A Darlington hospice is appealing for help from businesses across the border in North Yorkshire.

St Teresa's Hospice has launched a major appeal to open and run a six-bed, 24-hour unit to provide respite, palliative and terminal care.

Although based in Darlington, the facility has been helping the North Yorkshire community - Northallerton in particular - for more than 15 years.

Between April last year and March this year, people from the county used the hospice's day care facilities 668 times and more than 360 hours of home care were provided.

Hospice director Jane Bradshaw said: "Although we offer a wide range of care options, if a patient does not wish to die at home, has problem symptoms, or their carer can no longer cope alone, there are no local hospice beds available.

"Although the primary care trust will be able to give us some financial support, they cannot do so until the beds are actually open, so our main aim is to raise sufficient funds to get the unit up and running.

"We sincerely hope that North Yorkshire businesses will come forward in supporting such a worthwhile cause."