ON Tuesday, March 7 we welcomed Gemma Timmis who came to talk to us about Acorns Children's Hospice. The talk was illustrated by pictures and some statistics about Acorns Hospice. Worcester is part of Acorns for Three Counties, Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester.

An appeal launched in 2000 and by 2005 the first child attended. The duchess of Gloucester officially opened the centre in 2007.

The unit cares and supports around 200 young people under the age of 18 who have life threatening or limiting conditions. The units support the whole family whether at the Hospice or with home care. Some of the photographs allowed us to see many of the facilities available. The gardens are equipped for wheelchair use, including a Grand Prix Circuit!!! and wheelchair swings. The bedrooms which are well equipped all look out into the garden.

There is also a lot of support for adolescents, they are encouraged to guide various activities. They are also involved with end of life plans if they so wish.

The costs for running such a Hospice is £850 per child per 24 hours. This money comes from Government, Acorn shops and the majority from public donations. It is good to know that for every £1 Acorns spend 83 pence is spent on providing care.

The Worcester Acorns Hospice are holding an open day on Sunday, April 23 if you would like to find out more about the amazing work they do. Thank you Gemma for such a well delivered illustrated and informative talk.

The next meeting of Pershore Ladies Guild will be held on April 4 at 2pm in The Chamber at The Civic Centre when our speaker will be Robert Hemming who will take us through An affectionate look at the cinema.

All new members welcome, please contact Marian on 550177 for further details.

June Herbert and Sue Lavery attended on behalf of The Guilded Lilies a presentation at The Worcester Haven Breast Unit. The group perform concerts on request and any money received goes to their chosen charity, 2015 it was the Breast Unit. Over the years they have raised money for various local charities and would welcome the chance to continue with their efforts.

MARIAN COULTON