This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby was the special guest at local children’s hospice Keech as part of a nationwide fundraising initiative.

Holly was appearing in a short film for the charity Together for Short Lives which showcased how hospices like Keech support families of children with life-limiting conditions and terminal illnesses.

The film was part of ITV’s Text Santa programme on December 19, raising awareness and money for six UK-based charities which also included Teenage Cancer Trust, Guide Dogs, WellChild, Marie Curie Cancer Care and the Alzheimer’s Society.

Holly said: “As a mother of three, I can’t imagine being told that my child won’t reach adulthood. I am a patron of Together for Short Lives, a charity that is very close to my heart.

“Keech is so important as it helps so many families. There are 53 hospices like Keech across the country and all of them rely on your help and the money that you can give in order to enable them to work. £20 will pay for a specialist nurse to give a terminally ill child an hours worth of care. Please dig deep and do whatever you can.”

Keech Hospice Care provides care for children from Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes and adults from Luton and south Bedfordshire with progressive, life-limiting conditions from diagnosis up until the end of their life.

This care extends to the entire family offering emotional, spiritual and practical support at hospital, school, care or in the family home as long as needed, even after the loss of a loved one.

You can still make donations to Text Santa using Vodafone’s JustTextGiving service, which ensures 100 per cent of donations goes directly to the appeal. Donate £5 by texting the word SANTA5 to 70760 or donate £10 by texting SANTA10 to 70760. The last date for donations is 5pm on January 9.