Two major community projects that we’ve long supported opened their doors in 2025; the culmination of years of planning and dedication.
In March, the Southern Charity Hospital officially opened, a legacy project created by Missy and Blair Vining after Blair’s courageous battle with terminal bowel cancer. Determined to overcome the ‘postcode lottery’ of healthcare, the couple established the Southern Charity Hospital Trust to ensure people in the South could access the care they deserve.
From the outset, the community’s support was remarkable. In February 2020, ILT came onboard gifting the Clifton Club Inn as the hospital’s future home. A pivotal contribution that fast tracked progress by years and potentially millions of dollars. The popular Pack the Park matches, “buy a brick” campaign, and countless hours from local groups, businesses, and individuals, kept momentum strong.
Now, Blair’s dream has become a wonderful community asset. It turns out Southlanders can do anything, even turn a beloved pub into a lifesaving hospital.
Not long after, the Hawthorndale Care Village welcomed its first residents. With a café, theatre, library, and thoughtful design, it’s a truly special place for people living with dementia. In 2021, Group ILT committed $495,000 to support the design concepts for what is now the South Island’s first-of-its-kind dementia care village.
More recently, an additional $500,000 from Group ILT has funded a bespoke call system that keeps residents safe while helping them to live as normal a life as possible. Hawthorndale offers a community-centred approach to care, moving away from the traditional hospital model.
Both of these projects show what’s possible when our community gets behind a great idea and ILT is proud to have played its part in helping them take shape. However, their success is thanks mainly to the passion of the dedicated boards and teams involved, along with the commitment of everyone who calls this region home.
