We are pleased and proud today to launch our Christmas appeal with Leicestershire hospice service Loros. Many of our readers will already know of the invaluable work done by this fantastic organisation. Several will themselves have had loved ones who have benefited from the care provided at the hospice, an oasis of tranquility and calm which is located in a wonderful centre off Groby Road.

Every year Loros has to raise a considerable sum of money in order to provide its services. This is crucial fundraising which we regularly support through coverage in the Leicester Mercury.

However, our Christmas appeal has a different focus. The aim here is to help pay the capital costs of an extension which has provided another 11 single-bedded rooms. These rooms were built as a result of feedback from patients and their families regarding their wish for greater privacy.

The new rooms are already in use but some £450,000 still needs to be raised to fund the cost of this extension and avoid the hospice having to dip into its precious reserves. It is a lot of money and we are setting our sights on what we hope is a realistic target of £50,000 by Christmas, with the aim of raising the rest in the months which follow.

We strongly support this cause. The service which Loros provides gives people who are terribly ill and often coming to the end of their lives peace, care and dignity.

 There is a quotation from Dame Cicely Saunders, co-founder of the hospice movement, which sums up perfectly the importance of this type of service. She said: “You matter because you are you. And you matter until the last moment of your life. We will help you not only to die peacefully, but to live until you die.” That is the essence of Loros. Please give generously.