew there had to be a better way to support them and their families.”

“David had appointed me, and he was incredibly supportive of the work we were doing. So much so that when I returned from an 8-week palliative care course at St Columba’s Hospice in Edinburgh with my thesis of ‘The need for an inpatient unit in Inverclyde’, David encouraged me to present it to the Council of Management, and those conversations led to funding applications that enabled us to expand our services. Many of which are still running today.”

Thanks to the generosity of the local community, the inpatient unit was opened in 1990, with Jean and David welcoming HRH Princess Margaret for the official opening. Over the past 45 years, Ardgowan Hospice has continued to expand its care and services, all made possible by the unwavering dedication of our incredible supporters.

“The support from the community has always been there, with people across Inverclyde regularly coming together to raise funds. Even before the inpatient unit opened, we had supporters running coffee mornings and queuing out the door to see what we were doing and how they could get involved. It’s incredible to see that community spirit is still going strong 45 years later.”

Jean worked at Ardgowan Hospice until her retirement in 2002 and then went on to serve as a trustee for nine years, continuing to provide her expertise and experience.

It was a joy to have Jean and Margaret, wife of the late David Foggie, join us at the Beacon for our 45th Anniversary celebration earlier this year. More recently, we welcomed them both back to see our newly refurbished inpatient unit, a renovation that will help us continue Jean and David’s legacy of compassionate care for the next 45 years.