Money is pouring into a 36-hour hospice charity appeal in which all donations are being doubled by generous benefactors.

Herriot Hospice Homecare hopes to raise £300,000 towards the transformation of the old Lambert Hospital in Thirsk, North Yorkshire into an in-patient hospice and bereavement centre, today and tomorrow.

At present, there are no hospice beds in Hambleton and Richmondshire. Work has started at the Lambert, on Chapel Street, but more money is needed to finish the project.

Herriot Hospice’s new campaign, urging the community to “Make our Local Hospice Happen” was launched at 7am today (Sunday, July 2) and runs until 7pm tomorrow (Monday, July 3). Due to a group of match-funders, all donations during this time are being doubled.

Just four hours after the appeal, went live the fund had reached almost £90,000.

Supporters were out and about in Thirsk this morning, collecting donations from shoppers, with a pop-up cake shop on Finkle Street proving popular.

At the Herriot Hospice Homecare shop in the Market Place, members of Thirsk Rotary Club gathered to donate a total of £13,000. The money, which will be doubled to £26,000, includes £10,000 from Len Roberts, a former member who bequeathed money to the club, and £3,000 from its annual Christmas fundraising.

Darlington and Stockton Times: Building work at the former Lambert Hospital on Chapel Street, Thirsk

Mr Roberts’ widow, Freda, attended the presentation, and said her husband would have been “very pleased” to see his legacy used for the Lambert appeal.

Dr Rosie Page, daughter of James Herriot author Alf Wight and Herriot Hospice Homecare ambassador, was also present supporting the fundraising effort.

“It’s so exciting to see the whole community of not just Thirsk, but all of Hambleton and Richmondshire, getting behind this wonderful project,” said Dr Page.

“I knew that the local community would come up trumps – I’ve lived here all my life and I knew how keen people are to make this happen.”

Darlington and Stockton Times: The new campaign logo

The Lambert building was gifted to Herriot Hospice Homecare in 2019 by Hambleton District Council, and the revamp will see it offer care for local people affected by terminal illness, as well as a range of emotional wellbeing services for children, young people and adults.

The charity aims to open the doors of the new hospice this autumn. It will also feature a community hub and café, and a permanent base for Herriot’s existing HOME service, which cares for people living with terminal illness, and their families, in their own homes.

For more information, and to find out how to donate, click here.