THE Queen's granddaughter has helped to raise a whopping £17,000 to build a new hospice in Worcester for seriously ill children who are not expected to reach adulthood.

The star-studded polo match saw a host of celebrities taking part - including the Royal Zara Phillips, as well as Radio 5 racing correspondent Luke Harvey.

Guests also enjoyed an auction and organisers have presented a cheque for £17,000 to Acorns Children's Hospice Trust's chief executive, John Overton.

The charity is currently campaigning to raise the final £800,000 of the £4m it needs to build a new state-of-the-art hospice in Bath Road, near the city centre.

The hospice will provide invaluable care and support for more than 250 life-limited children from Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

Of the polo match, held on Saturday, June 27, at Beaufort Polo Club, near Tetbury, in Gloucestershire, said: "I would like to thank the club for hosting this thoroughly enjoyable fund-raising event for a second time and all our guests for their very generous support.

Big boost

"This donation represents a big boost towards our fund-raising appeal to build a new hospice, which is much needed by local families who are struggling to cope with a life-limited child without the vital support that a children's hospice provides."

The new hospice will have 10 bedrooms, a hydrotherapy pool, facilities for teenagers, accommodation for families and landscaped interactive gardens, and will provide a base for a community team, which offers families and children support at home, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The hospice should be complete by the end of this year and is due to welcome families early in 2005.

For more information on Acorns or to make a donation, call 01905 767676 or click on www.acorns.org.uk