An act of dedication has taken place to mark the start of contruction work on a new £10.5million hospice in Cambridge, which is being built by Ipswich-based Barnes Construction.

The ceremony, conducted by the Bishop of Ely, the Rt Rev Stephen Conway, was attended by more than 40 people including representatives of all faiths, as well as those of no faith.

The 24-bed facility for the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity is intended to be an exemplar in hospice design and when completed next year will offer patients a more spacious, attractive and therapeutic environment with better facilities and increased service capacity.

Lynn Morgan, chief executive for the charity said: “The Act of Dedication was a special occasion for the charity, as we pride ourselves on delivering excellent care regardless of religion, background or wealth.

“Our services are completely free of charge to those who require them and we hope this act will further illustrate that our care is accessible to people in all walks of life throughout Cambridgeshire.”

With construction now commencing, the event took place as the steelwork is beginning to be installed, giving the first physical indication of the scale of the new hospice and its position within the site.

Barnes Construction has won awards for its work on local projects such as the graduate accommodation building at Leckhampton for Corpus Christ College and the new East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices site in Ipswich.

The new hospice building, designed by LSI Architects, is expected to be watertight by the end of the year, with the project completed and the hospice opening to patients in autumn 2016.

Cambridge-based Munro Building Services will be carrying out the mechanical and electrical work for the contract.