A DARWEN man is hoping to give East Lancashire Hospice a big Christmas present.

David Walsh, 33, of Elm Grove, lost his mother, Ruth, 52, to cancer in October last year.

She was cared for by staff at the hospice and now David hopes to say thank-you by raising as much as he can to support their work.

He said: “Her last days were made comfortable by the fantastic efforts of the staff at East Lancs Hospice who are not funded by the NHS, rely only on donations and do the most amazing job.

“A lot of staff are volenteers and are the most caring, thoughtful people I have ever met.

“If all my friends donate £1, the price of a pack of mince pies, and in turn each of their friends donate, imagine the difference this could make.”

East Lancashire Hospice, which serves Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, needs to raise £1.9million a year to survive.

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/david-walsh.