Edward Hain Hospital: Community group in £1m deal to buy hospital

The Edward Hain Community Hospital site was shut in 2020

A community group says it has secured a deal to buy a former Cornwall hospital.

Friends of Edward Hain Hospital in St Ives, Cornwall, said they had agreed to pay more than £1m to take on the property.

The group plans to run the former hospital site as a health and wellbeing centre.

The 12 inpatient beds at the site closed in February 2016 due to fire safety concerns. It was closed permanently in 2020.

At the time, NHS Kernow said it was no longer fit for purpose.

Lynne Isaacs, secretary of the Friends of Edward Hain Hospital, said: "A truly amazing community effort has got us into this position.

"We can't thank people enough for all their tremendous efforts to get us here."

The Friends group has borrowed money and held a string of fundraising events to raise the £1.02m purchase price.

Ms Isaacs said: "Now the price is agreed, we need to finish that initial contract phase and concentrate on raising funds to enable the changes to be made to the building, and for much-needed projects to help the people of the area to be put in place."

The range of possible services being discussed includes physiotherapy, drug and alcohol rehabilitation and youth and mental health services.

The NHS said it would not comment until the process had been finalised.