Hospice bosses are celebrating after a successful fundraising campaign to buy new beds for patients.

East Cheshire Hospice launched the Bed Appeal to raise £155,000 to replace 17 beds which are more than 10 years old and are now starting to show their age.

The Express backed the campaign, encouraging support and donations from readers.

As well as thousands of pounds in individual donations, 500 people joined the East Cheshire Hospice Lottery, paying just £1 per week for their chance to win £1,000.

The charity has also had lots of people organising events in support of its massive Pyjama Party.

The total raised in the six months was almost £141,000, just shy of the target, but the company selling the beds gave the hospice a better deal.

It means the charity will be able to replace all 17 beds.

Karyn Johnston, income generation director, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to our Bed Appeal.

“We raised £140,950 which was not quite our target, but luckily the company we are buying the beds from matched the generosity of our donors and gave us a better deal, which means we can now afford to replace all our patient beds as planned.

“The appeal also brought us 500 new lottery players, who by giving £1 a week will continue to support the care around the beds.

“The new beds themselves will make a real difference to our patients, and will start arriving at the hospice in the coming months.

“We’d also like to thank the Macclesfield Express and its readers for supporting this initiative.”

The new beds – which cost £9,135 each – will be more comfortable than the existing ones with two variations of mattress – memory foam and air-filled.

Helen Knight, clinical and operations director, said: “It’s so important for our patients to be comfortable so they can make the most of their time with their loved ones.

“Our current beds are costing more to repair when the mechanisms fail, which is happening more frequently with constant use.

“Most patients come to our inpatient unit when all hope of a cure for their illness is lost and they’re in the final stages of life.

“For most sadly, this means lying in bed 24 hours a day for up to 15 days or more.”