A NEW era has started for a Hampshire hospice which has changed its name and identity.

Countess Mountbatten Hospice in Southampton, part of the old Moorgreen Hospital site, West End, has been renamed Mountbatten Hampshire.

The move comes a year after the hospice, which supports people in Southampton and west Hampshire, formed a partnership with Mountbatten Isle of Wight.

Mountbatten CEO Nigel Hartley said: “We need a name and a look which supports our efforts to tell our full and developing story.

“We rebranded Mountbatten Isle of Wight only two years ago and it has helped us to start changing perceptions around our work, who we are and what we do.

“Having spent the last 12 months talking to our staff, volunteers, patients, their families and friends and the different communities in Hampshire, we felt this was the right time to move the brand over.

“We have gone from an NHS-run hospice to an independent organisation reliant on more community support and we need people to know how the money they raise for our cause is used.

“I am convinced this rebrand will help us to do that, as we look to develop more services to meet the demand in Southampton and west Hampshire.”

A new shop in West End village opened in January with the new branding and Mountbatten’s two other shops, located in Weeke and Hedge End, will also be changed.

It has been suggested that more Mountbatten shops will open across the local area over the next few years.