AN APPEAL has been launched to raise £30,000 to care and support for people as part of a York hospice’s 30th anniversary celebrations.

The St Leonard’s Care Everywhere appeal aims to raise the funds to buy three new support vehicles for its Hospice@Home service.

The objective of the service is to give the same level of care provided in St Leonard’s to people who would rather stay at home during the last few weeks of their life.

Sue Miller, fundraising manager, said the service was especially important now following changes to the NHS in 2013, which mean the hospice’s catchment area has increased to include 352,000 people.

“We are trying to be prepared really,” she said.

“We know we are going to have a lot of people from further away whose families would find it much easier if they were at home rather than in the hospice.

“The vehicles would make such a massive difference,” she said.

“We currently do not have any specific Hospice@Home vehicles.

“What we do have are used mainly by nurses.”

She said they were trying to keep fundraising relevant to the 30th anniversary.

She said: “It is all about threes really.

“We are asking people to try to raise £30 towards our £30,000 goal for the 30th anniversary.

“Everything we do this year will be part of the anniversary and raise money for the vehicles.”

The idea for St Leonard’s first came in 1978 from four residents in York – Margaret Ackroyd, Mae Graham, Pat Grigsby and Elizabeth Jewitt – who wanted the city to have its own hospice.

Years were spent raising funds and on February 11, 1985, the first person entered St Leonard’s Hospice in-patient unit.

Martyn Callaghan, chief executive of the hospice, said: “Since then the hospice has gone from strength to strength and over this time we have cared for nearly 8,000 patients and approximately four times as many family members – and this is thanks to the local community.”

Anyone can support the appeal by either texting CARD30 £3 to 70070, donating £3 online at stleonardshospice.org.uk/everywhere or using a birthday gift box to try and raise £30 in loose change throughout the coming year.

Boxes can be requested by telephoning the fundraising office on 01904 777777.

Alternatively you can send an email to fundraising@stleonardshospice.org.uk