A COUNTY charity hopes to raise more cash for life-limited children after opening a new community office near Pershore.

The office will be manned by Acorns Hospice Three Counties project team, which has been working tirelessly over the last three years to raise £4m to build a new hospice in Bath Road in St Peter's, Worcester.

The team has been based in portable cabins on the site of the new hospice while it was being constructed, but now it is near completion, the fund-raisers have had to find a new home - Tadcaster House, in Keytec 7 Business Park, Wyre Road, Wyre Piddle.

The charity's community fund-raiser, Fran Winterbourn, said: "As our care team take over the responsibilities for our wonderful new hospice, we are beginning the more detailed tasks in making the building a warm, friendly and welcoming home-from-home environment for children and families.

"This means that everyone not directly involved in providing care has now left the Bath Road site.

"The new office is part of our plans to further develop fund-raising in local communities."

She said the new office will also provide a base for the charity's local publicity, retail and corporate functions and has meeting facilities for Acorns' supporters and friends groups.

The new Acorns hospice, which will provide emergency, respite and terminal care for 250 life-limited children and their families from Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, is due to open in March 2005

It will cost £1.5m to run each year and will rely on donations from the public and health authorities to operate.