Kidderminster's KEMP Hospice, which provides care and support for people suffering from cancer or other life-threatening illnesses, has launched a year of fundraising in celebration of its 25th birthday.

The day hospice, which moved to a new location on Mason Road last year, depends very much on the support of the local community, and the fundraising team are busy encouraging people to get involved in the 25th Birthday Challenge.

The hospice enjoys plenty of support from local businesses, including Rowe Carpets and The Furniture Room in Kidderminster who organise regular charity auctions to raise money for KEMP.

After the inaugural event last year raised £7,000, the auctions have continued, enabling members of the local community to purchase furniture at a fraction of the retail prices. A percentage of the total takings are donated to the hospice.

Local people are also keen to help out, taking up challenges such as marathons or parachute jumps on KEMP's behalf. Supporter Gloria Williams competed in the Great North Run on behalf of KEMP in October, raising £750 worth of sponsorship from customers at Barclays Bank in Tenbury where she works. Barclays also offered to match the sponsorship pound for pound, so over £1500 was raised for KEMP.

Volunteer carers are also a vital part of KEMP Hospice, and along with a team of fully qualified nursing staff, they are able to meet each patient's individual needs.

The hospice offers support groups, counselling and bereavement support to families and carers as well as the patients themselves, and the new building provides plenty of space for patients to relax and feel at home.

As well as a comfortable living room, therapy rooms and a special bathing area where patients can enjoy massages, KEMP Hospice also boasts a conservatory and a peaceful Sanctuary Garden, which was opened by the Duke of Gloucester in October. A specialist chef provides nutritious meals and caters for dietary requirements, while a large dining area enables patients and staff to enjoy meals together.

The Mason Road site also has room for the fundraising team's offices and conference room, plus an office for the Macmillan nurses who share the premises.

The hospice is about to launch its annual KEMP Tree of Light 'Light up a Life' campaign, in which local people can sponsor a light on special Christmas trees in Kidderminster, Bewdley and Tenbury. The KEMP Tree of Lights is not only to remember loved ones but to celebrate a new life, a marriage, an anniversary, a birthday or even passing exams or a driving test.

Forms are available from the KEMP shops, Swan Centre or Tenbury Library - it's a lovely way to raise money for such a worthy cause.

There are a huge variety of other ways you can support the hospice; joining their lottery, re-cycling, holding a fund-raising event or becoming a volunteer.

KEMP Hospice, 41 Mason Road, Kidderminster.

Tel: 01562 861217