Bagpiper leads Royal Bournemouth Hospital topping-out ceremony

A bagpiper led guests to the top of the building

Scores of people have attended a topping-out ceremony for a major hospital development.

A bagpiper led guests to the top of the six-storey BEACH Building at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

The building will house a new maternity unit, children's unit and a bigger emergency department.

The ceremony on Friday involved a "symbolic tightening of bolts" and an evergreen bough was nailed to the structure.

Topping out is a centuries-old tradition to mark the installation of the last beam in a building's structure.

University Hospital Dorset chief executive Siobhan Harrington said: "Today's topping out is a momentous occasion but there is still a long way to go."

The BEACH building is due to open in 2025 and is part of a £250m scheme to reshape healthcare in Bournemouth and Poole.