New fundraising events are being planned for a hospice which needs to collect more than £300,000 a year.

Two extra fundraisers have also been recruited to help organise the activities at Manorlands, the Sue Ryder palliative care centre at Oxenhope.

Chris Bown and Sally Owthwaite have joined David Gott and corporate sponsorship manager Austin Duffy, as part of the team based in Oxenhope.

They have already put together a programme of fresh activities to run alongside existing events, such as the annual Garden Party..

The amount raised through fundraising and gifts last year was £322,217, an increase of about £10,000 on the previous year, but there was a fall in the amount of money received through legacies - from £358,269 in 1998 to £268,568 in 1999.

Chris Bown said: "We are hoping to have a change of emphasis in our fundraising so that more events are centred around the hospice.

"We want to get more people to come to Manorlands to see the work we are doing and to know they are important part of the work.

"The grounds at Manorlands lend themselves to outdoor events such as an open air classical music event we are hosting in May, or our garden party and even the Teddy Bears' picnic we are planning in National Child Week on May 25."

Performances at the open air concert will be by local musicians who are giving their time free and include Haworth harpist Katy Roberts, flautist Scott Clifford and his accompanist Nick Watts from Bradford and the Keighley-based Holmes Singers.

Fundraisers are on the look out for a string quartet to complement the line-up.

Other forthcoming events are:

May (date to be fixed): Teddy Bears' Picnic in the grounds of Manorlands.

May 27: Music at Manorlands: Concert in the grounds featuring works by Bach, Schubert and Elgar.

July 9: Annual Manorlands Garden Party.

August 22: Manorlands Mountain Challenge. Six-day 80-mile walk in the Lake District.

August (date to be fixed): Coniston Challenge and Sunflower Ball. Three-day team building event at Coniston Lodge Hotel, near Skipton.

l September 8: Sponsored golf tournament at Keighley Golf Club.

Anyone who wants more information on any of the events should call (01535) 642308.

Members of any string quartet wishing to take part in the musical event are also asked to get in touch, using the same number.

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