WHERE THE MONEY GOES IN CASH STRAPPED WELSH HOSPICES

12.00.00am GMT Mon 11th Dec 2006

Tomorrow, the Welsh Liberal Democrats will call for an all-Wales review of funding and arrangements for Welsh hospices in a debate in the Welsh Assembly.

Commenting in advance, Jenny Willott MP, who has chosen T? Hafan, Wales' Children's Hospice, to receive some sponsorship money from her Arctic charity fundraising husky dog trek, said:

"T? Hafan, provides an amazing service to Wales. The care they provide for children with life-limiting illnesses, and for their families, is utterly indispensable. But their vital work needs to be paid for and running a hospice is expensive.

"Every year, T? Hafan uses over 1000 loaves of bread, 1300 pints of milk and over half a tonne of apples, onions, butter and cheese. Every year, lotions and treatments cost £46,000, utility and telephone bills come to over £31,000, cleaning costs £36,500 and the fantastic new family care wing costs over £500,000 a year to run.

"T? Hafan, like other Welsh hospices, had a tougher job raising the money they need than hospices in England and Scotland, which receive greater government funding.

"Less than a fifth of T? Hafan's £2.5m annual operating costs are met by the Government. The rest all comes from public donations and corporate sponsors. Without this money, the hospice would have to close.

"T? Hafan has been able to continue doing its work over the last 8 years because of the generosity of the people of Wales. I hope that they will continue to show their appreciation and commitment to T? Hafan by sponsoring the MPs Arctic trek next February.

"But in the long-run, we need a review of how Welsh hospices are funded and how they operate to ensure a secure future."

For more information about T? Hafan, see http://www.tyhafan.org/

For more information on the Arctic Challenge, visit: http://www.westminsterchallenge.org/

The web link to sponsor Jenny for her Arctic trek is http://www.justgiving.com/jennywillott

As well as T? Hafan, the trek will raise money for 3 national charities:

- Cancer Research UK

- The Children's Society

- Crimestoppers