THE Standard s Help Our Hospice Campaign has become an enormous success, and we have already received hundreds of signatures from people appealing to the Government to address the appalling shortfall in funding these much-needed facilities. Each week, we

THE Standard's Help Our Hospice Campaign has become an enormous success, and we have already received hundreds of signatures from people appealing to the Government to address the appalling shortfall in funding these much-needed facilities. Each week, we will keep you informed about fund-raising events and how you can get involved in helping our hospice appeal.

WE need your old mobile phones! Yes, that's right, old mobile phones. Do you have a spare phone, or one of those early models that resembled a walkie-talkie and weighed a ton? Maybe you have upgraded recently and your obsolete phone is sitting sulkily in a drawer somewhere.

Why not convert your unused phone into cash for Milton Hospice and support our campaign?

Little Downham man, Ray Pritchard, is heading a new stage of our fund-raising campaign and has set himself the mammoth target of collecting 1001 mobile phones. Mobile phones can be recycled and each one is worth between £5-£10. With your help, we will use the money through our HoH campaign to raise funds for the Milton Hospice.

Ray, 75, has been raising money for the hospice, which is run by the East Anglia's Children's Hospice (EACH) charity, for the last 10 years. He decided to get involved when a friend's child became ill.

"It's heart-breaking to see a child suffering and in pain, but also to see parents and families struggling to cope with trying to look after their child and come to terms with the situation."

Ray has organised regular table-top sales and concerts for the charity, but he hopes his latest fund-raising venture will prove popular with Standard readers.

"I found out that quarter of a million phones were sold in the East Anglia area last year and thought that many of these must be replacement phones and that the old ones are probably sitting around at home somewhere. It makes so much sense to recycle them and make some money for such a worthwhile charity like EACH."

PETITION: We have launched a petition in order to put pressure on the Government to increase the funding to children's hospices like the one at Milton. Children's hospices get roughly 10 per cent of their funding from statutory sources, the rest is made up from donations and fund-raising.

We are happy to raise money for the Milton Hospice, but we also want to secure the facilities long-term future, which can be done only through adequate funding each year.

You can sign our petition at: www.cambs24.co.uk or come into our reception at 38 Market Street, Ely. There are also petitions at the Littleport Leisure Centre.

If your business or organisation would like a petition, contact us on 01353 667831 or email: debbie.davies@archant.co.uk

FUND-RAISING: If you would like to organise a fund-raising event contact EACH at: www.each.org.uk or phone: 01223 205180 and ask for a fund-raising pack.

And make sure you let us know so that we can publicise the event for you. Contact the Ely Standard on 10353 667831 or email: debbie.davies@archant.co.uk

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

# If you have an old mobile phone and want to donate it to the campaign you can drop it off our collection point at the Ely Standard at 38 Market Street, Ely. Just bring it into reception and drop it in the box provided. There is also a collection point at St Leonard's Church in Little Downham.

# If you are a business or a shop and you would like to have a recycle bin, then let us know and we will drop one off to you. Contact the newsdesk on 01353 667831 or email: debbie.davies@archant.co.uk

# You can also phone Ray on 01353 698284.

Ray has organised a Table-Top sale and will be holding it at the village centre at St Leonard's Church in Little Downham on Saturday, from 1pm-4pm.