A Devon charity is urgently appealing for funding after losing a predicted £1 million in the next three months due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Hospiscare provides specialist end-of-life care and support to people living with a terminal illness and their families.

It has three sites in Devon - Searle House in Exeter which has a twelve-bed ward and day hospice, Kings House in Honiton and Pine Lodge in Tiverton who both provide day hospice services.

High View centre in Exmouth also provides a nursing and fundraising hub for that part of East Devon.

It also provides care in the community with Hospiscare@Home in Exmouth and Budleigh, Seaton and Axminster.

Hospiscare officials say the outbreak of COVID-19 and the impact of the government’s guidelines to reduce the spread of the virus is having a significant impact.

Hospiscare receives just 15 per cent of its funding from the NHS and relies on fundraising to run its vital service. With the latest government guidance regarding gatherings, the charity has had to cancel its fundraising events for the foreseeable future as well as closing its charity shops.

Andrew Randall, chief executive of Hospiscare, said: “We are calling on our community to help us. We need them more than ever before. We have lost all income from our fundraising events and public facing activities, including our shops.

“We are likely to have a loss of over £1 million by the end of June.

“We understand that everyone is in the same situation and people must prioritise their family, but if anyone has the financial ability to give to Hospiscare we are asking for your help - and to donate today.

“Thank you to everyone continuing to support us and our wonderful team who are doing an incredible job keeping our services going in this difficult time.”

There are a number of ways to support Hospiscare:

Join the weekly prize draw by visiting https://hospiscarelottery.co.uk/play-now/

Make a one-off donation or set-up a monthly direct debit or consider us for a gift in your Will.

To make a donation or find out more about supporting Hospiscare, visit the website https://www.hospiscare.co.uk/ or call 01392 688020.

If you would like your donation to go towards the funding of this service in the Sid Valley, please contact Sidmouth Hospiscare which commissions and funds all of the services for patients of Sidmouth GPs and their carers and families: info@sidmouthhospiscare.org.uk, 01395 578707