IT was in March 1992, after years of tireless fundraising and £1.5 million coming from the people of the town, that Bolton Hospice finally opened.

Since then, Bolton residents have continued to fundraise relentlessly to pay the hospice’s annual £2 million running costs.

And they have also got behind various campaigns over the years to raise money for specific items.

In 1995, residents raised more than £20,000 to pay for the Bolton Evening News’ Wheels Appeal and Bolton Hospice’s first ambulance.

In 2007, people again got behind The Bolton News and raised £100,000 for The Garden of Tranquillity Appeal, to create a garden to be used by patients and their families at the hospice.

A need for hospice care in the area was first recognised in 1984, but it was not until outline planning permission was granted in 1987 that fundraising began in earnest.

Since it opened in 1992, Bolton Hospice has been visited by a number of celebrities and royalty, including a visit by Princess Diana in 1993, and Princess Alexandra in 2007.

Over the years, the hospice has treated thousands of patients and touched the lives of almost every family in the borough.

Now, there is a new challenge — to raise £110,000 to pay for more Hospice at Home nurses to care for people in their homes.

Hospice at Home was set up in 1995, after a £64,000 boost from the North West Regional Health Authority. Nurses have since cared for hundreds of people at the end of their lives in their own homes.

Alice Atkinson, fundraising manager, said: “The services we provide for patients, their families and carers have seen many changes over the past 20 years, but our commitment to providing the very best care and support for people facing life-limiting illnesses has remained.

“Our next challenge is to ensure that no-one is denied the input of our Hospice at Home service, should they need our nurses specialist care at the end of life and wish to remain at home surrounded by their family and friends.

“That’s why this appeal is so important to us, and I hope local people will continue to support us to help us reach our £110,000 target.”