Our Hospice 2000 Appeal continues to blossom and has broken through the £800,000 barrier to reach £802,304 today.

Consultants Dr Sarah Anderson and Dr Anne Garry celebrate as the Hospice 2000 appeal passes the £800,000 milestone

And the milestone was marked by its two consultants in palliative medicine, Dr Sarah Anderson and Dr Anne Garry, as they placed a fresh petal on the sunflower symbol outside St Leonard's Hospice in Tadcaster Road, York.

Dr Anderson, who is also medical director at the hospice, described the achievement as "brilliant", adding: "It's very encouraging."

She said the response of local people to the appeal made her feel very humble. "It's very rewarding that people feel that we are such a worth-while organisation.

"I think it's also a reflection on the number of families that have come in contact with the hospice."

She added: "We have to be careful not to become complacent, and we have to keep looking to the future and adapting to the type of care that our patients and their families feel they would benefit from."

The appeal to raise £2 million by the end of 2000 is for an ambitious redevelopment of the hospice buildings, to create an annexe to the existing hospice.

The annexe, which is partly on three floors, will contain 12 single rooms and two four-bed rooms, rather than the current four single and three four-bed rooms, increasing the beds in the hospice from 16 to 20.

The present main building will take in the current day hospice - that unit will become an education centre - and new outpatient facilities.

Dr Anderson said the changes, which would include more en suite bathroom facilities, would improve privacy for patients and their families.

The outpatients' facilities would mean patients could receive care advice at the hospice rather than York District Hospital if their doctor wished it, and the hospice could review patients who had been discharged rather than getting them to go to the hospital.

Among the latest additions to the appeal is a "huge" sum raised during a series of live concerts by a York big band.

A total of £1,036.36 was collected following two concerts by party band Huge, in September at the York food and drink festival, and last month at Asda at Monks Cross.

And the nine music-makers fronted by singer Big Ian also raised an additional £516.50 for the £2 million appeal earlier in September with a concert in Parliament Street.

The events were part of the run-up to a Huge concert taking place at the Grand Opera House, York, this Saturday. This concert, sponsored by the Evening Press, Asda and Leedhams of York, has proved such a big attraction that it has been sold out for weeks.

Huge will be supported by the York Music Centre Big Band at the Grand Opera House concert, which starts at 7pm.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.