The Hotel That Cares

The Grove in Bournemouth is the only hotel in the country for people with cancer, or other life-limiting illness, and their families.

- Tanya Pearey

It’s the personal touch that sets The Grove apart. Ross Cowan had been driving on the motorway in heavy traffic and torrential rain for three hours when she finally pulled into the hotel’s small out-front car park.

‘The manager, Brenden,greeted me as I opened the car door,’ she says. ‘All I could manage was ‘I need a cup of tea!’ He took the car keys from my hand, ushered me into the lounge where a tray of tea appeared, and the next time I saw my cases they were in my room.’

That was Ross’ first visit. She’s now on her fourth. Ross, 69, from Hornchurch, Essex, was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer in 2011 and first came to The Grove after surgery and gruelling bouts of chemo- and radiotherapy.

‘My cancer nurse recommended it,’ says Ross. ‘She said I needed a break. I didn’t realise myself just how much I did until I came here.’

The Grove, a pretty, white Victorian villa-style building with a green-tiled roof and window shutters, is a stone’s throw from the golden sands of Bournemouth beach and a 10-minute stroll from the bustling town centre.

It’s run – on a not-for profits basis – by local charity Macmillan Caring Locally, which is based at Christchurch Hospital’s palliative care unit. (It has no links to the national Macmillan cancer charity.)