THE Northern Echo is today joining forces with a hospice to launch a £3.2m appeal to build an in-patient unit for north Durham.

St Cuthbert's Hospice, in Durham City, will celebrate its 18th anniversary today by launching the Key Appeal to build a ten-bed unit where terminally-ill patients can receive the care they need.

Since 1988, the team at the hospice has offered specialist day care to thousands of patients, many of them being nursed through the final days of their lives.

Patients needing round-the-clock care have to travel to Newcastle or Sunderland to get a hospice bed.

Now St Cuthbert's wants to offer 24-hour specialist palliative care, in an extension next to its day centre in Merryoaks, to patients from across Durham, Chester-le-Street and Derwentside.

It will fulfil a dream shared by the founders of St Cuthbert's for the past 18 years, but it needs readers of The Northern Echo to turn it into reality.

Fundraisers have already managed to amass £1.9m towards the cost of building and furnishing the unit, but need your help in bringing in another £1.3m.

Appeal organisers are so confident in the generosity of readers that building work will start today - with a ground-breaking ceremony at noon - in the hope that the rest of the money can be raised during the 12 months it will take to complete.

The work will be started by the Dean of Durham, The Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove, who is president of St Cuthbert's.

The new unit, which is expected to take its first patients in summer 2006, will also provide overnight accommodation for families and carers; a base for community home nursing teams, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and other complementary therapies; an education department and library, and a chapel.

Chairman of trustees Keith Willans praised those who had already supported the campaign and asked people to support the campaign in any way they can.

He said: "We are already more than halfway towards achieving our target. I am sure when local people know more about what we are trying to do, they will support us as wholeheartedly as they have done for many years."

The area's two primary care trusts - Durham and Chester-le-Street, and Derwentside - have agreed to provide a total of £500,000 per year between them towards running costs.

Andrew Young, chief executive of the Durham and Chester-le-Street trust said: "The provision of an in-patient unit at St Cuthbert's is an essential part of our strategy for palliative care."