A massive money-spinning campaign for a new £5 million hospice in Bradford has got off to a cracking start, fundraisers have revealed.

At a reception in Bradford last night to launch the appeal, it was announced more than £400,000 has been generated in gifts for the state-of-the-art Marie Curie Centre at Leeds Road Hospital, Bradford.

But finance chiefs at the Sue Ryder Home at Manorlands in Oxenhope fear a slump in vital cash-giving to their cancer hospice in the wake of Marie Curie's massive appeal.

And they want Bradford Health Authority to boost its grant to half-a-million pounds from the present £300,000.

The health authority has already pledged to pay 50 per cent of the running costs of the new Marie Curie centre when it is up and running in Leeds Road, Bradford.

Staff who run the Sue Ryder Home fear it will impact on the support it gets from the people of Bradford, who help raise the lion's share of the £300,000 it collects each year.

"We expect that there will be some impact on what people give to us over the next couple of years. We are well aware we must keep Manorlands at a high profile,'' said Irene Senior, chairman of the home's house committee.

"Bradford Health Authority has pledged 50 per cent of the running costs to the new hospice. We hope they will meet that same figure for us. This is the time when it should happen.''

Manorlands costs about £1 million a year to run. A third is granted by BHA, another third comes from donations and legacies and the rest through fundraising.

Manorlands fund-raiser David Wood said the generosity of local people was vital to the financial wellbeing of Manorlands.

"A lot of our fundraising comes from the city area and this will bring more pressure on to people who are already giving generously. Only the public will decide in the end how they will give.''

The Marie Curie appeal has been boosted by Bradford mail order giant Grattan which is giving £100,000 over two years. A similar amount has been secured from a Yorkshire-based charity trust while a further £200,000 has been given by a donor who has asked to remain anonymous.

The hospice appeal is a key piece of Marie Curie's national 50th anniversary fundraising effort. Marie Curie appeal organisers hope to raise about £1 million towards the target in the Bradford district.

Chairman of the appeal board, Christine Hamilton-Stewart, said she was delighted with the impressive start.

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