STAFF at a Worcestershire hospice are hoping Government cash will let them reopen beds for sick children they were forced to close.

Acorns Children's Hospice had to take four beds out of service due to a lack of funding at the beginning of this year.

Six months on, fund-raisers hope they will benefit from a portion of a £27m funding package for hospices being put forward by the Government.

The money is being released after hospices nationally lost out on funding from the National Lottery.

Acorns lost out on £500,000 annually, resulting in 12 beds - including four at the hospice in Bath Road, Worcester - being closed in January.

The Government announced plans of the funding package - to be given out over three years - earlier this month, but at the moment Acorns do not know any details about how to apply for any of the money.

Acorns spokeswoman Jo Dempster-Fowle said: "We know there is an application process we would have to go through, but are waiting to hear more about it.

"We would hope we may be able to benefit enough to re-open half of the beds that we had to close. That would be two in Worcester.

"There are some conditions but again, we are not sure what these are as yet. Obviously, we would make sure that we complied with those."

It will cost £60,000 to re-open each bed and Acorns are still encouraging people to raise funds so they can continue helping life-limited children across the three counties.

Anyone who would like to support Acorns should call 0800 073 0001 or log onto www.acorns.org.uk.