AT the end of a small, quiet secluded corridor on the first floor of Bury Hospice, you can find the sanctuary room’ a place where patients and families can go to reflect, for a moment of peace or to have difficult conversations.

In the small, hexagon-shaped room standing in front of the window is the memorial tree — a delicate-looking decoration lit by fairy lights, its leaves are made from notes written in memory of lost loved ones.

The tree was originally put up one Christmas as a festive decoration, but has since become such a poignant symbol of remembrance at the hospice, it remains a permanent feature.

It is one example of what makes Bury Hospice’s environment feel personal and intimate. Alongside state-of-the-art technology and medical equipment which ensures patients have the best possible care, there is also every effort made for the place to not feel clinical in any way.

Another prime example of this personal touch are the rooms where patients stay, in which the atmosphere feels far removed from that of a hospital ward.

Medical equipment folds into the walls in the rooms — all of which have en-suite bathrooms, televisions, Wi-Fi and ample storage — making the space feel like a hotel room, or even a homely bedroom.

All rooms overlook the garden and staff encourage patients to bring their own personal items, such as photographs, to put on display. Patients bring their own clothes and nightwear along and, if they feel up to it, can go out of the buildings for short periods during the stay.

Hospice fundraising and lottery manager Vickie Butcher said the rooms really do become a home-from-home for patients.

“Certainly for people who spend weeks or possibly months here, their room really does become ‘their room’ and a place where they feel comfortable and at ease. The whole ethos of the hospice is to focus everything around the needs of the patient to make them feel calm.”

This holistic approach also benefits staff at the hospice.

Dr Heidi Donnelly said being able to give patients such individualised care is what makes her work so rewarding.

She added: “Also seeing the bravery and dignity of such vulnerable patients on a daily basis is very special, I feel fortunate to work here.”

Possibly the most striking feature of Bury Hospice is its Japanese garden, which was transferred to the Rochdale Old Road site after it won a gold medal at the 2013 RHS Tatton Park Flower Show.

The garden, designed by The Japanese Garden Society and entitled Reflections on Japan, represents a landscape surrounding a sea, using gravel to imitate the ocean in which islands lie. Stepping stone paths allow patients and their families and friends to walk through the garden, stopping at different ‘viewing stones’.

Walking through, it is difficult to believe you are so close to a busy main road connecting to the motorway because the garden is so quiet and peaceful.

Furthermore, patios which overlook the garden allow patients to walk into it directly from their rooms.

There are no memorial benches or plaques at the hospice, but on the ground floor, past reception, there is a memorial wall with a bird-shaped design on which hearts representing donations to the hospice of more than 1,000 are pinned. The bird has six ribbons each representing the six townships of the Bury borough — Ramsbottom, Tottington, Bury, Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich.

But arguably the most moving display are the messages left by loved ones of patients who have passed away at the hospice.

Anonymously, they praise the dedication and care of staff. One reads: “The support and encouragement and your friendliness was a great help. I will always be eternally thankful to you all.” Another says: “You gave us strength, love, warmth, care and time. You supported us through a difficult time and gave us a safe, loving place to say goodbye.”

A Common misconception about Bury Hospice, and hospices in general, is that they only treat patients with cancer. In fact, Bury Hospice cares for anybody with end-stage illnesses, including dementia, Parkinson’s disease, heart failure, motor-neurone disease and general old age and poverty.

Also, not all patients are inpatients and each Wednesday the hospice holds day therapy classes. Volunteer drivers collect patients at their home and bring them to the hospice for the day for social activities, arts and crafts sessions and music therapy, or sometimes just to relax and have a cup of tea before being dropped home. Friends and relatives are welcome to come along and join in or eat in the café where they can buy subsidised meals.

There is also a Hospice at Home service for patients who wish to be cared for or die in either their own home or that of a family member, surrounded by the familiar and the everyday. They receive a high standard of care from the hospice’s committed Hospice at Home nurses, who also offer support to the patient’s carers.

Due to a current lack of funding, there are only three nurses in the Hospice at Home team who work over four days. Anne Riley, one of the team’s nurses, said: “We would certainly like to have more staff. There is a gap in the service that we would love to fill.”

The Hospice at Home service is not the only aspect of the centre which requires funding. Its inpatient care unit has the space and facilities for 12 beds, but only the resources for six to be used at any one time.

There are several ways to donate to Bury Hospice: online at buryhospice.org.uk/get-involved/donate/; by sending a cheque in the post to Bury Hospice, Rochdale Old Road, Bury, BL9 7RG; by calling the hospice’s fundraising line 0161 7971748 and making a payment over the phone; or by dropping cash in at one of the hospice’s shops.