A hospice is celebrating the completion of a £650,000 facility that will enable it to support seriously ill people at an earlier stage.

The opening of the Coates Centre at Oakhaven Hospice, Lymington, marks the end of a multi-million pound expansion plan that has transformed the site over the past five years.

Specially-trained volunteers at the centre will offer support to anyone in the community who has recently been diagnosed with a life-changing condition.

Andrew Ryde, Oakhaven’s chief executive, said: “The aim is to help people at a much earlier point after their diagnosis and give them advice on the potential implications of their illness.

“One of the benefits of the new building is that people will be able to socialise with others who are facing the same challenges.”

The centre includes The Hub, an area where visitors can chat and relax over a cup of coffee. Staff are also staging a programme of events including complementary therapy sessions and help with exercise and nutrition.

Lucy Smith, head of education at the centre, said: “This is a fantastic new building and a new way of doing things for Oakhaven.

“The service is all about getting information and support to anyone in our community whose life has been impacted by illness. We will reach a much broader group of people than just those who are facing end-of-life care.

“We have a fantastic programme of activities that people can access to feel supported and meet other people who are in a similar situation themselves.”

The two-storey facility is named after the Lymington family that enabled Oakhaven to be launched in the 1980s, when Phoebe Coates donated the land and buildings in memory of her late husband John.

Largely funded by the government, the centre was opened by Oakhaven’s patron, Dame Mary Fagan, who has just retired as Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire.

She said: “This building has a nice, happy atmosphere – I think that’s really what hospices are all about.”

The opening of the Coates Centre marks the completion of a £2.5m scheme that has included improvements to Oakhaven’s day hospice and an expansion of the inpatient unit.

Cllr Keith Mans, chairman of Oakhaven Hospice Trust, said: “This is the end, for the time being, of our building programme.

“Oakhaven started as a small in-patient unit with six beds. It has moved on since then.”