THE day care unit at St Cuthbert's Hospice, in Durham City, is getting a £400,000 makeover two years after the hospice opened its long-awaited inpatient wing.

The hospice, which has been based in the Merryoaks area of the city since 1988, hopes to brighten up the unit and bring it up to the same standard as the £3.2m facility for inpatients, which was built after a fundraising campaign backed by The Northern Echo.

The day unit looks after up to 15 patients each weekday, with physiotherapy, complementary therapies, advice on symptom control and social activities.

The ten-bed wing came into being in September 2006, and was officially opened in June last year by the Countess of Wessex.

Over the next six months, the original part of the hospice, the historic Park House, will be fully refurbished to give day care patients better surroundings.

The building will be brought up to modern standards and the kitchen, where staff prepare wholesome, home-cooked food for patients, will double in size.

The hospice will also open a coffee shop, staffed by volunteers, to cater for visitors.

The work is being paid for with a £418,000 grant from a Department of Health fund for improvements to hospices.

Hospice chief executive Angela Dinsdale said: "The refurbishment is great news for the hospice, as it allows us to upgrade the facilities for our day care patients.

"Much of the old building had not been touched for 20 years and, over the next six months, we will be able to bring up it up to the same high standards as our new inpatient unit.'' Kevin Whitfield, managing director of Whitfields Building Services, which is carrying out the work, said: "We're delighted to be working on the refurbishment of St Cuthbert's Hospice.

"As a company, we have been long-term supporters of the charity, and we're pleased to be able to help to improve the environment for patients.

"It's great to be able to help provide something long-lasting, which will benefit people for many years."

The work has started and is scheduled to be completed by early summer. Services for patients will be open as usual throughout the refurbishment.