SOON it will be six months since the Can You Spare A Minute Appeal? was launched.

Over recent weeks we have surpassed our original target – £25,000 – and have now set our sights on reaching £50,000, hopefully in the new year.

The extra money will make all the difference to Springhill Hospice and mean that at least two of the in-patient bays can be refurbished.

While almost half of hospice patients stay in individual en-suite rooms, others prefer to be on the ward, in one of the three-bedded bays – there are three bays in total.

It’s these areas we hope to totally refurbish – the cost of doing all three is £75,000. As the appeal is due to run until next May, there’s no reason to doubt we can do.

But of course, it’s only possible with YOUR support. We appreciate that times are tight, but if everyone gave just £5 to our appeal, which equates to providing a minute’s care at the hospice – hence Can You Spare a Minute? – we would soon be home and dry.

These days £5 buys very little but that same amount, providing we put all our fivers together, can take us towards our target.

We’ve had some very generous donations, many of them through sponsored events, and it’s thanks to them that we have now passed the £25,000 mark.

But we can’t stress enough that it’s the £5 from people’s purses and wallets – and through our charity website (www.justgiving.com/rochdaleobserver) that have provided the backbone to the appeal.

So please keep your fivers coming in – £5 will also buy you one of our Robbie bears – and help us mark the 25th anniversary of fund-raising for Springhill, a year to remember, with love from the people of Rochdale.