A TERMINALLY ill York woman's final wish was granted yesterday when she was taken to a Greek Orthodox church so she could receive communion.

Tina Shaw, 59, from Acomb, who has secondary breast cancer, was transported from St Leonard's Hospice to the church in Leeds in an ambulance sent over from Holland by the Ambulance Wish Foundation.

Her daughter Serina, who organised the trip, said Tina was also taken to York's West Bank Park on her return from Leeds so she could see the family dog, Shoggy, a cocker spaniel, again.

She said her mother had woken up yesterday 'excited and happy' at the thought of the trip and had said afterwards how much it had meant to her.

"It made such a huge difference," she said. "She was really happy that she was able to go to the church for communion.

"She said getting to see the dog as well was the icing on the cake."

Serina said she was trying to open a York branch of the Ambulance Wish Foundation, which was founded in Holland by ambulance driver Kees Veldboer to help terminally ill patients fulfil their last wish.

She said it would mean terminally ill patients in the York area could get their final wish and overcome logistical barriers to give them one final moment of unrivalled enjoyment.

"There are still too many patients who die without closure due to an unachievable, but often very simple wish," she said.

"One of the reasons that these patients cannot fulfil these final wishes is that they are no longer mobile -often bed bound - and are unable to travel and or require medical intervention and support."

She said she was hoping to raise £100,000 to buy the branch's first ambulance and fund the medical support necessary to run the service for the first year.

The organisation is a registered charity with a bank account and is registered with the HMRC for gift aid on donations, and it hopes to begin by working closely with local hospices to grant wishes.

She said it was one of the shortlisted entrants in the running to be awarded £10,000 to £25,0000 from the Aviva Community Fund and she urged people to vote for it by no later than noon this Friday.

*Please visit https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/16-1171 to support Serina's bid. If you would like to donate to this charity please go to www.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/AWFUK-YORK