Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity is built on the support of the local community - quite literally, with the original Hospice building at Stoke Mandeville Hospital funded by a major fundraising campaign across Aylesbury Vale in the 1980s.  The charity remains true to the vision of their founder, Barbara Lucas, to provide local dedicated hospice care to terminally ill patients.  Barbara was inspired to launch "Aylesbury Hospice Appeal" following the death of her father on a busy general ward in Stoke Mandeville Hospital - at the time there was no hospice care provision between Milton Keynes and Oxford.

Since the Hospice opened in October 1989 many thousands of patients have accessed its services which extend from care after diagnosis with terminal or life limiting illness until a patient's final days and hours, and then support after loss for the families of their patients through the Bereavement Support Service.  The Hospice term is there to offer the care and support patients and their families' needs through the toughest times.

In 2019 a new service, fully funded by the Charity, FNH@Home was launched.  The FNH@Home team make it possible for patients to be cared for in their own homes at the end of life, surrounded by their loved ones and familiar things.

This service was in its infancy as the Covid-19 pandemic hit and has helped hundreds of patients stay out of hospital and the Hospice at a time when visiting access was restricted and allowed them to spend their final days and hours with their loved ones, something that was not always possible within the Hospice itself.

The team ensures that patients can receive the same level of care and medical attention that they would receive in the In-Patient Unit at the Hospice, and are there to offer support and advice to every patient's family.

All of the money raised from AVCO's inaugural concert will be used to fund the continuation of the FNH@Home service - giving patients in the future the option of spending their final days in familiar and loved surroundings.

The Hospice would like to thank everyone who attended the Spanish Fiesta concert, and in particular Sue and the players at Aylesbury Vale Concert Orchestra, for their support.