More than 10,000 readers of the Exeter Express and Echo have backed its latest campaign - all within the space of just two weeks.

The paper launched its Fair Deal For Our Hospice campaign after Government funding for the Hospiscare charity fell by 2.6 per cent for the year.

It is now aiming to persuade the Government to increase its funding commitment from 25 per cent to 50 per cent and agree funding three years in advance.

The Express and Echo has been running a series of articles highlighting the cause of Hospiscare.

Reporter Anne Byrne spent a day with the charity, which cares for the terminally ill.

Anne said: "We did a day-in-the-life of the hospice story. It's an amazing place and it makes you realise how much care is provided.

"Less than a quarter of its funding comes from the NHS. It has an annual budget of £2.4m, so it has to raise £2m a year itself.

"There is a lot of feeling locally for this cause - I have done many Hospiscare stories over the years."

The charity looks after patients and their families and continues to provide support for bereaved families when loved ones have died.

Anne said: "It is a complete package. We have had petition signatures come in every day and there are still more signatures out in shops and pubs that we haven't counted yet. We are going to present them to the Government - if enough people put pressure on then we will get them to listen."

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