ECSTATIC nurses and staff at St John’s Hospice this week welcomed the delivery of two new 4x4 vehicles.

The Westmorland Gazette’s ‘Driving Hospice Care’ campaign, to buy the Kia Sportage cars for the team of nurses, smashed through its fundraising target, enabling the team to stay on the road, caring for those who have chosen to die at home.

Hundreds of local people sent in amounts, ranging from £5 to £1,000, after the appeal was launched in September, and the total fund amount now stands at £44,726.60.

Catherine Butterworth, head of fundraising at the hospice, said she and colleagues had been ‘overwhelmed’.

“It is just fantastic to actually receive our cars. Today is almost like a day we never thought we would see. And for the nurses to be able to accept these two beautiful cars is very special. To know that our nurses will be able to get to where they need to be safely as the weather gets colder is so important. They really are delighted.”

The nurses plan to drive one of the cars to Linda and Nigel Kindon in Ambleside next month. They recommended the campaign to friend Mira Bar-Hillel, who went on to donate a whopping £20,000.

Once there, the hospice team will give Mrs Bar-Hillel a guided tour of the car via the internet.

The 12-strong team of nurses, who work for north Lancashire-based St John’s Hospice, operates across South Lakeland and parts of North Yorkshire.

They spend their days battling all weathers and terrains to reach patients in the final stages of life, offering medical and psychological support to them and their families. But until now have only had access to a fleet of old, unreliable cars prone to breaking down.

St John’s Hospice chief executive Sue McGraw said: “The generosity of public donation demonstrates how valuable the hospice service really is. It shows the connection with family members that seems to stay with them for years after.”

The only thing left for the cars is for a magnetic plaque to be placed on each side with the slogan ‘Bought for St John’s Hospice by readers of The Westmorland Gazette’, which are to be delivered within the next two weeks.

The cars were sold by Windermere’s Rayrigg Motors at a reduced cost of £18,400 each.

The fund was given another boost this week by previous donor Tom Taylor, who handed over a cheque for £1,000 after winning a share of the Daily Mail lottery jackpot.

Mr Taylor had previously contributed £100 to the fund, which he hopes will go towards maintaining the vehicles and running costs.