Accord Hospice, Paisley

Prior to 2005 the ACCORD Hospice in Paisley leased its site and original building from Argyll & Clyde Health Board.  Over its 25 year’s history, the Hospice building has been significantly altered and extended and it no longer resembles the original building leased from the Health Board.

Once it was decided that Argyll & Clyde wished to sell the ground of Hawkhead Hospital, adjacent to the land on which the Hospice is sited, the management of the Hospice thought it was time for action. The Council of Management of ACCORD Hospice (Action for Continuing Care Over Renfrewshire and District) approached the Health Board with a view to purchasing the interest in the ground.

At this point the Hospice management contacted Graham + Sibbald for advice.

ACCORD is an independent charity giving free palliative care, primarily to the people of Renfrewshire and parts of East Renfrewshire.  It takes approximately £35,000 per week to run the Hospice. This sum funds the eight bed hospice unit and enables outreach care to many more local citizens. The majority of the funding is raised locally by means of donations or other fund raising events and the costs are supported by the local Health Board.

Graham + Sibbald were pleased to advise the Hospice on the price that it would be reasonable to offer in respect of the purchase of the ground and original building. In addition, it was crucial, with the sale of the surrounding land, that the redevelopment of the former hospital site for residential purposes should be carried out in such a way as to minimise any disruption to the Hospice function. Graham + Sibbald were pleased to provide further advice in relation to this matter, and indeed attend meetings with the developers to cover this very significant issue.

In order to fund the purchase of the ground some £250,000 had to be raised and the Hospice instituted their “Buy a Brick for ACCORD” campaign which was supported by a number of celebrities, such as Lorraine Kelly and local actor David Tennant of Dr Who. With widespread support across the community and with fund raising being carried out in all sectors, including local schools and other organisations, the sum was soon raised by the local population. 

As a contribution to support the fund Graham + Sibbald were pleased to donate their services for this part of the project free of charge.

Subsequent to the purchase of the ground, the Hospice Council of Management agreed that it would be appropriate to have the asset valued.  Graham & Sibbald were duly instructed and have now completed the valuation which was carried out on a depreciated replacement cost (DRC) basis. 

Peter McEachran, Graham + Sibbald’s Partner in Paisley said: “We are very pleased to have been involved with ACCORD in recent years and to provide advice on these projects in particular. To the best of our knowledge none of the other Hospices in Scotland have been valued and therefore the valuation of the Hospice provided a unique challenge”.

Marion Ford, Administrative Director of ACCORD Hospice said: “We are grateful to Graham + Sibbald for their assistance, both in this project and in terms of dealing with the various property interests of the Hospice. With the ACCORD complex itself, together with a portfolio of six fund raising shops in the local area, the effective management of the property side of the ACCORD organisation is vitally important.  We are pleased to be able to call on Graham + Sibbald’s assistance on a formal and informal basis as required”.