A grant provided by The Westmorland Gazette's parent company has allowed more local people to die in the comfortable and familiar surroundings of their own home.

A hospice 'home sitting' service, which offers respite to carers of terminally ill patients in south Cumbria, was awarded £7,326 from the Gannett Foundation last year.

The specialist support service, provided by St John's Hospice at Lancaster, was used to provide vital equipment for the four South Lakes-based nurses.

Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group provided the hospice with funding at the beginning of 2015 for a 'night sitting' nursing service, which provides cover for patients who choose to die at home. However, the funds were to pay staff costs, not to run the whole service.

Sue McGraw, chief executive of St John's Hospice, said: "The funding received from Gannett allowed St John’s to buy uniforms, personal safety alarms, mobile ‘phones, sat-navs and essential kit bags for the team. They also refurbished their Kendal office to ensure the team had a base if required for training, meetings and supervision.

"Since the receipt of the grant, St John’s Hospice has made more than 130 visits, allowing people to remain at home and allowing their usual carers to get a good night’s sleep. Caring for someone at the end of life can be tiring and emotional. Often people are admitted to hospital because families worry that they cannot cope with the stress and demands of the last stages of an illness.

"This donation has touched the lives of so many in our community at one of the most vulnerable times of their life. It allows us to provide a vital service that is not only valued by the families we meet, but also reduces demand on our colleagues in the wider health and social care community. Thank you for your support."

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Roni, a member of the night-sitting team, said: “No night or family is typical – since staring this job I have nursed people from Windermere to Ingleton and High Bentham to Kentmere. I can be in a comfortable, modern home in a large town or in a remote farm house at the end of a grass track in the snow!

"When I arrive at 10pm, it is important that families are able to trust me quickly and to feel reassured enough to leave me in their home with a dear loved one while they sleep. The skill of my job is to remain calm, to be observant and to know when to tell families they need to wake up when the end is near.

"It is a privilege to spend the last hours and moments of someone’s life in their home and an even bigger privilege to support families to grant that last wish.”