Carol Sennett, who made the charity bid on behalf of the hospice, said: “At the Hospice we believe that everybody is entitled to dignity and respect. Each person’s journey is different and we pride ourselves in being able to provide a package of care tailored to each individual’s circumstances.

“This year it will cost more than £3million to run our hospice. With limited Government funding we are faced with raising £7,000 a day to sustain our vital work.

“The £1,000 donation is enough to pay for the on-call doctor every night and weekend for a whole month, or to fund two people staying in the in-patient unit for just one day.

“We rely heavily on the support of the community and business sector to ensure the needs of our patients are met and we are grateful for that ongoing support.”

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Christine Cooper, sales director for Persimmon Homes Durham, said: “The care and support offered by Alice House to patients and their families is truly priceless and we are glad to be able to offer our support by making the donation through our Community Champions scheme.

She added: “We always receive so many applications for our Community Champions initiative. I really encourage any charities and groups looking for funding to apply to the scheme for their chance to receive up to £1000 match-funding for their own cause.”