THE Countess of Wessex dodged the showers yesterday to officially open a £1m expansion of Rotary Heartbeat House in Southampton.

Sophie Wessex toured the extended 25-bedroom facility before switching on a commemorative weeping willow water fountain in the gardens to mark the occasion.

The house, in Tremona Road, provides free accommodation for relatives of patients being treated at the adjacent Southampton General Hospital.

Wearing a pink jacket and pink and blue knee-length skirt, the countess was introduced to invited Heartbeat guests and benefactors before the charity's new chief executive Terry Osborn gave a vote of thanks, which was cut short by a sudden cloudburst.

Superb facility

"We have raised more than £1m to extend Rotary Heartbeat House and provide this superb, unique facility," said Mr Osborn.

"However, as a charity the need is always for us to do more. We have a range of projects, including a new heart attack centre. The immediate need is to complete the £3m extension to the cardiac facility at the hospital."

The countess has been heavily involved with the work of Wessex Heartbeat lately, attending a fundraising candlelit dinner at Winchester Cathedral in February.

Heartbeat House was originally opened in 1995 with 13 bedrooms, thanks to donations from the Rotary Clubs throughout the Wessex region. It has since become a vital lifeline for the families of the 20,000 cardiac patients, including 1,000 children, who pass through the General every year.

The extended facility, which includes the charity's new headquarters, sits on the site of two neighbouring houses, which were bought and knocked down to make way for it.

Ronald McDonald

Five of the bedrooms at Rotary Heartbeat House were provided with a £137,000 contribution from Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Anne Roberts, the head of RMHC's project development, said: "We provide accommodation for families with a child who is sick and in hospital. We were approached by Wessex Heartbeat to have our own dedicated part in Heartbeat House.

"We have five bedrooms here, which are managed by Wessex Heartbeat, on top of some family rooms within Southampton General Hospital, particularly in paediatric care.

"This is an excellent facility and much needed and used by the families of cardiac patients."