OKEHAMPTON Community Hospital was hailed as a ?dream come true? for the people of the town at its unofficial opening last week.
The informal opening ceremony of the £4.5-million state of the art facility took place last Thursday. Patients and staff will begin moving into the hospital this weekend.
Among those attending the celebrations were the mayors of Okehampton and West Devon, a number of Japanese volunteers creating the unique Japanese healing garden at the hospital, schoolchildren from the Okehampton area and many of the fund-raisers who contributed towards the £250,000 total raised by the hospital appeal.
Christine Marsh, mayor of Okehampton said: ?This is a day that so many people have been looking forward to. It is a dream come true for everyone in Okehampton.?
Cllr Marsh said the hospital was a ?magnificent building? and ?something to be really proud of.?
Cllr Marsh also paid tribute to Dr Paul Nielson for his ?belief and vision and determination to see it happen.?
Dr Nielson said when the brief was written for the hospital five years ago, it had been called the ?Okehampton Centre for Health?. ?It was to be something health-creating, and I think we have achieved that,? he said. Dr Nielson said the hospital was not just there to help cure the sick but also to promote good health.
Dr Nielson said this aim had been helped by the fact the architect Nigel Grainge ?really understood the vision.?
Dr Nielson told the assembled crowd: ?Okehampton really has
been a town that is blossoming and growing, and the energy has come from you, the people here.?
Dr Nielson thanked Mr Kasai and Junichi Imura of the Johrei Society and all the volunteer gardeners who had come to Okehampton all the way from Japan to lend a hand.
Bud Wendover, chairman of the Mid Devon Primary Care Trust said the vision of the community hospital was to ?deliver high quality healthcare? to people in their community.
Mr Wendover said the hospital belonged to the people of Okehampton and he was sure they would continue to be ?interested and involved? in the continuing development of the hospital.
Coloured balloons were distributed to the young and the young at heart ? Okehampton Times reporter included ? and when the mass of balloons were released a kaleidoscope of colour filled the sky.
Music at the event was provided by Okehampton College band playing in a marque outside the hospital.
The hospital has been designed to accommodate up to 35 patients and is anticipated to operate at 85% of full capacity.
The new hospital building is a single storey structure with a two-storey element where ground levels drop, and natural light and ventilation have been utilised wherever possible.
The hospital will include a minor injuries unit and maternity unit, an occupational therapy centre and an elderly confused ward.
The hospital will use new technology to link diagnostic equipment with the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital preventing many people from Okehampton having to travel to Exeter for treatment