A Gloucestershire-based housing development company has committed to fund the cost of one day of Sue Ryder nursing care for every week of the year, helping the charity to continue to be there when it matters.

Cape Homes Ltd in Leckhampton, hopes that the unique charity partnership will mean that more families will benefit from the expert and compassionate palliative provided by Sue Ryder nurses.

Having seen first-hand what the support of Sue Ryder means to people close to him, Mark Holland, director at Cape Homes was keen to give something back.

He said: "I live close to Sue Ryder's Leckhampton Court Hospice in Cheltenham, and I have supported the charity previously and taken part in the Ride for Ryder cycling event a number of times.

"Over the last three years, I have lost three very close friends and they were all supported at home by the Sue Ryder team. To mark their memory and to say thank you on their behalf, I decided to give something back and support a Sue Ryder nurse."

The £7,450 provided by Cape Homes will go towards helping care teams at the charity provide care like that given by Sue Ryder nurse Mari Pittman who has worked at Sue Ryder's Leckhampton Court Hospice for the last 14 years.

Talking about the vital role a Sue Ryder nurse plays, Mari said: "The job of Sue Ryder nurses and our specialist care teams is to put patients in control and take away some of the pain and practicalities they're dealing with - giving them more time to focus on the things that matter.

"More time to spend with loved ones. To reminisce and retell old stories. To hold hands, hug close and say a proper goodbye.

"We are in a unique position where we can give people happiness at the end of their life, which makes this a different type of nursing. It is such a privilege.

"The news that our friends at Cape Homes have decided to support us by signing up to fund more than 350 hours of our vital nursing care comes as a tremendous boost to us all. This is an incredibly generous gift."

Elise Hoadley, service director at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, added: "The past three years have been some of the toughest times to work through for our healthcare teams, but we have really seen just how resilient our teams are while amazing supporters like Cape Homes have rallied around us.

"Currently the government only provides one-third of the funding that hospices like ours need and Sue Ryder, like the rest of the sector, must rely on fundraising activities and voluntary donations, which is why the incredibly kind gift from Cape Homes means so very much to us."