A hospice that provides end of life care for patients across Cambridgeshire has raised £1 million thanks to a lottery game.

Ely Standard: Arthur Rank Hospice says thanks a million. Chris Toates and Sue Andrews: long standing supporters of Arthur Rank Hospice both play Your Hospice Lottery for the Charity.Arthur Rank Hospice says thanks a million. Chris Toates and Sue Andrews: long standing supporters of Arthur Rank Hospice both play Your Hospice Lottery for the Charity. (Image: Archant)

Supporters pledging £1 a week to the Arthur Rank Hospice lottery have topped the total to help fund free care for patients living with a life-limiting illness in Cambridgeshire.

Lynn Morgan, chief executive of Arthur Rank Hospice, said: “It’s been wonderful to know that we have a steady income from the lottery and this helps us with planning our services.

“We also like the fact that the administration costs are still going to hospice care, because Your Hospice Lottery is administrated by St Helena’s Hospice in Colchester.

“It would be our dream to expand the number of people playing, as this would have a very direct impact on our care: we could for example use such funds to recruit another nurse for Hospice at Home.

Ely Standard: Arthur Rank Hospice says thanks a million. Chris Toates and Sue Andrews: long standing supporters of Arthur Rank Hospice both play Your Hospice Lottery for the Charity.Arthur Rank Hospice says thanks a million. Chris Toates and Sue Andrews: long standing supporters of Arthur Rank Hospice both play Your Hospice Lottery for the Charity. (Image: Archant)

“Just £1 a week is a contribution many people can commit to and what better way to spend a £1.”

The lottery has been running since 2011.

More than 8,000 numbers are played each week in support of Arthur Rank Hospice.

Since the beginning of the year, the grand total raised has been climbing by around £4,000 a week.

The regular income is making an important regular contribution to funding, ultimately benefitting patients and their loved ones through the Hospice’s all-encompassing range of services, Ms Morgan added.

Arthur Rank Hospice supports more than 3,600 patients each year at a cost of about £8.1 million a year.