FUNDRAISERS have been demonstrating their backing for The Westmorland Gazette's Hospice Angels campaign all this week.

Seventy-one year-old June Phillips, from Kendal, had her head shaved at the Westmorland County Show in support of the cause.

Ms Phillips, a 'staunch fundraiser' for St John's Hospice, Lancaster, had her long locks shorn. She is giving £1,000 of her own money to the campaign and hopes to match that figure in donations.

Ms Phillips said: "Having worked as a volunteer for the charity for more than three years and having lost some special friends to cancer I decided during this celebratory year of 2016 to have all my hair shaved off and to hopefully raise £1,000 to match my personal donation of £1,000."

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron ran the Great Langdale Half Marathon in aid of the Gazette's campaign on Saturday - raising a fantastic £500 and clocking in at a respectable two hours and 10 minutes.

"The race was tough, but it has been fantastic to see how many people have donated to this worthy cause," said Mr Farron. "St John’s Hospice provides an invaluable service across South Lakeland, and they rely on donations from the public to do their work."

The money raised by both Ms Phillips and the MP have been added to the Gazette's running total, which now amounts to more than £7,000. The campaign's target is £30,000 - enough to fund one of the St John's Hospice at Home nurses for a full year.

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The nurses, who are available 24-hours a day, offer specialist palliative care at the end of life to allow those who wish to remain in their homes during their final days.

St John's Hospice and all of its services costs £4million a year to run. Although one third of that money comes from NHS funding - the remaining two thirds is raised through donations.

Andrew Thomas, editor of The Westmorland Gazette, said: "It's wonderful to see individuals and politicians pulling together to raise money for the Hospice Angels campaign - we hope that over the coming weeks we'll hear from plenty of others who are putting their running shoes on, chopping their locks off or fundraising in other innovative ways for this worthy cause!"

If you or your family has been helped by a Hospice at Home nurse and would like to share your story, please contact Sara Royle on 01539 790260 or email sara.royle@nqnw.co.uk

You can donate by sending a cheque made out to 'Hospice Angels' to Sara Royle at The Westmorland Gazette offices (see coupon in our picture gallery) or by visiting https://www.everydayhero.co.uk/event/hospiceangels