A £175,000 campaign has been launched by the Cambridge Evening News to save a healthcare service which allows terminally ill people to be looked after in their own home.

The Hospice at Home service is under threat because health bosses say they cannot afford their part of the subsidy.

Now the News is calling on its readers to dig deep and raise the £175,000 needed to keep the service, which helps patients face their last days with dignity and gives respite for carers.

It is asking readers to donate cash or organise a fundraising event, and all donors will be included in a roll of honour to be printed in the News at the end of the appeal.

The paper is also turning the spotlight on some of the people that have been helped by the service since its launch 12 years ago.

The appeal has been launched by Press Relief, the charitable arm of Cambridge Newspapers.

James Foster, deputy editor of the News, said: “It would be absolutely devatasting to the community if this service was lost.

“This is a major campaign and we are ready for the massive effort that it will take.

“Our readers are extremely generous and we are confident of hitting the target – but as it’s such a lot of money, we know that it will take a little while to achieve.

“It is scandalous that charity is needed to save this vital aspect of the health service but if that’s what it takes, then we’ll rise to the challenge.”

Hospice at Home is run from the Arthur Rank Hospice at Brookfields Hospital in Cambridge, and faces closure unless £175,000 can be raised.

The shortfall comes after Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trusts announced they could no longer afford its £150,000 subsidy and are slashing £28m from health services in the region.

The Arthur Rank Hospice Charity and Marie Curie Cancer Care also contribute towards the service.

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