A physiotherapist and patient services manager for Rennie Grove Hospice Care is calling on St Albans residents to donate to the Grove House Appeal.

Rennie Grove is looking to raise £1 million to improve the hospice building, which is next door to St Albans City Hospital, enabling them to offer more services to patients.

Physiotherapist Poppy Montgomery-Ward said: "I feel privileged to be able to see first-hand the difference our day-to-day activity at Grove House makes to people in our local community.

"Although we offer great support and help now, I know that we could reach so many more people with an even wider range of services if we had different spaces to use in the building.

"I am passionate about supporting people to live well and focus on their wellbeing, and am very excited about the planned refurbishment and what impact it will have on people."

The money raised will be used to reconfigure and extend the hospice's interior, trebling the space available so more services can be delivered at a time. The plans for the building include replacing the conservatories at the rear end to create two new areas for delivering services, carrying out maintenance and creating a larger teaching area and a new reception.

The hospice will also be able to introduce services for children and young adults, and expand its community reach by making services available at evenings and weekends.

It is also looking to make Grove House into a centre of excellent for palliative care, and to create an education suite to deliver training to Rennie Grove staff and other healthcare professionals.

Recent feedback from a patient said: "Grove House is an oasis of calm and care. It feels welcoming and every type of resource is available. All staff are friendly and compassionate.

"I love Grove House and feel honoured and lucky to have it as a great help during my cancer treatment and ongoing care."

At the moment, Grove House provides day services on weekdays from 9am to 4pm, for adults only, with children and their families being cared for in their homes.

Poppy added: "Please support our campaign if you can, and help us make Grove House a truly exceptional place of comfort, support and reassurance for all those in and around St Albans."