This is how you can help Pontefract's Prince of Wales Hospice this year

We care for anyone over the age of 18, either as a visiting out-patient, or on our ward where we offer 24-hour specialist care.

Our hospice helps people live better with their illness, with around half who stay with us eventually returning home.

Many choose the safety and dignity of our hospice for care at the end of their life.

This care is given 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

However, 2020 is a leap year, meaning we are providing care for 366 days, and we need to find an extra £7,660 to cover the additional day’s costs.

Today, in conjunction with the Express, we are launching our Leap Year Appeal and calling upon you to help them care for some of the district’s most vulnerable people.

Due to the broadening of its services and the increase in demand, each hour of at the hospice costs £319.

The hospice has a 13-bed Incare ward, a Lymphoedema service which runs across three clinics and an Outreach service to support people with a life-limiting condition to live well in the community.

Betty, who lives in Upton, underwent a bone marrow transplant and two years later is now coping with an life-limiting illness. She regularly attends the Badsworth Outreach group run by The Prince of Wales Hospice.

She says it’s a great way of sharing and receiving support from others who understand what it means to be coping with a life-limiting illness.

"It’s like a club,” she said. “You can say things here that you perhaps wouldn’t say at home.

“We all understand where the others are coming from, and we all root for each other.”

Betty says it is also comforting to chat with bereaved members of the group, as their particular experiences can help others to understand the issues and concerns that their loved ones may ultimately face. Many people, however, don’t have the support of family and friends, and the group is a lifeline.

“Coming here makes such a difference. You learn new skills, we laugh and the staff laugh with us. They are wonderful and nothing is too much trouble for them.

“Every week someone brings cake and we’re literally awash with tea! I wouldn’t be without it.”

Hazel Pearse, Medical Director at the Hospice said: “It is a privilege to care for patients and support their families in what is often the most difficult of times.

“Seeing first hand how much hospice care means to those who need it makes me so proud to work here, as do our incredible clinical team who provide around the clock patient care to the highest standard.

“It costs over £3m to run the Hospice each year, and with 2020 being a leap year it means we have to raise an extra £7,660 to cover the costs of running the Hospice on the February 29.

“We hope we can rely on the support of our very generous community who go above and beyond to support our work and ensure our service is available for those who need it.”

This leap year, supporter Joan Hill, reflects on the care her daughter, Karen, received at The Prince of Wales Hospice and urges the community to come together and back its leap year appeal.

Karen died at the Hospice at just 38 years old, after a battle with breast cancer. Joan explains why the Hospice holds a special place in her heart: “The hospice were amazing from start to finish. Nothing was too much trouble for anyone.

“I know that we wouldn’t have got through without the support we received. There were no rigid menus – Karen was asked what she fancied to eat and the kitchen team were happy to make whatever she wanted.

“The doctors sat with us and always had time to chat. We were even helped to plan Karen’s funeral, meaning all Karen’s wishes were met. She also wrote cards for the children for me to give them on future birthdays.

“We brought Karen to the Hospice to allow her to live, and that is exactly what she did. We had everything we needed under one roof.

“We were even able to have complementary therapies in the Therapy Suite.

“If anyone is scared about being admitted to the Hospice, I would tell them not to be frightened.

“Karen died with dignity, and I will always be grateful to them for that.”

n You can donate to the Leap Year Appeal at www.pwh.org.uk/leapyear.